PAPRIKA is part of two-film tribute to the late Satoshi Kon at Lincoln Center
PAPRIKA (Satoshi Kon, 2006)
Film Society of Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th St. at Amsterdam Ave.
Wednesday, December 22, 8:15 (preceded by PERFECT BLUE at 6:30)
Individual tickets: $12, $18 for both films
212-875-5601
www.filmlinc.com
www.sonyclassics.com/paprika
Based on the novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, PAPRIKA is an animated, futuristic sci-fi thriller in which reality and dreams merge in clever and confusing ways. The title character is a superhero psychotherapist who can enter people’s dreams by using cutting-edge technology known as the DC MINI, which was invented by Dr. Tokita, a huge man with a baby face and a tremendous appetite. When one of the prototypes is stolen, Paprika, whose alter ego is Dr. Atsuko Chiba of the Foundation for Psychiatric Research, sets out to find the thief, who is using the invaluable — and not fully tested and approved — equipment for seemingly evil purposes. Other central characters include Torataro Shima, the adorable old chief of the lab; the ruthless, wheelchair-bound foundation chairman, Seijiro Inui; Detective Konakawa, who develops a liking for Paprika; Dr. Osanai, a hunky researcher; and lab assistant Himuro, who has gone missing but can be seen in dreams. Adapted by Satoshi Kon, the director of MILLENNIUM ACTRESS and TOKYO GODFATHERS, and featuring the voices of Megumi Hayashibara, Toru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Toru Furuya, and Akio Ohtsuka, PAPRIKA is an entertaining, if at times hard to follow, anime with lots of cute characters and some very beautiful scenes. The film is being screened along with Kon’s 1998 animated work, PERFECT BLUE, at Lincoln Center in tribute to the innovative director, who died of cancer in August at the age of forty-six. “His untimely death robs us all of an enormous talent and unparalleled imagination,” notes program director Richard Peña. “This brief tribute is our way of saying thank you for your wonderful art, that will be with us forever.”