In the near future, James Preble (Kentucker Audley) doesn’t have the most glamorous job in the world. He’s a dream auditor, fulfilling the state’s process of taxing and documenting dreams. This puts him in touch with an eccentric artist, Arabella (Penny Fuller), who hasn’t exactly filled out her tax paperwork. What follows is a strange and eye-popping journey through her dreamscape. Yet, for as surreal as the journey is,  Strawberry Mansion contains a tender story between a younger Arabella (Grace Glowicki) and the dream auditor.

Written and directed by Audley and Albert Birney, Strawberry Mansion has the color palette of a Wes Anderson film. That’s how visually striking this is. However, the movie pushes the boundaries of imagery, as James visits the young Bella’s dreams again and again. There’s a frog who plays the sax, mice in sailor outfits, a blue-eyed demon, and talking bugs. Yes, it’s strange, but it’s difficult to look away. This is one vivid and rich film with unique and arresting images.

Reed Birney plays a villain of sorts, Bella’s son Peter who doesn’t want James snooping around in his mom’s dreams. It turns out that he’s the CEO of a company responsible for creating advertisements in people’s dreams, hence why James keeps seeing ads for fried chicken and other junk food. Bella, however, has a device, a helmet adorned with Christmas lights that block the ads. This subplot about consumerism is one of the film’s only real faults. While I get it that every story needs an antagonist, Peter and the capitalism shaming feels a bit off-tone compared to the tenderness and growing relationship between James and the young Bella. It also bogs down some of the film’s best fantastical elements. There’s real chemistry between Audley and Glowicki, and it’s too often deterred by Peter’s interjections and his mad quest to stop the audit and destroy all the tapes of his mom’s dreams.

Even the early interactions between James and the older Bella are a delight. Fuller’s performance, while limited mostly to the first act, is a treasure. Full of imagination, her character helps James tap into something beautiful, something that he’s denied while working a ho-hum job for the government. She puts him in touch with the part of himself that he’s buried, namely creativity. Her dreams are so vivid that James can’t look away. They inspire.

Strawberry Mansion pulls you into its dazzling world and doesn’t let you go until the credits roll. Its visuals are uncanny and unreal. This movie uses plenty of dream logic, but the story isn’t tough to follow. You’ll want to hop along from one dream to the next with the auditor. Writers/directors Audley and Birney made one imaginative feature here with plenty of heart.

7 Out of 10 Sax-playing Frogs