Mamoru Oshii's Angel Egg in Austin

ANGEL'S EGG
With LIVE Musical Score by MY EDUCATION!
1982, JAPAN, 71 MIN, LD
D. MAMORU OSHII

The story is set in a strange world, a world of bones and shadows. The remnants of technology, of once great human civilization, even the remains of long vanished creatures decorate this stage. People exist here, but they seem as much ghosts or remnants as anything else. Clinging to memories of things long gone, to purposes they can't remember or to hopes they can't fully express. It's a weird, brooding and silent place, with just the faintest echo of madness to add spice. And on this stage comes a young girl, clad in brightly colored cloth but with an impossibly pale skin and cautious, downcast eyes. Under her dress she cradles a large egg which she seems to treasure above all else, perhaps hoping that it contains a future within it. While going about her business she runs into a young soldier, carrying his weapon, who seems to have mysteries of his own and finds they echo with hers. Mamoru Oshii has become a hot commodity as of late, with his noted work on such popular features as JIN-ROH, GHOST IN THE SHELL, and the PATLABOR movies. With his slow, methodical style that intrigues as it unfolds, Oshii has proven over and over again his ability to keep an audience involved despite pacing that would destroy other directors' films. Back in 1982, he premiered his most personal work, a 70-minute picture called ANGEL'S EGG that he both wrote and directed. It stretches to the very limit the capacities of his viewers, yet is an insightful look into the very core of the man who has pondered the meaning of existence in ways most filmmakers wouldn't dare to attempt. For those who like art films and find the concept of a serious, mentally provoking, controversial course in Christianity and existential thought fascinating, you must see this film. ANGEL'S EGG is a film worthy to stand beside the likes of Ingmar Bergman's THE SEVENTH SEAL in dealing with the concepts of death, life, and belief. It is truly a gorgeous film to be experienced rather than completely comprehended. -- The Anime Review

BECAUSE THE FILM IS ONLY IN JAPANESE WITH NO SUBTITLES, A LIVE SCORE WILL BE PROVIDED BY MY EDUCATION - "Trying to pigeonhole the music of Austin's My Education is akin to trying to stuff a pigeon in a hole: the sound is calamitous, there's movement all around, the frenzied beating of wings against wall, and somewhere something is pumping out blood. There's great beauty as well, counterpointing the seeming chaos, and flowing like a mercury tear into the emptiness inside. Vocals were never necessary to begin with, and even Phil Spector couldn't envision a wall of sound this gorgeous. Formed in 1999 featuring former and current members of Stars of the Lid, ultrasound, and Cinders, the seven-piece My Education is an instrumental hybrid: part space-rock cacophony, part punk rock sonic wipeout, and part ambient bad trip."