Inception is a 2010 science fiction film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It was nominated for 8 Oscars, including Best Picture. The film tells the story of a thief, Dom Cobb, who has the rare ability to steal ideas and thoughts from people's minds through an experimental procedure called "extraction". Cobb is offered a chance to have his criminal history erased if he can successfully perform "inception", or the planting of another's idea.