CONTOURS: Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990) / preceded by Ikebana (2021, 02/12) + Hokusai (1953, 02/27) / introduction from director Rita Ferrando (02/12)

Paradise Theatre, Feb. 12 + 27 2024

Across eight vignettes which draw upon the director’s own recurring unconscious fantasies, Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams plumbs the subconscious of a master ostensibly contending with his own legacy, meditations on art and the detrimental impact humans have on the natural world. Scenes interposed by ruptures of the quotidian, and brisk segues from the mundane to the uncanny, acutely conjure a sense of dream logic. Situating himself in a long standing tradition of image-making as art, Kurosawa pays homage to his predecessors, most delightfully in casting Martin Scorsese as Vincent Van Gogh.

Deploying the aesthetic traditions of Noh and Kabuki, which casts figures in ornate costume and makeup, stirring the feeling of being only a few degrees removed from waking reality. Characters find themselves at the mercy of natural landscapes, sparking ruminations on human responsibility to the Earth, and our interconnectedness to it. At once mundane in its vulnerability, and grand in scale—Kurosawa’s illustrious film brings viewers into his world, and calls upon us to ponder our own more deeply.

Liner notes by Iman Bundu.