Review of Dreams (1990) by Kyle G — 23 May 2012

Eight short films, tied together by the sweet but absurd presentation of "dreams," allow Kurosawa a novel and interesting outlet for Künstlerroman. I appreciate how he reflects back on his life, in splashes of metaphor and poetry, at various stages.

Tthe shorts aren't ordered this way, but this is how I see them: the naif boyhood of "Sunshine Through The Rain" and "The Peach Orchard"; the midlife ennui of "The Blizzard" and "The Weeping Demon"; the political fury of "The Tunnel" and "Mount Fuji In Red"; and, finally, the innocent reminiscence of "Crows" and "Village of the Watermills." It's especially nice to see the clear presentation of Japan in each of them, tender pictures of culture and nature and wildlife, tucked delicately into beautiful, well expressed (and always seemingly disconnected) little vignettes.

Dreams isn't as stabbingly lush of a film as Yojimbo, but neither is it as coldly monolithic as Dersu Uzala. Kurosawa is a wizard at observation and synthesis, and the same strengths seem to shine out of every film he makes.