Paprika (film)

I'll leave the act of reviewing recent arrivals to the other members of the MCPL blogging community. What I'd like to add to the conversation are some responses to less-recent, but still interesting, media that I have come across. They may not be new, but they're new to me and hopefully to others too.

First up: Paprika. I'll avoid any jokes that involve pretending like I'm talking about the jar in your spice cabinet...for now. Paprika, an animated science fiction film out of Japan, was released in 2006. It's director, Satoshi Kon, is also known for his work on Millennium Actress and the better known Tokyo Godfathers. If you haven't heard of any of these movies, don't feel bad. Until a couple weeks ago neither had I. For some more basic info on the movie, check out its Wikipedia entry here.

I want to qualify this entry by saying that I have never been particularly drawn to anime in any form. I've always been quick to raise an incredulous eyebrow to late-night broadcasts of InuYasha  and Cowboy Bebop before changing the channel to something else. I suspect that most people in my age bracket and above would be of similar mind. Anime isn't, after all, broadcast in the wee hours of morning because it generates a ton of ad revenue. 

Still, I do fancy myself the multiculturalist and when I saw the unique DVD cover artwork for Paprika I had to for a moment to read the plot synopsis. The plot seemed, at first, a bit off-putting. The premise is that a futuristic invention, the "DC Mini," has been recently put to use in "dream therapy." The device allows the user to view people's dreams, probing their subconscious. The full extent of the device's usages have not been entirely realized as it is still in development. Predictably enough the film's conflict results from the theft of the prototype devices by an unknown person prompting the fear that the DC Mini could be used inappropriately. Why is this off-putting? Because I'm not a big fan of science fiction.

Nonetheless, something about the film reminded me of Waking Life which I thoroughly enjoyed. Animation, as it happens, is perhaps the only appropriate medium for exploring dreamscapes in the course of a film. In the interest of broadening my horizons and nursing this sprout of interest I decided to put my stigmatized conception of anime to the test and give Paprika an opportunity to impress me or turn me off of anime forever.

What can I say about this film after giving to it such a task as cementing for me the reputation of an entire genre? I can say that it is fantastic. In fact, I can't say enough positive things about it. To be sure, it did take me some time to get past the unusual feeling of watching anime. That is, the dubbed voices never quite matching up to the speaker's lips, the vaguely Pokemon-ish exaggerated expressions and other such stereotypes were not altogether absent though they were somewhat muted as this is a more adult movie. The plot too, was somewhat predictable, though it later became a bit more suspenseful than I expected. It was, however, the incredible animation that makes this movie what it is. It is, in a word, phenomenal.

The conflict of the story follows Dr. Atsuko Chiba, the head of the research team developing the dream therapy device. Her dream-world alter-ego is the film's namesake. As the story progresses it is Dr. Chiba who, using her familiarity with the device's usage, is charged with entering the dream world to discover the original thief of the device. This is made ever more urgent by the fact that the thief seems to be using the device to enter into other people's dreams and control them to some extent, even going so far as to potentially kill them. Eventually, the lines between the dream world and reality, Dr. Chiba and Paprika, become very blurred as we narrow in on the DC Mini's thief.

Not sold on this plot? Understandable. It is the power of the manner in which all of this is made visual that makes this movie. The dream world is haunting and strange, evocative of real dreams to the fullest extent possible. The film succeeds greatly in drawing the viewer into its world and creating a confused sense of limbo between the real and dream worlds. The dreamscapes are often quite creepy and more than able to remind the viewer of bits and pieces of prior dreams not quite remembered. A live action version of this film would fall flat on its face. The visuals and the complementary feelings they draw up quite simply are the movie and could only be effective though this type of animation.

I've glossed over some key plot elements, but don't feel cheated. Nothing as regards the plot is uniquely interesting, though it is not dull either. Plus, by time we reach denouement the viewer is apt to be entirely confused as to what is going on, what is and isn't actually a happening in the film's version of the "real world." This is the emotion the movie seeks to create though and I can't imagine it could have been done better, the dream-world better rendered on the screen.

In the end, this film was actually quite powerful. It also opened me up to taking anime much more seriously. I've since begun a careful probing of the genre to perhaps locate other offerings I might enjoy. That Paprika is much less "over-the-top" in terms of stereotypical anime style certainly helps, but in any case I'm convinced I should give a wider range of material a chance to impress me.

My advice, check this movie out and give it a shot. It's only about 90 minutes long so you won't have wasted to much time if you hate it and, to be honest, you might. Anime is still an acquired taste as far as I'm concerned, but then again I also hated Guiness the first time I tried it and because I didn't want to waste the six-pack, it started to grow on me and, long story short, it is now my absolute favorite beer. I don't think I'm going to be putting on a costume and attending anime conventions or anything, but I guess you never know...