Dreams

The movie consists of eight short stories. Most of which center around the issue of people's relationships with other elements that make up this world that we live in. 
Sunshine Through The Rain
In this first dream, a boy doesn't listen to the wish of a woman, possibly his mother, to remain at home during a day while its raining. The boy hides behind a large tree in the nearby forest, he witnesses the slow wedding procession of the kitsune. Unfortunately, he is spotted by the foxes and runs. When he tries to return home, the same woman says that a fox had come by the house, leaving behind a knife. The woman gives the knife to the boy, implying that he must commit suicide. The woman asks the boy to go and beg forgiveness from the foxes, although they are known to be unforgiving. The boy sets off into the mountains, towards the place under the rainbow in search for the kitsune's home.

The Peach Orchard 

Is about a family chopping down peach trees. After following a girl into a field, dolls appear out of nowhere. These dolls are the spirits of the peach trees which were cut down. The little boy starts to cry and the dolls let him see the tree orchard for one last time.

The Blizzard

The Blizzard dream is about mountaineers struggling up a mountain trying to reach camp. They all pass out from exhaustion. this brings about a dream that the main mountaineer is having a woman appears and then the snow storm clears and the camp is right in front of them.

The Tunnel

A soldier walking home from fighting. He approaches a long dark tunnel and hears barking. A dog then appears out of the tunnel. The soldier then walks through the tunnel. After walking out of it, he notices a ghost of a solder. The ghost tells him that his parents don't believe he's dead. The ghost then walks back into the tunnel. The soldier now hears matching and a  platoon of soldiers emerges from the tunnel and solute him. The commander tells them that they all died in action and that they should rest in peace. He orders them to march back into the tunnel.

Crows

An art student finds himself inside the vibrant and sometimes chaotic world inside Van Gogh's artwork, where he meets the artist in a field and converses with him. The student loses track of the artist and travels through other works trying to find him. He eventually finds Van Gogh walking through his Wheat Fields with Crows painting.

 

Martin Scorsese as Van Gogh

Mount Fuji in Red

A nuclear power plant near mount Fuji melting down. Everyone is in fear and are jumping into the ocean. Everyone ends up dying.

The Weeping Demon

This dream is about nuclear weapons and how land, as well as people get deformed as a result of them.

Village of the Watermills

 A village that is dedicated not to use energy and other things that pollute the earth. When the older people die the villagers have a celebration of life for them.

(theme)

Man Vs Nature. Man destroying nature, nature getting back at man, and man fixing nature.

(reaction)

I was totally amazed when i saw this film. It was visually gorgeous. To me this seemed like what Kurosawa wanted to do his whole life but finally got the chance at the end of his career. I truly loved this film. One of the best of the semester.