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(More customer reviews)It's no secret amongst fans of intelligent, adult sci-fi that some of the best genre films these days aren't originating from Hollywood, but rather from the masters of Japanese anime. Films like "Akira " and "Ghost in the Shell" display a quality of writing and visual imagination that few "live action" productions (post "Blade Runner") can touch.
One of the most adventurous anime directors is Satoshi Kon. In previous work like his incredibly dense and ambitious TV miniseries "Paranoia Agent", and in several feature films, Kon has displayed a flair for coupling complex characterization with a neo-realistic visual style that tends to make me forget that I'm watching an "anime". Most of Kon's work up until this point has drawn on genres that one does not typically associate with anime: adult drama ("Tokyo Godfathers"), film noir ("Perfect Blue"), psychological thriller ("Paranoia Agent") and character study ("Millennium Actress").
Kon's latest film, "Paprika" is actually the first of his animes that I would categorize as "sci-fi"... and it's a doozy.
A team of scientists develops an interface device called the "DC mini" that facilitates the transference of dreams from one person to another. This "dream machine" is designed primarily for use by psychotherapists; it allows them to literally experience a patient's dreams and take a closer look "under the hood", if you will. In the wrong hands, however, this could potentially become a very dangerous tool.
As you have likely already guessed, "someone" has hacked into a "DC mini" and started to wreak havoc with people's minds. One by one, members of the research team are driven to suicidal behavior after the dreams of patients are fed into their subconscious without their knowledge (much akin to someone slipping acid into the punch). Things get more complicated when these waking dreams begin taking sentient form and start spreading like a virus, forming a pervasive matrix that threatens to supplant "reality" (whew!). A homicide detective joins forces with one of the researchers, whose alter-ego, Paprika, is literally a "dream girl", a sort of super-heroine of the subconscious.
"Mind blowing" doesn't even begin to describe this Disney-on-acid/murder mystery/psychological sci fi-horror story. It is Kon's most visually ambitious work to date, with stunning use of color and imagery (mark my words-this one has "future cult midnight movie" written all over it).
Kon raises some engaging philosophical points (aside from the hoary "what is reality?" debate). At one point, Paprika ponders: "Don't you think dreams and the internet are similar? They are both areas where the repressed conscious vents." I think Kon is positing that the dream state is the last "sacred place" left for humans; if technology encroaches we will lose our last true refuge. A must-see for anime and sci-fi fans.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Paprika (2006)
Prepare to enter the realm of fantasy and imagination where reality and dreams collide in a kaleidoscopic mindscape of sheer visual genius. The magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject’s dream. After being stolen, a fearless detective and brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device before it falls into the hands of a dream terrorist in this gripping anime thriller from acclaimed director Satoshi Kon.
