- Directed by Satoshi Kon
- Written by Yasutaka Tsutsui, Seishi Minakami, Satoshi Con
- Stars Megumi Hayashibara, Tōru Furuya, Kōichi Yamadera
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBrUhQ0_qYA
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
What happens when your dreams can be shared with others? Dreams can be merged? Dreams cross over into the real world? One crazy trip of an entertaining movie. This was originally planned to be live action. Going animated allowed them to give us imagery that would have been challenging and expensive to pull off. Some of the elements are nightmarish and horrifying, but it’s more of a science fiction/mystery/thriller than actual horror.
Synopsis
We begin at a circus. A man talks into a microphone, he’s looking for a known traitor. Suddenly, he finds himself in a cage in the center of the show. People run to grab him, but he sinks through the floor. Suddenly, he finds himself in a psychedelic series of images and situations that he doesn’t understand. He wakes up in bed and next to him is the girl from his dream.
She explains that they are both wearing a device called the DC Mini, which allows them to share dreams. She’s recorded a video of his dreams on her computer; she says that “when the device is finished, you’ll be able to enter your dreams when wide awake.” She also tells him that most dreams are somewhat movielike. Detective Konokawa says that he is working on a muder case, and he makes another appointment with Paprika, the dream therapist. Credits roll.
The DC Mini was stolen, as well as certain analytical papers. It must have been an inside job. The creator explains that he hadn’t set up the security routines in the device, so anyone could just use it. The chairman of the company thinks the whole project is immoral; you could control people with the device, and now terrorists have stolen it. He suspects Paprika stole it. The chief scientist, Shima, suddenly starts talking in “word salad” mode and jumps out the window. They examine his weird dreams as he lay in the hospital.
Chiba takes over the investigation. She explains that one of the chief’s patient’s dreams wound up in his subconscious; it’s not a one-way connection. They figure out the assistant, Himuro, was the thief and go to his apartment. She crosses over into a dream-vision and follows Himuro through an amusement park and nearly jumps off the balcony of the high-rise in the real world; illusions can be fatal. Chiba had been connected to the DC Mini, so she’s at risk.
Chief Shima wakes up. The chairman wants to cancel the project, but can’t do it while the chief is in the hospital – the board requires all members to be present.
Detective Konokawa gets on the computer and finds himself talking to Paprika in a dream restaurant. He doesn’t like movies; it’s like a phobia to him.
Chiba takes Tokita, the DC Mini’s creator, to an abandoned theme park; it’s the one the dream-version was based upon. They find Himuro’s body; he had a DC Mini embedded in his head. The DC Mini may have been acting on its own; there are two more of them floating around out there somewhere. Chiba doesn’t believe Himuro would have done all this, and that he may have been a victim too.
The Chief explains to Konokawa that Chiba is Paprika– sort of. They are sort of dreamworld alter-egos. Konokawa has a recurring dream where he ends up shooting someone who turns out to be himself.
Tokita connects to Himuro in the dreamworld. He gets stuck in there. Soon, Konokawa and Paprika find that all the dreams are starting to merge inside Konokawa’s subconscious. Paprika/Chiba goes in after them to the dream parade. She verifies that Himuro isn’t there; he didn’t start all this. She sees the Chairman inside and believes he is behind all this and Osanai is involved as well. Paprika does battle with the dream-monsters.
Osanai brags that he can go into dreams at any time. He’s been causing all this at the behest of the Chairman. They believe they are protecting the sanctity of mankind’s dreams.
Konokawa remembers a movie he made when he was seventeen. He made it with a friend who got sick and died. He watches the goings-on with Paprika and Osanai on the movie screen. Osanai splits open Paprika and peels from Chiba inside. The chairman intercedes and argues with Osanai and Konokawa tries to break through the movie screen. He and Osanai have to fight through all of Konokawa’s dreams. This time, he shoots Osanai in the back, and his “movie” ends.
Meanwhile, the Chairman admits that he wants the use of Osanai’s body; the two will merge at some point, and he’ll be able to walk again.
Konokawa is stuck in everyone’s dream; it’s spreading to other people. Maybe. Dreams and reality are merging together. Chiba and Paprika are side-by-side working together somehow as the giant Himuro doll attacks. Paprika and the Chairman have an epic, apocalyptic fight. Then things get weird…
Commentary
The visuals here are– well, they aren’t going to be doing a live-action version of this anytime soon. OK, actually, “Inception” was inspired by this film so there’s that. Still, it’s very surreal and, well, dreamlike.
After a while, even the characters don’t know what is and isn’t real. It’s definitely a cool movie with some outstanding visuals.