This is a gorgeous, darkly beautiful work of film that’s probably the most surreal work that Oshii has made (helped by the fact that Yoshitaka Amano did much of the art for the film and co-wrote the story). It is the first film I’ve seen that I don’t feel qualified to analyze.

Maybe it’s my autism preventing me from seeing some of the underlying metaphors or understanding some of the film’s imagery. Maybe I need more knowledge of art and the vocabulary therein. Maybe I need to know more about philosophy. It’s depressing, tragic, sorrowful, and melancholic. It’s a film which I’d definitely describe as an art film, in that you look at the film, and afterwards you don’t talk about the plot, or the characters, but more about the emotional context the film provoked, the same way you don’t necessarily talk about the story of a painting in an art gallery.

I really want this film to get a release from the Criterion Collection, because I’d totally watch another 77 minutes of film scholars and animators talking about this film and the themes and imagery therein. Just so long as they stuck to the film – I really don’t want to hear a whole bunch of general bitching about how this is the only work of anime that’s had any artistic merit the same way I hate it when film historians complain about special effects are killing cinema as a medium*.

All of that said, this is an incredibly slow paced film. It’s dark, and there are a whole lot of scenes of nothing exactly happening – which you should expect if you’re familiar with Oshii’s work. It’s something that causes the film to not benefit as much from repeat viewings. There’s enough slow bits there, that on a repeat viewing you’re more likely to gloss over the film, rather than notice new bits that you missed the first time.

I completely understand why this film tanked at the Japanese box office – indeed, this is the kind of film that is never commercially viable. However, due to the nature of animation as a medium (and the costs therein), when a film puts this much detail into its animation, and so much craft into its art in general, you have a situation where it ends up costing more than say, something like Koyaanisqatsi or The Holy Mountain. An additional problem is the fact that, well, this is a film that has very minimal dialog, but consequently every line is important. Considering that this film has not received a legal US DVD release (at least on its own), if you import the film and watch it without subtitled, there are bits of the narrative that you’re going to miss, especially when you come to the film’s conclusion.

In spite of all that, should you watch this film? Yes. Once. Maybe a few additional times if this movie gets a Criterion Collection release with a whole bunch of material from film historians. Or maybe if it gets a release from Discotek Media with some audio commentary by anime historians like Carl Horn, Brian Ruh, or Frederick Schodt. Or if you’re planning on getting into animation and want to soak in all the wonderful little technical details of this film. Otherwise, just see it once. But see it.

Unless you have depression. Then you probably shouldn’t see it.

*Looking at you, audio commentary for The Wild Bunch.

Angel’s Egg is an experimental film created by Yoshitaka Amano and directed by Mamoru Oshii. The film takes place in a strange abandoned world, where the skeletal remains of animals and murky rivers meet Neo-Gothic structures. The film centers on only two characters – they are, supposedly, the only two alive in this film. One is a pale-skinned, white haired girl, who is fascinated by filling up round flasks with water and who protects an egg with unknown contents. The other is a brown-skinned, white haired boy, who accompanies the girl midway through the film. Not much is known about him, other than that he carries a cross-shaped object with him.

The movie doesn’t really have a linear story and is presented more as a series of scenes. We see the boy and girl, whether individually or together, encounter and react to their world around them. Despite being labeled as a fantasy, these locations themselves aren’t anything beyond fantastic – they range from parks to a small town. What’s featured inside of these places is where things get bizarre. In the town, for example, statues of fishermen hunt shadows of giant fish despite there being no more fish in this world. These small oddities make it so no matter the “scene” being viewed, something strange will occur to let the viewer know this isn’t the world they know.

Angel’s Egg is a hard movie to give a review, largely due to it being more of an experimental piece than a conventional anime movie or series. It has a mysterious atmosphere about it and isn’t very explicit about its premise or characters. Character dialogue is sparse and symbolic images are used often. Because of this, a majority of a viewer’s enjoyment will be tied to how they interpret each scene and how much they wish to invest themselves into the movie. There is a hint as to what the creator’s intentions were. Director Mamoru Oshii had lost his faith in Christianity shortly before film production and that alone can be the key to connecting a lot of the film together. On the flip-side, Oshii has reportedly been quoted as saying that even he does not know what the film is about. If this is true, then this film is more of an expression of feeling than of actual thought. It is certainly a product of its time. Humorously enough, it was brought to the U.S. and interspersed with live-action footage with the goal of making it a post-apocalyptic thriller. How anybody saw commercial prospects from this movie, I’ll never know. Besides, to tie in with the themes of the movie, I’d argue the film is more post-rapture than post-apocalyptic.

The film makes reference to religious (mostly Christian) beliefs, which tie in to Oshii’s loss of faith. Stained glass windows featuring fish and the boy’s cross shaped object are a few of the smaller references to these beliefs. Most notable is the boy’s corrupted version of Chapters 7-8 of Genesis. He claims that when the dove never came back, Noah and everyone on the ark remained there, soon forgetting about the dove and even themselves. Between these symbols and long stretches of silence are short scenes of dialogue that help shape who these characters are. For instance, the girl expresses her desire to see whatever is inside the egg, promising a place of warmness and comfort despite the cold rainy weather outside. The boy comes off as more cynical while the girl is hopeful and optimistic. Because of the lack of characters, having these two contrast each other is a smart decision. This isn’t found in just their attitude. The girl seems more familiar with her surroundings while the boy clearly is new to the area. Even if the events of the anime aren’t fully explained, moments where the girl shows or warns the boy of something help bring me closer to the world of Angel’s Egg, wanting to know more about the peculiarity that permeates this world.

The art for this film is very gloomy, preferring darker colors to give the movie a more melancholy tone. The only exception is found at the beginning, where the boy encounters an eye-like structure with statues on it amidst a scarlet backdrop. The film has decent animation and captures things like the fluidity of water or the facial expressions of the girl well. However, it does have a few flaws. Long stills are usually used to impact an important scene or draw out a feeling of finality. It’s used a few times here but I felt that they went on for a bit too long. It became less of a feeling of impact and more of a way of filling up time. Additionally, animation in the fish hunting scene and the girl’s awakening scene are reused. I’m a bit more forgiving on this since I know it was most likely a low budget film and it’s not as easily apparent. The soundtrack may be the weakest element here. Earlier, I said the movie was a product of its time and I meant it in more ways than one. Tape hiss is heard constantly throughout the film and the higher frequencies found in whistles and screams are harsher than they need be. The music itself is appropriate for the film, with a booming male chorus for the fish hunting scene and a piece for violin and female voice used during the title screen. The only true unconventional piece that comes to mind is the credits piece, which is a sole piano that uses repetition to mask its odd melody line. The voice acting is fine, as sparse as it is – the only negative would be Mako Hyodou’s yelling voice, but this is more a flat reaction than an actual critique.

Overall, I give Angel’s Egg a 6. It’s an odd, almost mythic movie that enshrouds itself in mystery. Despite its gloomy appearance and avant-garde leanings, it doesn’t push a viewer away. Instead, it gives them opportunities to dive into its world and leave it haunting their memory. This film will entice those liked more experimental works such as BLAME! or Serial Experiments Lain. Even if you don’t care for those shows, I’d still ask that you give it a chance. At only a little over an hour long, it’s worth watching at least once.

Do you like or dislike this anime? If you haven't watched it, are you encouraged to watch it or not? Leave a comment on my profile telling me what you think of the anime and/or my review.

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!