In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Sunday, 4 May 2014

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990)

Eight short stories inspired by Kurosawa's dreams. There's a recurring nature theme, but otherwise they appear to be unconnected. The painterly use of colour is spellbinding and the music is emotionally stirring. The end result is a thing of self-indulgent beauty, but the openness and lack of conventional narrative structure will disappoint anyone hoping for a traditional film.
The elusive nature of the source is retained. Each is like a fragment of a larger whole, but even a sliver of mirror can reflect what it sees.
My favourite was the final entry, Village of the Watermills; the idyllic setting and feeling of harmony was uplifting.

3½ sunshowers out of 5

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