INCEPTION × Marion Cotillard

In 2022, I started a project to create a series of illustrations inspired by my favorite movies. At the time, I had just begun learning fundamental concepts of perspective and composition and was eager to apply my learning through hand-on practice. Inception emerged as the ideal subject, with its malleable dreamscapes where gravity, time and physics twist and bend, offering a perfect opportunity to experiment with perspective—even accommodating the occasional misstep of a novice. For the central figure, I used a photograph of Marion Cotillard as a reference. In the background, a Japanese billboard poses the question, “Dream or reality?” while the restaurant bears the name of the ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, a nod to his classic “Butterfly Dream” parable that explores the nature of perception and reality.