Timur and I made it a movie day yesterday. We see movies once every few months and try to see the important ones at that moment. First we saw "Avatar" then "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". I hate to be the contrary one, but I don't understand what all the hype about Avatar is about. That movie didn't stand a chance to Terry Gilliam's film, especially since I had seen a special preview of it at the Directors Guild a few months ago and already was enchanted by it.
Nothing is neat and tidy in "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus," and the film itself advises, "Don't worry if you don't understand it all immediately." But if you are looking for pure mad fantasy, for someone to take you through the doors of perception themselves, this is the place to go. It is a film that questions your own imagination and the power of art itself. While most cinema tries to portray everyday reality, like "Avatar" with war, demolition and destruction of nature and tons of macho high-testosterone action lead by the jarhead title role, "The Imaginarium" is simply about living your dreams. It's central charac
ter, a thousand years old shaman whose only preoccupation is to help people feel their imagination and live inside it, but at the same time not be tempted by the indulgences that do not benefit others in any way-- the devil.It seems like most stories are about the struggle about good and evil, but it's the story and how it's executed that ultimately remains in our memories. "Avatar" felt like a safe movie, with a hollow score, superficial characters, CG to the point of obvious animation and extremely impressive technology. "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" leaves me thinking, daydreaming and remembering scenes, the exquisite characters, the weathered and gorgeous nostalgia of a time when art was as important as philosophy and magic was still real.
