By Faith McQuinn

PAPRIKA opens at a circus. A high-wire act holds the audience’s attention. A sturdy man with a chiseled jaw and an out-of-place suit speaks to a clown selling balloons. All of a sudden, the man is trapped in a cage on stage. Then, he’s in the middle of a suspense movie. No wait, now it’s a romantic summer night on a boardwalk. No wait …  And the credits haven’t even rolled yet!

We are plunged headfirst into the dream of Det. Kogawa (Akio Otsuka), and that’s how the rest of the film goes. There are no light steps from reality into the dream world. The audience isn’t given the chance to breathe and figure things out. We are all along for the ride, not knowing what’s waking dream and what’s reality.

People who don’t like PAPRIKA have called it confusing and pretentious. Obviously, they just weren’t reading the subtitles. The film makes perfect sense … even when it doesn’t. And, I could hardly call it pretentious. An entertaining excursion into all things psychologically creepy is a better description, in my mind.

The “DC Mini” is a revolutionary device that allows therapist to enter the dreams of their patients. When it’s stolen, dreams start spilling together and robbing people of their sanity. It’s up to Dr. Chiba Atsuko (voiced by Megumi Hayashibara) and her alter ego, Paprika, to not only stop the “terrorist” who took it, but to keep the dream world from invading reality.

The idea of someone entering your dreams is a little freaky in itself. The notion that someone is doing it without your knowing is even freakier. The dream world of PAPRIKA is not for the youngsters. It’s a creepy world that distorts bright, happy things into twisted, disturbing things that will make you want to find the terrorist as much as Chiba/Paprika does. The recurring nightmare of the film involves a parade of wide-eyed dolls, animated kitchen appliances and large floats. Did anyone tell screenwriter Satoshi Kon that parades are supposed to be nice, happy affairs? Obviously not. Thank you, Mr. Kon, for renewing my suppressed fear of wide-eyed dolls.

Now that I’ve basically scared off everyone who hates nightmare movies, let me bring you back. PAPRIKA is not a scary movie. Yes, there are disturbing images, but it’s just a great cinematic ride. Satoshi Kon has a serious love for the cinema. Not only do a few scenes take place in a theater, but the references to movies in general are everywhere.

Det. Kogawa tells Paprika that he hates the movies, but his dreams are like mini-blockbusters. The audience gets a taste of a plethora of genres from mystery to Tarzan and Jane-type adventure. The best mini-movie scene involves Kogawa acting out a cop drama scene; he takes down the perp, blows the smoke from his freshly-fired gun and grabs the girl for a deep kiss. I laughed out loud at the cheesy freeze-frame that was only missing an Indiana Jones-type graphic splashed across the screen.

PAPRIKA ranks as one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. With tantalizing visuals, a solid (albeit weird) storyline and a fantastic score, I recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a little spice in the summer movie lineup.