Paprika: A Review

Fig 1. Paprika (2006) [Poster]

Paprika (2006) is a 2D animated film directed by Satoshi Kon. It is fundamentally a surrealist film focusing on reality and dreams merging, being based on the 1993 novel Paprika written by Yasukata Tsutui.

A machine has been developed that allows therapists to enter the dreams of a patient, enabling the mind of the patient to be probed to reveal their inner most thoughts, desires and repressed memories. Using the machine, called the DC mini, the therapists aim to cure various psychological problems.

Fig 2. Paprika (2006) [Still]

As the plot unfolds, the technology is stolen and the characters involved in developing the machine, Dr Atsuko Chiba (who’s dream persona is Paprika) and Kosaku Tokita realise that the machine has been used on others around them as they become aware of behavioral changes completely out of character. The machine, in the wrong hands, could be used to influence behaviour and events in specific individuals in a type of mental/physiological terrorism. Assisted by a patient who has been receiving treatment for a recurring dream, Officer Konakawa, they team up to explore the real world, and the depths of the dream world in order to identify the culprit and restore order.

In the world of Japanese animation, which generally welcomes experimental weirdness, Kon is renowned for being particularly weird and experimental. Like David Lynch - a film-maker Kon is frequently compared to - he is obsessed with the dreaming mind.

- Naylor, 2008

The film Inception (2010) written and directed by Christopher Nolan, has clearly been influenced by Paprika – both films use a piece of electronic equipment to get into the dreams of the subject with the aim of influencing change. Some scenes are almost identical in Inception, presumably as a homage to Paprika. For example, in Paprika, Konakawa dreams of a man who is suspended above the floor during a fall in a hotel hallway and in Inception, characters fight midair in the same hotel hallway setting.

Fig 3. Paprika (2006) [Gif of Transition]

Satoshi Kon was a master at editing, and it shows in this film. His quick cuts and seamless transitions add to the dream-like quality of the film, immersing the audience in the reality he chose to present at that moment. Kon's work was about the interaction between dreams, memories, nightmares, movies, and life. The opening four minutes of Paprika (2006) has five dream sequences, and every single one is connected by a match cut. For comparison, the opening fifteen minutes of Inception (2010) has only four interconnected dreams, with just one match cut. Over the course of ten years, he pushed animation in ways that aren't really possible in live action. Not just elastic images, but elastic editing - a unique way of moving from image to image, scene to scene.



Bibliography:

Naylor, A. (2008) Paprika: the stuff of dreams for filmgoers [Online] At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/jun/17/paprikathestuffofdreamsfo (Accessed 08.05.18)

Illustration List:
Fig 1. Paprika (2006) [Poster] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0851578/?ref_=nv_sr_1 (Accessed 08.05.18)
Fig 2. Paprika (2006) [Still] At: https://images.justwatch.com/backdrop/8545857/s1440/paprika (Accessed 08.05.18)
Fig 3. Paprika (2006) [Gif] At https://youtu.be/oz49vQwSoTE?t=2m15s (Accessed 08.05.18)