Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema - Downtown, Los Angeles
*Presented in Japanese with English subtitles* A financial flop upon release in 1985, this science fiction/fantasy film has become a touchstone of the burgeoning anime industry that would come to dominate international pop culture. No two viewers can sit down to watch Mamoru Oshii’s third feature and have the same experience, a testament to the filmmaker’s trust in his viewers. It did not make much sense to initial audiences, and the film was cast off as a minor experiment by a filmmaker who would receive much greater success with the release of GHOST IN THE SHELL a decade later. While Oshii is, of course, the driving force behind ANGEL'S EGG, there is no movie without the art of Yoshitaka Amano. The legendary Japanese visual artist, most famous for his work on VAMPIRE HUNTER D and *Final Fantasy* illustrations, helped the director develop the storyline and look of the film with storyboards for initial approval. In the film itself, we see Amano’s love of intricately detailed linework, ruined castles, impossibly curved geometrics, and towering spires. The ink painting style is the soul of the strange, mythic realm stuck in an eternal cycle of death and birth. 40 years after its debut, ANGEL'S EGG is widely acclaimed as an early masterwork from Oshii and Amano, but has struggled to find a wide release. In fact, its reputation grew even while having no official release on media outside of Japan. If you’ve seen this movie previously, it’s likely there were some fishy websites involved. Thankfully, ANGEL'S EGG has now been restored in 4K to rightfully take its place, officially, in our movie theaters (Austin King)