The Brattle Theatre continues its series of late night strangeness with with an animated film that definitely won’t put you to sleep when the midnight hour approaches. Directed by the late, great Satoshi Kon, his magnum opus is a psychoanalytical smorgasbord of dreams, neuroses and eye popping visuals. The near future has produced a device which enables scientists to enter dreams for therapeutic purposes. Problem is, someone is using it to drive people mad and sabotage the new technology before it goes mainstream. Enter Dr. Chiba, a member of the research team disguising herself as the plucky “Paprika” to help those with mental troubles by way of guiding them through their sleeping imagination. But when dreams are coming dangerously close to spilling into reality, the mystery of who is causing the turmoil has to be solved tout de suite.

This movie is a marvel to witness, bridging the gap between over the top Japanese anime and more adult themes concerning issues such as unresolved past history, to say the least. Kon had created amazing works before, but Paprika encapsulates all of what he had done before; the weird story lines, human emotion and one of a kind soundtracks are all executed brilliantly. The music alone is worth the price of admission, Susumu Hirasawa’s score alone bringing every frame jumping to life with a techno rhythm that somehow transcends electronica. Watch a one of kind be shown in 35mm and see how fun dreaming can be.

11:30pm // Brattle Theatre // $10 General, $8 Students, $7 Seniors/Children