On this first day of August 2023, a movie with a deep cultural impact is coming to Netflix: Paprika – Seeing in a dream. The 2006 animated film directed by Satoshi Kon is often compared to another cult classic in modern cinema: Origin. Both films focus on the dream world as a central element of the plot and, despite some obvious differences, are inextricably intertwined.
Over the years, this striking similarity between the two works has been noted by many, fueling the idea that Nolan’s film could have plagiarism Japanese opera. This theory tickles the minds of many movie buffs. Principal Nolan has always denied any possible connection to Paprika – Seeing in a dreambut some details leave too many doubts.
Let’s find out together what makes similar two films and what Nolan could actually take from Satoshi Kon’s work.
How does Paprika – Dreaming a dream explore the world of dreams?
An animated masterpiece follows a group of therapists who decide to restore the DC Mini, a revolutionary technology that lets you explore dreams Patients. But the dark antagonist Inui manages to take possession of it and with the help of this powerful forbidden machine, he seeks to control the minds and dreams of the entire population of Japan.
What makes the movie so captivating is the parallelism between the antagonist and the protagonist, both animated deep desires and difficult. Inui, who is confined to a wheelchair in real life, takes refuge in dreams to avoid disability and hopes to find a world without barriers. On the other hand, Chiba (Paprika) is driven by her desire to make dream wishes come true, looking for a solution in dream worlds.
Paprika – Seeing in a dream explores the power and complexity of the human mind, showing how the deepest desires are reflected in dreams and can form our actual behavior.
How does Inception explore dreams?
There plot revolves around Dominic Cobb, masterfully played by Leonardo DiCaprio, skillfully extracting ideas from the subconscious.
According to the plot, Cobb is tasked with destroying a powerful corporation. implantation an idea in the mind of Fisher, a powerful businessman played by Cillian Murphy. To reach the beginning, the idea must be planted deep, so Cobb and his team fall into a dream within a dream.
Cobb is the leader of the mission, but also the cause of many obstacles throughout the film. The key figure in his subconscious is Mel, played by Marion Cotillard, Cobb’s wife, who committed suicide a few years earlier. The film features tense scenes between Cobb and Mel, in which they spent years in fairy-tale worlds where the boundaries between reality and dream are blurred.
Mal’s death continues to haunt Cobb as it creates projections his presence of mind, causing hardship and trouble during a dangerous mission. Cobb’s guilt for the tragic events surrounding Mal fuels his subconscious notion of her.
Paprika – Dreaming a dream and Inception, similar beginning
The similarity between the two films is evident right in the plot. Paprika – Seeing in a dream describes a story taking place in a world where a group of scientists have developed revolutionary medical technology. This allows you to connect to the subconscious of patients during sleep and control their dreams. IN Originwe find a similar idea as a narrative engine.
There is also a technology in this film that allows users to enter the dreams of subjects. However, while in Paprika – Seeing in a dream the end of this operation is medical care, in Origin a whole trade is developing around this technology, in which experts in this field are involved in stealing valuable information during dream invasion.
To the cinema Paprika – Seeing in a dream, the plot gets more complicated when three prototypes of this technology are stolen for ethically dubious uses. Both films open by plunging the viewer right into Dreamland. IN Origin, we find ourselves in the epicenter of the robbery, which immediately conveys the atmosphere of the entire film. IN Paprika – Seeing in a dreamhowever, we find ourselves at the center of a suggestive dream-like psychological session in which the protagonist explores her patient’s many nightmares.
Damn hallway scene!
The famous stage corridor From Origin AND Paprika – Seeing in a dream undoubtedly an oft-cited argument when comparing the two films. Both works use the same setting for one of the main scenes, and the similarities are undeniable. The structure of the hallway and the colors used seem almost identical, leading fans to believe that Christopher Nolan and his team have copied a masterpiece of Japanese animation.
It’s very hard to believe that the scene Origin you look so much like Paprika – Seeing in a dream just by sheer coincidence, especially given the similarities in the themes and plots of the two films. This detail is seen by some as confirmation alleged plagiarism Christopher Nolan, who took inspiration from a Japanese film to create his work.
Paprika – Dreaming a dream is officially plagiarized! Or maybe not…
Let’s define very carefully Origin plagiarism. In the end, we have to carefully weigh where the film is taken from. Paprika – Seeing in a dream and see if it affects originality movie. Whatever Nolan says, it’s undeniable that there are significant similarities between the two, and it’s unlikely that both director and crew Origin they didn’t know about Paprika – Seeing in a dream during the making of the film. However, in our opinion, even if we admit that Nolan drew inspiration from the Japanese animated masterpiece, it is really impossible to talk about plagiarism.
When you tell a story, the main thing is subject. The greatest in cinema have always drawn and adopted from the authors of the past. We think of Sergio Leone, who was inspired by Kurosawa to create For a bunch of dollars, or Quentin Tarantino himself, who draws heavily on a vast cinematic legacy. A few months ago, Tarantino turned 60, and we dedicated this article to him.
The difference between all these films and works lies precisely in the theme underlying the narrative. The film and the author must stay true to what they want to tell, and if they must draw inspiration from other works to do so, so be it. Filmmakers can be compared to chefs in the kitchen: the ingredients are always the same, but the technique and idea of the dish changes.
In a particular case, Paprika – Seeing in a dream AND Origin they are incredibly different. The first one is authentic impressionistic masterpiece which sublimely expresses the experience of a dream life. Originhowever, is an original heist movie in which the dream is simply a tool to fully experience the spiritual journey of the character played by DiCaprio in his attempt to right the wrongs of the past.
It is for these reasons that both Paprikas – Dreaming a dream ed. Origin they have become part of the history of cinema and deserve to fully remain in this area.