Paprika (2006): ****

Paprika follows a group of psychotherapists, led by Dr. Chiba (Megumi Hayashibara), who are testing out a new device called ‘DC Mini’, invented by the child-like genius Dr. Tokita (Toru Furuya). The DC Mini provides access into people’s dreams, with the intention of offering therapy to patients. However, due to the lack of access restrictions on the devices, anyone can access anybody’s dreams. When three DC Minis are stolen the consequences are immediate, when Dr. Chiba’s boss Dr Shima (Katsunosuke Hori) almost commits suicide whilst stuck in a dream. It’s up to Dr Chiba and her dream persona ‘Paprika’, with the help of her patient Detective Konakawa (Akio Otsuka), to find out who is behind these acts of terror. 

In his last film before his untimely death, director Satoshi Kon put reality and dreams into a blender and blitzed them at full blast. There is plasticity to the dream world, as it collapses, shatters and elongates in reaction to its visitors. This malleability is not limited to the landscape, as the characters morph into distorted dolls and sink into each other’s bodies. Some of the body horror in this film is reminiscent and is almost as creepy as Cronenberg’s Videodrome. All this is fully realised and beautifully captured in Paprika’s animation, both the fantastical and horrific. One of the most dazzling images the film offers are the blue butterflies, which drift across the screen and later become a broiling cloud engulfing Paprika. The use of colour is impressive, ranging from eye-popping vivid parade that marches across different dreams to the subdued, muted tones of the psychiatric institute.

Paprika explores themes of keeping dreams and reality separate, social responsibility and repressed emotion, under the guise of a gripping thriller. Dr. Tokita’s eagerness to reach other people’s dreams causes him to be neglectful about the potential consequences of his inventions. The Chairman of the psychiatric institution, Dr. Inui (Toru Emori), cautions against invading one of the few safe spaces people have in the Internet age. Despite all of the neatly executed elements, the film doesn’t quite reach the dizzying heights of some of the great anime films. Under all the extraordinary imagery and action, Paprika seems fairly distant from its human characters; we never quite connect with any of the protagonists apart from Chiba. The villains and their motives are far more intriguing to us, although any potential for empathy flies out the window when one character attempts to sexually assault Chiba. The relationship that is formed at the end of the film, barely hinted at throughout the film, feels unearned. Susumu Hirasawa's music is a mix of epic orchestrations and electro beats with distorted voices, lending a disconcerting atmosphere to the goings-ons onscreen. 

Paprika is a stunning piece of animation and a gripping thriller to boot, although it falls just short of being one of the great anime films.