This mind-blowing swan song from legendary director Satoshi Kon continues to explore his fascination with the fluidity between fantasy and reality. 

Based on a novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, the film details the havoc that ensues when the DC-Mini, a machine that lets our heroine psychoanalytically penetrate the minds of her patients, is stolen by a dream terrorist. To stop the nightmare, Dr. Chiba must assume her dream persona, Paprika. 

In development for nearly a decade, many think that Paprika is Kon’s true masterpiece. With only three additional features (Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress) and one series (Paranoia Agent), Kon was always at the forefront of a new movement in Japanese animation. His dazzling visual compositions and humane emotionally resonant stories won him a devoted following in animation circles and beyond.