Mamoru Oshii’s Angel’s Egg

This film would be awesome to see converted to “4D” for the Las Vegas Sphere. It would probably also be horrifying. Anime master Mamoru Oshii and artist Yoshitaka Amano created a stunning nightmare-landscape that remains as jaw-dropping as the skeletal narrative is head-scratching. Still an anime feature with few comparisons, Oshii’s Angel’s Egg, produced by the Studio Deen animation house, re-releases theatrically tomorrow in a spiffy new 4K restoration, courtesy of GKIDS.

It would be an oversimplification to call this world post-apocalyptic. It is more like T.S. Eliot’s Wasteland, by way of Edward Gorey. The architecture recalls Old World Europe, while the destruction is almost Biblical. In fact, maybe it was, because the Flood and the Arc will be recurring motifs.

Within this surreal environment, a young girl compulsively guards an egg that she fervently believes will hatch an angel. However, the young martial-looking man who regularly crosses her path expresses skepticism. Yet, he also exhibits protective impulses towards the girl. Nevertheless, he gives off serious fallen angel vibes, possibly thanks to his twisted-cross rifle.

Over the years, Angel’s Egg has been one of the films that shocks non-fans out of their preconceived notions regarding anime. In terms of visual style, it shares a kinship with Eiichi Yamamoto’s Belladonna of Sadness, but the vibe and pacing are not unlike The Seventh Sign.

You can get lost in this film, perhaps because there is so much to unpack. Yet, it is sort of refreshing that even after 40 years, there is little consensus as to what it all means—especially if you ask Oshii.

Indeed, the sense of mystery that pervades Angel’s Egg is very cool. It is a truly striking work of cinematic art every cineaste should see. It is also probably a good thing it is only 71 minutes. Still, you can’t call it depressing, because it feels like it exists beyond conventional human experience. Very highly recommended, Angel’s Egg opens tomorrow (11/19) in theaters, including the AMC Empire in New York.