Paprika

Kon Satoshi, Japan, 2006
3.5 out of 4 stars

When a film centers around a device that enables psychotherapists (at least that's what I think they were) to enter into the dreams of their subjects, you expect for there to be a certain amount of trippy, mind-bending imagery, and perhaps even a general abandonment of literal narrative in favor of a more "dreamlike" approach. Of course, we do get plenty of this imagery (parades full of monuents and "Children's Day" dolls, amusement parks, and so on), and it's both exhilitaring and disturbing in a way that no other film I've seen lately has been (nice to see the Japanese still doing something with animation, particularly the mostly-hand-drawn, traditional kind). However, the odd thing about Paprika is that this imagery is contained within an overall plot structure that bears many of the trappings of a straightforward narrative, as the scientists, sometimes with the help of a police detective, try to recover a missing device and deal with the havoc apparently caused by its misuse.

It's only as the film continues that it becomes apparent that the filmmakers are not playing as straight with us as they initially lead us to believe. Most of the characters in this film have unexpected relationships with each other, and these relationships are generally revealed in very awkward, confusing ways, usually after quite a bit of time has elapsed. Some of these are obvious whereas others just seem like they should have been obvious. Yet even though the audience had been left hanging about certain aspects of the plot, the occasional reveals leave us expecting a greater degree of narrative closure than we are ultimately afforded by the film. We are in fact cleverly misled into expecting more of an explanation.

Of course, I don't believe that any of this is accidental, although it did frustrate my friend a lot more than it did me; I suppose I was in the mood for something that didn't entirely want to make sense, and I really do think the trojan horse of the traditional narrative was cleverly implemented. As to what the film is saying philosophically, well, as usual I'm at a bit of a loss as far as that goes. I found the use of what I understand to be stock anime depictions of women (cold-hearted scientist, peppy bright-haired witch-type), not to mention men (stern detective, absent-minded old man) to be both somewhat tiresome and seemingly knowing at the same time (it's interesting that it shows up in what strikes me, perhaps incorrectly, as more of an "art-house" anime). I should also mention that as much as the "dream device" and the amusement park imagery sounds horribly unoriginal when I describe it, much like something that has showed up in one Star Trek or X-Files episode too many, it is in fact much more mindblowing than it sounds. Check it out but be prepared for weirdness and incoherency!

Source: Sony DVD
18 Jan, 9:21 PM