It’s the same dream again. You’re flitting from one movie to the next, running from some curious danger, or maybe toward it. The circus film. The suspense on a runaway train. Flying through the jungle like Tarzan. And finally, to the scene you never want to see again. But you don’t want to think about that, no.
From one scene to the next, it’s the same as always. But this time, you have company. Paprika. She guides you through the dream because that’s what this youthful, fun-spirited woman is for.
But when your dreams start to mess with reality, will Paprika help you then?
A few weeks ago, I wrote a little list of movies I liked better than Inception, and thanks so much to everyone who filled the comments with suggestion for movies that fit the prompt. One of the more common “You need to watch this!” comments I got was for the 2006 anime film Paprika, the last film by Satoshi Kon before his death. Truth is, I’d been meaning to watch this for years. But all you insistent people finally made it happen and I have to say: You were totally right. You can sleep tight knowing you made a difference.
In Paprika, a company has developed a technology to help psychiatric patients. It’s called DC Mini (love the name) and you just put it on your head before you fall asleep. In your dreams, your therapist will guide you through what you’re seeing, hopefully getting to the bottom of some of your subconscious desires and insecurities. Easy peasy. Surely nothing could go wrong.
Unfortunately, someone has stolen a few of these devices, and now they’re bleeding into peoples’ dreams, pulling them into a nightmare they can’t wake up from. Who could be doing this and why?
As I watched this last night, curled up in my favorite chair, my cat Honey asleep on her perch nearby, I let the technicolor visuals and dreamy vibes wash over me. I theorized. I yelled at the screen. I smiled. I raged.
One of my main complaints about Inception was that it held the hands of the audience way too much. It over-explained every little thing so that, when any big plot point would happen, the twist would feel obvious. Paprika does no such thing. They don’t explain the technology, they don’t introduce each character and their motivations. Instead, they plop you right into the drama, a fly on the wall rather than a fourth-wall-breaking character.
Yes, it means that the plot can get a little confusing, but isn’t that the point? Paprika is twisty and weird and beautiful and assumes that, by the end, you’ll understand it enough to love it. It’s a mind-bending thriller in a colorful package. I’m glad I finally listened to everyone telling me to watch, and now you can, too. Join us in dreamland.
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