Dreams

"Dreams" was one of those movies that I just didn't really understand. For most of the film I was sitting there and just saying to myself "WHY." I understand what the director, Akira Kurosawa, was trying to do, he was close to the end of his life and he was making a movie that was trying to send a message about how we treat our world. But for some reason after watching all of the films I felt that I had just wasted two hours of my life.

The movie basically tells eight stories that are supposed to be based on dreams that the Kurosawa actually had. Two that stood out from the eight were "The Tunnel" and "Mount Fuji in Red." "The Tunnel" starts with this officer standing outside of this tunnel, when a demonic looking dog comes out of the tunnel and in a way forces him into the tunnel. He walks into the tunnel and at this time we are "graced" with one of the longest walking scenes of my life. It felt like he was walking through that tunnel for a good hour. While he was walking through the tunnel all I could think was one again "WHY!!." Why such a long shot of him just walking! Anyways, when he FINALLY reaches the end of the tunnel he walks out and he turns around to see a ghost of a fallen soldier he was in command of. The soldier does not believe that he is dead until the officer convinces him he is really dead. After the soldier leaves, the ghosts of the whole battalion that the officer was in command in shows up and the officer expresses his guilt towards the fact that he survived and they didn't. The officer orders them to leave and the dog comes back from out of the tunnel.

"Mount Fuji in Red" was basically about this power plant that blows up and all of Japan is in Panic. The story follows these few people who are trying to figure out what is going on until they finally realize that they are all going to die because of all the toxic gases in the air.

These two stories were the only ones that I found remotely interesting all the other ones I really couldn't stand. There was one story about this kid who saw a secret wedding ceremony that he wasn't supposed that kind of had my interest until it just ended abruptly. There was another story of about this peach orchard that had another long unnecessary scene of people dancing around that was just unbearable and make me as the question again "WHY!!"

I stuck till the end of this movie hoping that maybe something will redeem it, maybe these stories will somehow connect with each other in a clever way but all I got was this story about this funeral that people celebrate instead of mourn. I was very disappointed in this film as you probably already know. If somebody in the future ever asks me about this movie I think the only response I could give him is "WHY!!" Dreams was a complete NIGHTMARE.(pun intended)