Paprika (2006)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Satoshi Kon

Writers:

Yasutaka Tsutsui (novel)
Seishi Minakami (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 November 2006 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

This is your brain on anime.

Plot:

When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop it: Paprika.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Dream Sequence | Gunshot Wound | Bar | Self Discovery

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Megumi Hayashibara	...	Paprika / Chiba Atsuko (voice)
Tôru Furuya	...	Tokita Kohsaku (voice)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Osanai Morio (voice)
Katsunosuke Hori	...	Shima Tora-taroh (voice)
Toru Emori	...	Inui Sei-jiroh (voice)
Akio Ôtsuka	...	Detective Kogawa Toshimi (voice)
Hideyuki Tanaka	...	Guy (voice)
Satomi Koorogi	...	A doll (voice)
Daisuke Sakaguchi	...	Himuro Kei (voice)
Mitsuo Iwata	...	Tsumura Yasushi (voice)
Rikako Aikawa	...	Kakimoto Nobue (voice)
Shinichirô Ôta	...	Reporter (voice)
Satoshi Kon	...	Jin-nai (voice)
Yasutaka Tsutsui	...	Kuga (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brian Beacock	...	Hajime Himuro / Kuga (voice: English version)
Doug Erholtz	...	Dr. Morio Osanai (voice: English version)
Michael Forest	...	Dr. Seijiro Inui (voice: English version)
David Lodge	...	Dr. Torataro Shima (voice: English version)
Yuri Lowenthal	...	Dr. Kosaku Tokita (voice: English version)
Cindy Robinson	...	Dr. Atsuko Chiba / Paprika (voice: English version)
Paul St. Peter	...	Detective Toshimi Konakawa (voice: English version)
Ezra Weisz	...	Konakawa's Old Friend (voice: English version) (as Ethan Murray)

Also Known As:

Paprika (International: English title)
Papurika (Japan)

MPAA:

Rated R for violent and sexual images.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | France:U | Italy:T | Finland:K-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | Canada:PG | Australia:M | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15 | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R13

Company:

Madhouse

Trivia:

The tall and short bartenders in Paprika's website are voiced by director Satoshi Kon, and the original author of the Paprika novel, Yasutaka Tsutsui, respectively.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Paprika: Time for the greatest show on earth!

Movie Connections:

References Roman Holiday (1953)

Soundtrack:

A Tree in the Dark

Mesmerizing

Paprika isn't for the faint-hearted. Don't expect a story for children.

The story opens with a cop who's plagued by a recurring nightmare, so he seeks psychological help. If you've ever seen and enjoyed Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound, it'll help you understanding what's going on in the film.

The cop forms a relationship with Paprika, a dream character who becomes his guide in helping him understand what happened in his past that makes him feel such shame in the present. Paprika assumes many forms in the everchanging dreamscape to relate to the other characters.

This seems all good at the beginning, but the device that enables dream analysis is stolen. This creates an even bigger problem than just nightmares; what happens when people can't control their dreams and has them hijacked by evil? Paprika isn't the easiest movie to sum up. On one level, it's like watching dreamy, fantastical animation, but there's also a deeper psychological question being asked: What is a dream exactly and to what extent does it affect your consciousness and waking life? How much fantasy is good for a person whether it be in dreams or spending time on the Internet? If you bury guilt and desire into your subconscious, how will it manifest in your dreams?

Paprika is definitely a visual spectacle. I don't recommend waiting to see it on video. I had the honor of catching it on the big screen, which I believe is necessary to capture the depth of the imagery. Parts of it really seemed like dreams I've had (times when I've tried to walk, but couldn't get anywhere and the harder I tried, the worse it got).

I put Paprika up there with Pan's Labyrinth. A lot of people will be turned off from it by the subtitles and another set of people will be lost by the mythology in it. If you don't have problems with these kinds of things, you will probably have a delightful viewing experience.

It takes a person with an analytical mind to put the plot together. If you follow the recurring images, the mythology will make sense. A lot happens on the screen. I didn't have a problem understanding what was going on and I enjoyed putting the puzzle together. I don't think most moviegoers are like that these days, so I can see them getting bored or annoyed because they can't figure out what's going on. If you prefer the Disney genre of animation, avoid Paprika, it will just frustrate you. If you're crave more than a simple plot, Paprika will satisfy that hunger.

The soundtrack is quite good too. It's a refreshing break from Elton John power ballads.