Satoshi Kon
Paprika

The inevitable Italian habit of taking foreign films and placing, under the original title, another title that sounds very "Italian" so to speak (always better than translating it or completely inventing it, another typical Italian habit), often and willingly explains in two or three words the core, completely stripped and washed of every last drop, of the story that the title presents. This time we have a subtitle that reads "Dreaming a Dream" which, before watching the film in question, says absolutely nothing and can only annoy. It's only after viewing the film that one thanks heaven for the presence of such an unclear Italian subtitle.

Scripted and directed by Satoshi Kon (director and character designer of "Perfect Blue" and "Tokyo Godfathers", in the latter also the author of the subject) and produced by the famous Madhouse; "Paprika" is a Japanese animated film based on a novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui. It was premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2006.

First note, dry and precise, to be highlighted right away: this film must be watched on a nice big screen and with great audio; those who, for some reason, couldn't see it in the cinema (like myself), by watching it at home on the TV screen, will certainly miss something. This is due to the style of drawing, the colors, and the music present in this film. But let's begin to outline, without the so-called "spoilers", the story of this film.

Paprika falls, in its own way, into the detective genre where psychology rules. Set in the present day, the only sci-fi note is the presence of a particular technology that allows scientists to explore, like never before, the dreams of patients. Hence, the various problems that such a discovery can bring with it. In the events that are told, there revolves a set of characters that cannot be said to be numerous, yet they are structured quite well; decidedly less well-crafted are those who, although always "active" in the story, are marginal. In this way, those really put in "evidence" and that stand out quite clearly are just three; a number that may seem (and it actually is) low, but it's a possible negative aspect that is definitely neutralized by the "play" created among these three characters.

We thus arrive at the "technical" part of this film and can state calmly: Paprika is a pure joy for the eyes. Watch to believe; a couple of simple screenshots would suffice to see the high level this film presents. The realistic and detailed drawing creates numerous scenes where the viewer is pleasantly surprised to lose themselves in looking at a room, an amusement park, traffic, a lab, food. The bright and vivid colors make the various settings, the clothes, the shadows, the artificial lights, the skin of the characters "real". Everything is always in "motion", nothing appears static and therefore annoying because "unreal", but just like in reality, nothing is ever still. The expressions of the various characters always appear genuine, never unnecessarily exaggerated as the best prejudices about animation (especially those about Japanese animation) might claim. Animation is superb, fluid and without those annoying "jumps" present too often in too many animated products; everything has its natural "movement" and everything, depending on the situation it finds itself in, has its natural and logical evolution, thus avoiding the result that opposite things end up having similar "movements". However, the dialogues have nothing memorable, but not for this are they of poor value; it must also be specified that I watched the film dubbed in Italian and, as many people who follow foreign products know, often when dubbed here in Italy, the form changes significantly. Nothing to say instead about the voices, accurate for each character. A separate discussion would be needed for the soundtrack signed by Susumu Hirasawa, especially the main theme "Parade" (maybe one day I'll review the OST of this film).

"Paprika" is a remarkable product that may not fall among the masterpieces of animation, but it calmly comes right after with its head held high. A product where, from the first minutes, one notices the meticulous care and considerable commitment put into making this film, thus producing a high-quality work that plays with psychology, with quotes (in fact it features numerous scenes that recall other works, perhaps some might be too oriental to be understood by those who know nothing of the Chinese and Japanese tradition), with direction that has nothing to envy the competition from Western cinema with real actors. A plot that runs perfectly for the entire duration of the film, without dull moments and which, in the final scenes, leaves the viewer breathless.

Unfortunately in Italy and the West in general, "thanks" also to Disney and now to various "Shrek" and "Ratatouille" films, animated films and animation in general (and also comics) are seen as things for children and thus products that should deal with topics only for that audience; thus, we end up snubbing and losing excellent products and often even masterpieces of cinema or art in general. At the time of the release of "Paprika", if I remember correctly, the New York Times wrote that while American animated products are still playing in the children's sandbox, Japanese animated products are taking giant steps and reaching for the moon (I would also add a "as always"). How can one disagree?

(By pure personal decision, I will henceforth "translate" the votes I'll give here on DeBaser. This is because for me the table in use is too limited, comprising votes only from 1 to 5. So, every time I give a vote, I will "translate" as I've already said, using a broader range, namely from 1 to 10. Having said this, the 5 given to this film is in fact a full and fat 8 and not a 10 as many might rightly think of as a maximum score like 5 in this case.)