Angel's Egg

"Maybe you, I, and the fish only exist in the memory of a person who is long gone. Maybe no one really exists and it's only raining outside."

Beautiful, evocative visuals, but a slow, rather opaque story, one that's awash in Christian and apocalyptic symbolism. You can decide for yourself what it all means, or that it means nothing, and it's only raining outside.

My take: In this world of shadows, fossils, and death, the only hope for new life lies in the egg the girl carries around, similar to Noah's ark after the flood. In this telling of the tale, though, the Christ or God-like figure tells her that the doves don't return to the ark, and later crushes the egg. It seems rather dark and pessimistic - and yet, life seems to have a way of bubbling to the surface on its own, and when viewed from a distance, the world and all its troubles seem rather small.

This film is not live-action, nor is it a short. What it is is the quintessential Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) film, a haunting, ethereal drama more concerned with imagery and mood than with plot or characterization. A young girl (lavishly designed by animator-turned-fine artist Yoshitaka Amano) wanders the desolate streets of a dark, nightmarish world; her fragile faith rests in the form of a gigantic egg, which she hopes to protect. Eventually, she meets an enigmatic stranger bearing a crucifix and a decidedly pragmatic worldview ("You have to break an egg if you are to know what's inside," he tells her). This is Oshii at his most obtuse, and even he claims to not know the true meaning of this film. The film is a pure work of art, however, free from all commercial baggage. For this reason, it should be viewed by everyone with a genuine interest in the art of animation. Note: Beware the Roger Corman film "In the Aftermath," which takes some footage from this film and places it in a different context.

Tenshi no tamago made me feel things, and that's all I care. I could go on theorizing about the meaning of the movie, what the fish symbolize and the film's religious imagery; but instead, I'm going to focus on how this movie made me feel. It made me feel lonely. It made me feel scared. It made me feel like a little girl running thorugh a desolate world, carrying a giant egg. The animations is stunning. The desolate landscapes are beautifully drawn and the characters (particuraly the little girl) are goergously animated. I may not have understood everything that was presented to me, but I did feel it.

Director Mamoru Oshii's 1985 film Angel's Egg was a fine example of the themes that would define his movies to come. Like his later films, Ghost in the Shell, Beautiful Dreamer, Patlabor and Avalon, Angel's Egg is a lush visual landscape filled with beautiful, mystifying (and often stupefying) imagery. The story involves a young girl who is highly possessive of an oversized egg from which, she believes, will hatch a beautiful bird. She wanders a dark and empty world clinging to the egg waiting endlessly for the moment to arrive. You are given the feeling that this world has existed for hundreds or thousands of years, maybe forever. The girl has also existed forever, waiting and dreaming. Into this dark world, wanders a soldier(?). From the very beginning his intentions seem ominous but never definite. The girl is initially afraid of the man but eventually they join forces and wander the bizarre landscape together, pontificating about the world around them until his purpose is made clear. Almost all of Oshii's films rely on an immense amount of Christian mythology. Angel's Egg is the most obvious. Filled with an oppressively moody and pensive atmosphere, it is all visual and very little story. The entire script only totals about a paragraph, the rest of the film is all atmosphere and tension building. This, however, is it's greatest strength. All the themes of Noah's flood, birth, death and rebirth are obvious even if we don't have characters to explain them. You are drawn into the world of the naive young girl by her innocence. You want to see the egg hatch and find out what's inside. You want to know the thoughts of the soldier and his true intentions. Some questions are answered, most are not. Oshii was wise to end the film early. (It clocks in at only a little over an hour.) Weather this was for financial reasons or for reasons of plot, it keeps you from becoming bored with the story no matter how thin it may be. The film is certainly not going to appeal to everyone. Most viewers will certainly be befuddled by the lack of a definite linear plot, but if you thrive on the philosophical or purely visual experience this film is a must.

This masterpiece by Mamoru Oshii (Character designs by the great Yoshitaka Amano) is really one of a kind, thought provoking, artistic almost in a style of Dali and other great artists. The dark atmosphere and the inexplicable happenings bring Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey to my mind. There isn't much dialogue in the film, which is in my opinion a great decision. If you're into anime, especially the Mamoru Oshii stylish "slow and atmospheric" anime, this is a must see. I might even say this is one of the great classics in the history of anime although this title might be quite unknown to all. Really recommended!