'Dreams' by Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa, the greatest of Japanese filmmakers, made a film based on his dreams in the autumn of his life. The rich symbolism of the film's eight episodes is an invitation to explore the folklore and spirituality of the Far East. However, interpreting *Dreams* faces a considerable obstacle: the cultural divide that separates Japan from the West. To overcome this barrier, a study focusing primarily on Buddhism, Shinto and the director's biography was necessary to grasp the depth of this work, alongside comparisons with the myths, legends and fairy tales of Africa, Brazil and Europe. Both art and the dream world are subjects of great interest to Jungian analysts, and the psychological investigation of this film makes a valuable contribution to film criticism grounded in the hermeneutic framework of analytical psychology.