Paprika

Simply put, Kon Satoshi has a knack for blurring the line between the real world and the world in someone's mind in a way that can only really come out in the anime medium. I first encountered it when I watched Perfect Blue, but that was little preparation for the bombardment I received when I went to go see his latest film, Paprika this past Saturday with a group of friends from the Anime Boston staff.
The plot focuses on a group of neuro researchers who are trying to figure out how and why someone has stolen prototypes of a new invention known as the DC Mini, a device enabling people to participate in the dreams of others. Chiba Atsuko is one of the lead scientists in the group, who dons an alternate persona, Paprika, in the dreams of others, attempting to help others unravel the meanings of their dreams, as well as entering the space where dreams of many people have merged to be brought under the control of a yet unknown villain.
Paprika takes Kon's mystery mixes in some incredibly clever humor, and even a slight amount of romance creating a story that leaves the audience, curious, tantalized, and not wanting to the momentum to display any signs of slowing. From the hypnotic main theme, "Meditational Field", to the quick tongue-in-cheek reminder of who's film we're watching, the background elements of the film fill in any tiny gaps that the immediate portions of the film don't cover with their overwhelming magnitude of what I can only call "wow factors"
While there are most definitely exceptions to the generalization made in by the New York Times' Manohla Dargis, (such as Genndy Tartakovsky) his description of Paprika that is used in the American trailer holds a high amount of truth. Dargis refers to Kon's film as "evidence that Japanese animators are reaching for the moon, while most of their American counterparts remain stuck in the kiddie sandbox" I'd have a hard time disagreeing with him due to the existence of films like Paprika.

High Quality Trailer

"I'm definitely sober because I can tell that I'm drunk!"