Monday 25 January 2016

Film Review - Paprika (Satoshi Kon, 2006)


Fig 1. Paprika Film Cover.

The film Paprika, when broken down to its simplest themes, is about dreams and the power they hold over the human mind. The main plot for the film revolves around a new and unfinished technology that is stolen by an unidentified thief. The technology is called the 'DC Mini', a handheld device that allows the user to enter other peoples dreams (See Fig 2).


Fig 2. DC Mini.

Paprika is a complex film due to a number of factors. One in particular is its number of separate character stories. Some of the characters have weak connections to the main plot for a time and seem to be pulled into the larger story simply because of their proximity to it. As such the first half of the film can appear to be a whirlwind of information, that can complicate the viewers understanding if they are not prepared to watch at a faster pace.

This is not necessarily a bad thing however, as all of the main characters have both diverse and interesting stories attached to them. While some parts of the narrative can be somewhat disjointed, this is in some way reflective of the characters own problems when figuring out when they are awake and when they are asleep. The bizarre nature of the narrative is shown well and the style of the animation adds greatly to the experience.

Overall, it is best explained as a peculiar story that is beautifully animated but not without flaws, although many of the flaws are subjective.

★★★

Illustration List
Kon, S (2006) Figure 1. Paprika Film Cover. http://quinlan.it/upload/images/2006/09/paprika-2006-satoshi-kon-poster.jpg (Accessed on 22/01/16)

Kon, S (2006) Figure 2. DC Mini. http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa288/reversethieves/show%20images/paprika/Picture1-1.png (Accessed on 25/01/16)

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