There's a quote from Christopher Nolan's latest film, Inception, where DiCaprio's character is introducing the newest member of his team to the world of the dream. "Dreams feel real while we're in them, it's only when we wake up that we realize that something was actually strange." It got me thinking about the similarities between movies and dreams; they both ask us to forget everything we know or understand and follow the director on a journey into a brand new world. It's only after the credits roll and the lights come up that we can really look back on it and see it for what it was, or at least, that's their intention. This is probably the best way to describe my reaction after watching Satoshi Kon's fourth feature film, Paprika.
Unlike Inception, Paprika doesn't dwell on giving it's audience any real answers or long-winded explanations for the "rules" of a dream. While Inception took place in a more "grounded" dream scape, this film takes the concept of a dreamworld and runs with it.The fact is that dreams don't have rules, they don't make any sense and there's no rhyme or reason to any of it. This is what I think of when I think of dreams: pure unfiltered imagination, and it's in that respect that Paprika succeeds.
The movie begins with the invention of the DC Mini, a device that allows doctors to see inside their patients unconscious thoughts through their dreams and diagnose their otherwise baffling condition. One of these doctors is Atsuko Chiba, the head of the program who has been illegally treating psychiatric patients using her alter-ego, Paprika, a spirited red-headed woman and the polar opposite of Atsuko. However, the DC Mini is still in the development stage when an unknown thief manages to get their hands on three of the prototypes and, worse yet, because of their unfinished nature the culprit can access anyone's mind, whether they be dreaming or not. Dr. Chiba is charged with locating the other prototypes, investigating clues as both Atsuko and Paprika, as a mysterious force begins to merge the collective subconscious of the world, and the line between what is real and what is not begins to blur.
The characters of Paprika are as deeply layered as the dreams themselves, and not every character is as clean cut as they might appear. The genius inventor and child-at-heart who's open to anything and doesn't believe in the morals of adults. The police detective, his mysterious relationship with movies and the recurring dream that never ends. An old man, obsessed with guarding what he believes is the last true haven from the evils of science and, last but not least, the dichotomy between Atsuko, her alter-ego Paprika, and how she ultimately learns to accept herself.
Filled with incredibly fluid and expressive animation, Paprika contains fantastic images ranging from gorgeous to disturbing and everywhere in between. In particular the parade sequences, as they march from dream to dream, contain all sorts of surreal visual gems: walking furniture, a marching band of frogs, duck shaped bowling pins, giant oni masks and a float full of creepy porcelain dolls. Even the Statue of Liberty makes an appearance. On top of that the music compliments the movie perfectly; an eerie, artificial, almost hypnotizing soundtrack permeates every inch of the film, perfect for a movie that plays fast and loose with the concept of reality.
If you're in the mood for a new movie experience you can't go wrong with Paprika. Just don't expect to understand everything the first (or even the second) time you watch it. Haunting dream or beautiful nightmare, this movie has definitely captured my attention and piqued my interest in other films by Kon. On a side-note, I enjoyed Inception immensely. I thought it was a true stand-out in an otherwise fairly standard season of run-of-the-mill summer movies. In fact, if it wasn't for Inception I never would looked further into movies that dealt with dreams and I'd never have discovered Paprika or any of Satoshi Kon's work. For that alone I'm grateful.
Unlike Inception, Paprika doesn't dwell on giving it's audience any real answers or long-winded explanations for the "rules" of a dream. While Inception took place in a more "grounded" dream scape, this film takes the concept of a dreamworld and runs with it.The fact is that dreams don't have rules, they don't make any sense and there's no rhyme or reason to any of it. This is what I think of when I think of dreams: pure unfiltered imagination, and it's in that respect that Paprika succeeds.
The movie begins with the invention of the DC Mini, a device that allows doctors to see inside their patients unconscious thoughts through their dreams and diagnose their otherwise baffling condition. One of these doctors is Atsuko Chiba, the head of the program who has been illegally treating psychiatric patients using her alter-ego, Paprika, a spirited red-headed woman and the polar opposite of Atsuko. However, the DC Mini is still in the development stage when an unknown thief manages to get their hands on three of the prototypes and, worse yet, because of their unfinished nature the culprit can access anyone's mind, whether they be dreaming or not. Dr. Chiba is charged with locating the other prototypes, investigating clues as both Atsuko and Paprika, as a mysterious force begins to merge the collective subconscious of the world, and the line between what is real and what is not begins to blur.
The characters of Paprika are as deeply layered as the dreams themselves, and not every character is as clean cut as they might appear. The genius inventor and child-at-heart who's open to anything and doesn't believe in the morals of adults. The police detective, his mysterious relationship with movies and the recurring dream that never ends. An old man, obsessed with guarding what he believes is the last true haven from the evils of science and, last but not least, the dichotomy between Atsuko, her alter-ego Paprika, and how she ultimately learns to accept herself.
Filled with incredibly fluid and expressive animation, Paprika contains fantastic images ranging from gorgeous to disturbing and everywhere in between. In particular the parade sequences, as they march from dream to dream, contain all sorts of surreal visual gems: walking furniture, a marching band of frogs, duck shaped bowling pins, giant oni masks and a float full of creepy porcelain dolls. Even the Statue of Liberty makes an appearance. On top of that the music compliments the movie perfectly; an eerie, artificial, almost hypnotizing soundtrack permeates every inch of the film, perfect for a movie that plays fast and loose with the concept of reality.
If you're in the mood for a new movie experience you can't go wrong with Paprika. Just don't expect to understand everything the first (or even the second) time you watch it. Haunting dream or beautiful nightmare, this movie has definitely captured my attention and piqued my interest in other films by Kon. On a side-note, I enjoyed Inception immensely. I thought it was a true stand-out in an otherwise fairly standard season of run-of-the-mill summer movies. In fact, if it wasn't for Inception I never would looked further into movies that dealt with dreams and I'd never have discovered Paprika or any of Satoshi Kon's work. For that alone I'm grateful.
Some great observations, and a well written post. I've never gotten into Anime, but your description makes it sound interesting. Might have to check it out. It's great when we see a particular film or other piece of art or culture and it inspires to explore in a new direction than we normally would have. Good stuff! Keep watching and keep blogging!
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