68. Angel's Egg (1985) - Dir. Mamoru Oshii
In an old, rundown, and gothic city, where deranged fishermen hunt giant ghostly fish shadows, a young girl is charged with the protection of a mysterious egg, and turns to a strange, and enigmatic soldier, for camaraderie. This could sum up, in a few words, Angel’s Egg, one of Mamoru Oshii’s (Patlabor, Ghost in the Shell) first animated features. However, as it has been said before, everyone who watches this film sees a different movie. Angel’s Egg is more concerned with creating an atmosphere and a mood than it is telling a cohesive story, as it couples striking images to equally striking audio in an attempt to lead the viewer down a kaleidoscopic journey into the unknown.
Angel’s Egg profited from Japan’s booming economy during the early 1980’s. This was a time when animated features could be produced without being tied to a videogame, manga, toy, or some other kind of cross merchandising effort to generate extra revenue. That is, this was a time when an artist could conceive of, produce, and direct a personal vision purely for the sake of art, and could maintain the kind of artistic integrity needed to make the work rise above the medium. Written and directed by Oshii, Angel’s Egg is a personal work to the nth degree, although one that even he has trouble deciphering. Comparisons to the work of David Lynch would not be too far off, but such comparisons are too easy to make, and are nothing but a cheap way to pigeonhole the film.
In addition to Lynch, one could also say that Angel’s Egg is a surreal trip into a Dali-esque landscape of the grotesque - that is to say it is purely a work of art, and not a commercial feature, and yet it still remains quite digestible. While there is a narrative hidden behind the allegory, it deals more with symbolism than it does with plot points. The less said about the plot itself the better, for Angel’s Egg is a film that is open to individual interpretations, and will affect many viewers in many different ways. Some may see this film as a science fiction adventure, while some may see it as an allegorical study of motherhood; some may see it as purely an aesthetic study of movement and sound, while others still may not see much of anything, and may in fact question why this film is so highly praised.
In addition to the cryptic narrative, we cannot discuss Angel’s Egg without bringing attention to the designer of its visuals, Yoshitaka Amano. Praised artist, and fan favorite, Amano is the mind and hand behind the character designs for many of the Final Fantasy and Castlevania video games, as well as a celebrated painter and comic book artist. Amano’s work is unlike any other anime artist, and to call him such could be considered a disservice. His artwork transcends cultural norms and pop-culture trends, and is defined by broad abstract brushstrokes, complimented with detailed expressions, and passionate attention paid to movement, specifically to the flowing motion of clothing and hair. Although his designs for the characters and the cityscapes in the film are stunning, at times the animation itself is not as fluid or complex as one might hope for.
The animation style in Angel’s Egg is more concerned with creating detailed surroundings and crafting atmosphere than it is with super fluid motion. Many Japanese animators subscribe to the theory that Japanese animation does not strive for complex fluid animation, but instead lies somewhere between the still and detailed drawings of manga and the full non-limited animation of Walt Disney – it is in fact its own art form. Angel’s Egg perfectly represents this theory, as often times the viewer is treated to a series of static shots as the camera pans around to reveal an object in great detail, only to then focus on a character or action and show the actual movement.
During its 70-minute running time, there are only about ten lines of spoken dialog. For a film with such a mysterious narrative, one might expect many talking heads, ala Oshii’s more recent work in Patlabor: The Movie, or Ghost in the Shell. However, this is not the case. Instead, the film becomes a feast for the ears due to its lusciously scored soundtrack. The music, composed by Yoshihiro Kanno, is a marriage between classical composition and progressive-rock. There are moments of sublime beauty, with eerie string swells and atmospheric soundscapes, offset by moments of pounding tribal-like drums accompanied by dense and haunting melodies. The music for Angel’s Egg perfectly represents the tone of the artwork, and helps to create the total atmosphere.
Mamoru Oshii has never played by the rules, as is evident in his hihgly selective filmography of genre busting animated and live action features, and this is no more clearly exemplified than in Angel’s Egg. This film represents a director working as a true artist, as the film, like great art, can mean many different things to each and every viewer, and can possess different meanings upon repeat viewings. There is true artistry evident here, and there are layers to peel away and subtext to discover. It is also a beautiful film to see and hear, and is utterly captivating. It is hard to take your eyes off of the film and truly does draw you into its surreal, lucid, landscape.
