Paprika

2006 • 90 minutes

About this movie

Atsuko is a psychiatrist who uses advanced technology to study the human mind. Atsuko has developed a machine that will allow her to enter the dreams of her patients and study their psyches from the inside. Atsuko also does double duty as Paprika, a high-tech detective who uses this new innovation to find out the truth about what the people she's trailing really think. However, Atsuko falls victim to a thief who steals the one-of-a-kind machine, and Paprika sets out to find it as a wave of psychological instability tears through the city. 2006 Madhouse, Inc. and Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Ratings and reviews

An incredibly visually and narratively interesting film. There are several complex story threads occurring simultaneously that require careful attention to parse. It was engrossing from beginning to end. The images are complex and layered with many references linking different parts of the movie. The two biggest problems with this movie are related to its strengths. The surrealism can make it feel disjointed. And the complicated story and relationships make it even harder to follow. I will probably watch this film several more times.

The whole movie feels very surreal and has great animation. At times it was kind of hard to keep track of the plot because so many things would be going on all at once but overall it was a very fun and interesting movie.

Satoshi Kon's final finished film is simply stunning. The dream like world of half the movie is truely amazing. All of his movies are worth the watch and his series Paranoia Agent are well worth hunting down.