Paprika

As of writing this review, I believe this to be my favorite movie of all time. If I watch one scene from this movie at any time, I have the uncontrollable urge to watch the rest of the movie in it's entirety. I probably relate to Paprika so much because of the depiction of yearning for dreams. In the film, dreams or dreaming are a status one wants to obtain, to really be in. It's so magical and whimsical in that depiction, so much so that every time I watch it I get a different sense of how exactly Satoshi Kon feels about dreams. Sometimes it's shown through a sense of wonderment, other times dreams are depicted as an overwhelming force to be feared. I oftentimes lean towards the latter, and for that reason and the general vibe the movie puts me in, I consider this to be a horror film. You can't really talk about Paprika without mentioning the score. The blending of religious sounding vocal chops with the electric industrial genre works so well here it's insane. Susumu Hirasawa is a master and I swear I listen to the complete score of this movie at least once per week, and when I do that, during each track, I can visualize the entire scene that it's used in. One thing that I don't see getting mentioned that often is the way in which normal human characters are drawn and depicted by Satoshi Kon in his work. Most of his characters are naturalistic and sterile looking with tame hair, wardrobe, and expressions. What I adore about Paprika in that regard is yes he follows the same rule, but certain characters have bodily characteristics emphasized like the shortness of Dr. Torataro Shima or the size of Tokita. This stylized version of his normal art style helps to blend the whimsicality and wonder of the dreams to the real world, similar to what actually happens in the movie. My favorite movie from what is now my favorite director which is fucking crazy considering he made exactly 4 movies and then passed away (RIP). I will probably watch this movie again next month :D