Dreams

Dreams is a vivid fantasy made in 1990, written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa, a Japanese film maker, made this film to express several dreams he himself has had. Essentially the film is eight artistically made films based of very intense and strange dreams. Each dream is so artistically made and well planned out that it gives the real feel of a dream state. As in real dreams, it leaves viewers with a slight confusion and unsettling uncertainty of what will happen next.  

Japanese culture plays such a major part in this film. Each dream very effectively uses metaphoric tales and imagery to explain Japanese culture. For example, in the dreams such as Sunshine Through The Rain, and The Blizzard we see the use of Japanese folklore and the impact it holds on Japanese life. In Sunshine Through The Rain, focus is held on a young boy who chooses to ignore the warnings of his mother to stay home. In Japan there is a legend that states that when the sun shines through the rain the Kitsune have their weddings. In Japanese folklore, the Kitsune are believed to be a spirits or magical creatures who posses both the features of human beings and foxes. The boy defies the wishes of his mother and ventures into the forest. In the forest he witnesses what seems to be some kind of ritual dance held by the Kitsune; the boy is apparently spotted by the Kitsune. When the boy returns to his house his mother tells him that a fox had come by the house and left behind a knife that he must use to kill himself. The boy pleas with the mother as she insists he must leave and beg forgiveness from the Kitsune. The boy leaves in search of the Kitsune. The final scene shows the boy, apparently traveling on his search for the Kitsune, underneath a fantastic view of a beautiful rainbow over hills.

The major themes of this film fall into two categories: 1) very easy to understand 2) very hard to understand. Because the film is so heavily influenced of Japanese culture and themes it at some points is difficult to reveal the theme by someone who is not fully aware of the Japanese culture. This can at some points cause the film to seem overly bizarre and even cause a viewer to lose interest.

The film itself is an absolutely amazing concept. Each dream is a bizarre adventure that seems impossible to comprehend, as dreams usually are. This film is a great film, however I wouldn’t recommend to those without a love for the visual arts. This film in itself is a masterpiece in terms of its visual aspects. However, there is no real storyline to follow and can leave those with short attention spans lost and frustrated.