Dream-Like Aspects of the Film

To me, the entire film had a dream-like quality, in fact, it resembles nightmares that I've had myself.

The protagonist is wandering around halfway lost in a city where things seem vaguely familiar but still somewhat off. He finds himself in dark, meandering alleyways and dead ends, having odd, often purposeless conversations with strange people (the detective, the priest, the two old women), and he winds up being killed in the most bizarre way possible (by an elderly female dwarf dressed in a little Red Riding Hood outfit).

So the things viewers often complain about (slow pacing, conversations and scenarios that seem disconnected and never go anywhere, the far-fetched ending) are actually its strong points as a surrealistic film. The whole theme of the protagonist's own "second sight" and premonitions seemed like the less interesting and important aspect of the movie.