Paprika (2006)

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Directed by Satoshi Kon, Kon Satoshi.

Starring Megumi Hayashibara, Toru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Toru Furuya, Akio Ohtsuka.

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Groundbreaking animator Satoshi Kon (whose credits include Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress, and Perfect Blue) directed this visually spectacular adaptation of a science fiction novel by Yatsutaka Tsutsui. Atsuko is a psychiatrist who uses advanced technology to study the human mind. Atsuko has developed a machine that will allow her to enter the dreams of her patients and study their psyches from the inside. Atsuko also does double duty as Paprika, a high-tech detective who uses this new innovation to find out the truth about what the people she's trailing really think. However, Atsuko falls victim to a thief who steals the one-of-a-kind machine, and Paprika sets out to find it as a wave of psychological instability tears through the city. Paprika received its world premiere at the 2006 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Four movies I saw this weekend
by Smooth_J in Smooth_J Blog

liked it.

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"This was a good weekend for me in terms of movies...a few movies were ones that I've been trying to see for weeks but just haven't really gotten around to. However, one was a movie that I just happened to stumble on at my friends house. All of them were pretty good, and they are as follows: The Darjeeling Limited, Gone Baby Gone, Boogie Nights, and Paprika.As a huge Wes Anderson fan, I've been wanting to see The Darjeeling Limited since the day it got into theaters. However, I was a little bit disappointed with the film as a whole. It was obviously a Wes Anderson film, and he didn't really try anything new, and the actual narrative just wasn't nearly as compelling as any of his previous films. The performances are all great, and Adrien Brody adapts very well to Wes Anderson's childish, imaginary world. Because that's the way Anderson seems to view things...however, while this was absolutely perfect for all his other films, it would have been nice ... " [More]

An Animator's Dream
by monking in monking Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"The plot in Paprika could be summarized rather easily, twists and all. That is not to say that the plot is thin or contrived; much of the film flows from the previous event, and defies explanation, like a dream. In some films, the musical score carries the action, smoothing over any inadequacies. In Paprika, if there were any faults, they were carried lightly on the shoulders of the animation. The quality of the animation, specifically the design, timing, acting, and draftsmanship, is so excellent that every scene fed my anticipation. And I was not left wanting. For such a grand film, the cast is minimal. With expressive facial animation and evocative music, each character had my empathy by the end. The exit music gave me a nostalgic, excited feeling. If it hadn't been so late, I would have watched it again immediately. " [More]

An animated masterpiece
by DejaVecu in DejaVecu Blog

loved it.

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"The suspect has been cornered at the circus. After conferring with a clown, a blinding spotlight hampers all surveillance. Suddenly, trapped in a cage, he is helpless while an angry mob, identical in appearance, looking exactly like the man in the cage, struggle to grab him and tear him apart. At the last minute his entire body is sucked through the bottom of the cage, through other times, other places, until he emerges in a hallway. He sees the suspect again, but he’ll never reach him because the hallway has begun to buckle and elongate. This is the just the opening sequence of Satoshi Kon’s amazing animated feature Paprika. When several small devices (DC Mini’s) allowing doctors to observe and enter the dreams of their patients are stolen, Dr. Chiba Atsuko and her colleagues are very concerned. Then, they begin to observe delusional behavior among staff—nonsensical speeches and suicide (read more at Bloodtype Online) " [More]

What's new at the UICA
by KATTmandu in GR Movies and Happenings

hasn't rated it.

"The UICA just finished showing the French comedy The Valet and Charles Burnett's film Killer of Sheep. Here is what's coming up for August. PAPRIKA In the latest anime from director/co-writer Satoshi Kon (Tokyo Godfathers, Perfect Blue), Dr. Atsuko Chiba is a cutting-edge research psychotherapist whose alter ego, Paprika, can enter people's dreams and uncover the source of their neuroses. At her lab, a powerful new device, the DC-MINI, promises to revolutionize the world of psychotherapy, but in the wrong hands it could annihilate a dreamer's personality while they are asleep. When one of the DC-MINI prototypes is stolen and several lab workers begin to experience strange dreams, Atsuko realizes someone is using the device to destroy people's minds. “A gorgeous riot of future-shock ideas and brightly animated imagery, the doors of perception never close.” - The New York Times - Manohla Dargis Website: sonyclassics.com/paprika Opens August 3 - Show ... " [More]

SIFF Film Review: “Paprika” : M ...
by IndieFlix in IndieFlix Blog

liked it.

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"The Neptune was packed, and between the hardcore film-goers and anime otakus, there was a great deal to be excited about. Satoshi Kon, the director of Paprika, had gained a following by his previous works including “Tokyo Godfathers” and “Perfect Blue,” and has a reputation for dazzling visuals and innovative plotlines – the first five minutes into the film, and we knew this would be no different.“Paprika&rdquo ; explodes from the get-go, delving into a dream sequence lush with beauty, comedy, and ending with suspense. From one scenario flowing into the next, none seemed connected, yet flowed together seamlessly, which was to be a precedent for the rest of the film.The core of the story lies around a recent invention called a “DC Mini,” which allows dreams to be viewed and recorded onto computers. Though the purpose of the DC Mini is for the purpose of deeper psychotherapy, when the samples are stolen and used to manipulate the sub ... " [More]

Kon's Disquieting Vision
by aicnanime in aicnanime Blog

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"Satoshi Kon is justifiably considered one the auteurs of anime, and his study of dreams, Paprika, is sure to reenforce that reputation. The movie is an animated triumph, and anyone who appreciates the medium should make it a point to see what Kon's imagination and study of the human subconscious has produced. Kon's work in animation has never been so creative or gorgeous, but the ideas at work in the film don't necessarily have the resonance of his previous efforts. Paprika might not be a Lynchian "what the hell did I just see" experience, but is also not an accessible gateway to the potential of the medium the way Madhouse's sibling movie The Girl Who Leapt Through Time might be. Rather than build off a strong connection with the characters, the reaction is likely to be one of disquiet. " [More]

Best animated film of the year.
by StrangeInterlude in StrangeInterlude Blog

liked it.

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"Where to start?Although Satoshi Kon's films are rarely straightforward affairs, the narrative of Paprika takes twists and turns that demand (and reward) the viewer's full attention, boosting it above and beyond the standards of typical animated fare from both East and West. It's a literal waking dream of a film, with an inventive Freud-meets-Miyazaki catalogue of evocative visuals and an instantly appealing and iconic heroine in its title character. More importantly, its premise offers not only a fresh spin on a by now familiar sci-fi trope (people using unlikely technology to enter/invade the subconscious of others) but also a post-post-modern critique of film and anime fantasies in general.Although this film seems to be doing well with reviewers (at this writing, it has 85% freshness on that other movie site's, ahem, "red fruit-ometer"), I fear that many mainstream critics will be too wrapped up in all the delicious, delicious eye candy to take notice ... " [More]

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