Having seen three of the four animated films by Satoshi Kon within the past month or two, I can officially say I love this man. His films are fascinating, imaginative and just straight up brilliant in many ways. Paprika isn't at all different. It is well made, engaging, beautiful, discomforting and even confusing, but most importantly the most fun of any film of the year so far.

In the world of Paprika, an obese genius has invented a machine that lets you see into the dreams of whoever wears it. I think the point was for psychiatrists to help treat people, but am not sure. In any case, the machine is stolen and because it was still incomplete, whoever had it could use it to control people's dreams, and eventually, reality. Or something like that. The point is, the world is in grave danger, unless the beautiful and brilliant Chiba Atsuko along with the old scientist Osanai and the cop Shima, can find out who stole the machine and stop them.

And that's basically what the film is. A mystery and a race against the clock to get back what was stolen and save the world. Kon blurs the lines between the dream-world and the real world so much that even though you know Chiba is the "real" person and Paprika the "dream" version, you're always a step behind and never entirely sure who is headed where and when. Real characters enter dream land and, apparently, vice versa so often that you can't tell if the transitions from one to another are as they seem or just another layer to the dream or if, maybe, dream and reality are one and the same. And, oh, what a dream it is. This film is wildly imaginative. It's Gondry meets the Matrix. The characters, events, twists and turns of the dream world, or even real world, are unlike any film I've seen. It had me on the edge of the seat from start to finish.

Satoshi Kon is a great director, but more than just that, he knows how to work an audience. He can make me squirm in my seat with my heart racing, as much of Perfect Blue did, or make me feel sad and worried for his characters' fates as in Millennium Actress. Here he does all of the above. At times the film is frightening and creepy. At other times it's sad and touching. It can be hilarious or sweet. But whatever it is at a given moment, it clearly comes when and how Kon wants it to.

Like both Millennium Actress and Perfect Blue, this film deals with young heroic women, the power of movies, the trouble of the internet (and technology in general), mysteries, love and death, duality and any other number of themes and motifs Kon is interested in. Also like both of those movies, it's so much more than the sum of those miscellaneous parts. It's visually beautiful and entrancing, emotionally and viscerally involving and it's the best movie of the year

This isn't a little mental making out... this isn't even serious intellectual lovemaking -- nope -- this is an all-out, down 'n' dirty, inhibition-shedding, fantasy-dream mind fuck of a movie...

Don't really wanna say much, cause this is one to go experience for yourself, but suffice to say that this is storytelling and animation art stretching together to achieve the limits of imagination.

Paprika is the spice...

15 out of 5. (Unqualified)

Glad that someone else finally saw this, and more importantly, liked it. It's my #6 of 2007.

Thanks. I'll check it out. Right now I have "Meditation Field" from the soundtrack by Susumu Hirasawa, which is great.

A boring mess of a film that think's acting all over the place is intelligent.. I'd rather watch Bleach for good japanse anime entertainment.

Sorry S Snack I didn't like this

I was completely blown away by how emotionally heavy this got in the final act. Sure, there was a lot of interesting theology and science floating around throughout the movie, but I felt sort of disconnected from it all. I really got hooked into the narrative once it's revealed who the actual mastermind is, as I think that is when it starts to develop a tangible weight as a film. The images are consistently beautiful and grotesque, often at the same time. The scene where the Chairman merges with his sidekick/helper/love and entangles Paprika/Atsuko with those tree-like roots is absolutely stunning. The way the detective forces his way through the movie screen... . That was another thing I loved, actually - the idea of movies playing such a large part in both our conscious and subconscious minds... how the Detective wanted to be a filmmaker, so his dreams are aesthetically structured like classic serial films. And like I said, the emotional gravitas the movie ascends to is pretty remarkable, particularly the scene where Atsuko essentially admits her love for Tokita, albeit in a dream state.

This is a great film.

One of the few anime films I have seen that I really liked. Thumbs up!

i still lov this movie

I watched Perfect Blue a couple weeks ago, and it was really good.

netflix'd

you better be right jiffy or I'll kill box until he's dead

Oh, and Millennium Actress is great, too, so I should see this.

What's the scoop on the Paprika / Inception connection?

Dreams

It's a little over packed and convoluted, but still brilliant. Kon combines wonderful animation with powerful themes and likable well wrought characters. It's both enjoyable and a mental exercise, not to mention emotionally weighted in the finale. A wonderful film overall.

nevermind, this movie sucks

it's avatar/pocahontas all over again, isnt it?

i should see this before that exception film

watch paprika !!!!!!

so, i watched inception before this

but will do for sure, groany

maybe, right after the exam.

ok - what exam?

btw thanks for reminding me that i have to watch this again!