Angel's Egg (1985)

 
"Soft-boiled angel, hold the bacon"

Genre: Experimental Animé Drama Fantasy Horror Mystery Sci-Fi (Japan)

Starring: Mako Hyodo (Macross Plus), Jinpachi Nezu (Ran; Kagemusha)

Directed By: Mamoru Oshii (Ghost In The Shell; Avalon)

Overview: In a deserted city, a girl keeps a large egg close at hand. When she encounters a lone soldier who asks her what's inside, she tries to flee while the soldier attempts to befriend her.

Performance:

When undergoing such an enterprise as Experimental Animé a rare concept to begin with, the decision of how far to go must stop somewhere. I must admit that the way the faces were animated was rote and standard, but we did get enough emotion (or appropriate lack thereof) out of our voice actors to have those poignant moments still run deep. The desperate cries of the girl are as harrowing as any you could fathom.
Rating: 7

Cinematography:

If you think about the potential that Animé holds for the Avant-Garde, you might wonder why more isn't out there, but that's another discussion altogether. Animé fans will appreciate the detailed effort put into the haunting gargoyles, the empty cityscapes of Old Europe architecture, and even the serenity of still scenes, be they the shadows dancing off the water or the slow rumbling approach of a dozen imposing tanks. Considering the year this was made, an exquisite piece of work indeed.
Rating: 9

Script:

Minimalist. Short, sweet and insistent, the dialogue is mostly accusatory and commanding. "Who are you?" "Go away!" and "Stop following me!" lead to a monologue. Nothing more. The clues to the answers of this mystery world certainly come from the visuals rather than the words. This approach puts this film deep in an original and unique place, focusing our attention back to the stunning visuals it was intended to.
Rating: 9

Plot:

The story is as vague as the bible it's sourced from, and as thin as experimental film needs to be to make the viewer frown and healthily wonder what's going on. We have enough clues to be entertained in the mystery while still wishing our characters would reveal just a little more. In the end, the story's climax is impressive, though not perfectly revealing, leaving much to the imagination, but enjoyably so.
Rating: 8

Mood:

Death, rebirth, biblical imagery with a strong theme in the Christian tale of Noah's Arc, this is the kind of experimental film that plays with your knowledge of myth, symbol and the abstracts of creation. In essence, you could call it a 'slice of legend'. Turns out that's exactly up my alley, so perhaps I'm a little biased to being predisposed at enjoying such a thing so much...
Rating: 9

 
"Make mine fuzzy eyeball, extra crispy"

Overall Rating: 84% (Crack it Open)

Aftertaste:

When I heard about this Blog-A-Thon, I said to my illustrator friend, "I need an Avant-Garde / Experimental Animé film, you know to mix things up." He instantly recommended this. I don't know if I should be more mad at myself for not knowing about this, or mad at him for not telling me about it sooner. Well now that I've seen it, I guess he's forgiven.

Hopefully this Blog-A-Thon will include more films than I bargained for to add to my ever growing list...

This post is part of the Avant-Garde Blog-A-Thon.
For a complete listing, visit Girish.