This review will contain spoilers for the “Angel’s Egg” movie. Despite it being 40 years old, I recommend that you go into it blindly if you have any interest in seeing it. Proceed with caution.
Ten years before becoming famous for his work on the movie “Ghost in the Shell” (1995), director Mamoru Oshii came out with the surreal haunting masterpiece that is “Angel’s Egg.” This anime film stands out for its incredibly restrained dialogue, focus on visuals and an ambiguous narrative.
Set in a ruined city surrounded by a desolate land, “Angel’s Egg” is centered around two unnamed characters: a young girl and an older boy. The young girl navigates this mysterious city carrying an egg, which she is deeply protective of. In spite of the girl’s hesitance to share, the boy grows curious as to what is inside the egg and wishes to hatch it. Initially the two clash, but by the end they manage to form a bond.
As mentioned previously, one aspect of this film that stands out among other anime movies is its limited dialogue. Minutes go by without a single word uttered. The film prefers to let its visuals speak for themselves. Most of the time, all you can hear is haunting choral music, noises coming from the environment or even just complete silence. There are only a couple scenes in which the characters speak. These scenes give the viewer a slightly better sense of the film’s world and the characters’ motivations.
Since the film has a much higher emphasis on its visuals, it would have been a massive shame if it wasn’t able to deliver on that front. Thankfully, it absolutely does. Even though it is the oldest anime film that I’ve reviewed so far for this column, its animation and art style have hardly aged since its release. I would go as far as to say that the rougher style helps add to the film’s gloomy aesthetic. The backgrounds are filled with detail to sell you on the absolutely dismal look of the characters’ world, with the twisting, leafless branches of a forest and the fossils of deceased birds. It is barren and apocalyptic, yet it never becomes bland or dull to look at.
I found the relationship between the boy and the girl to be fascinating and tragic. Their desires initially clash with each other, with the boy wanting to see what’s inside the egg while the girl — understandably — doesn’t trust him. Later on, she seems to become more comfortable with him and even shows him around their world. There’s a sense that perhaps even with their contradicting desires, they will manage to form a strong bond. However, it all goes out the window when the boy cracks open the egg behind the girl’s back. Devastated, she chases after him, only to fall and drown in a body of water.
Honestly, this ending was deeply unsettling. It made me question the boy’s feelings up to this point. Did his curiosity simply overwhelm his bond with the girl? Did he ever see her as a friend in the first place?
The mystery shrouding the movie is never resolved as the viewer never actually sees what was inside the egg. Nothing in this movie is ever fully explained and each detail seems to only raise more questions. For example, the movie places a high emphasis on water. Water bottles litter certain locations, bodies of water are frequently shown and at one point, the boy recounts the story of Noah’s Ark. Although it frustrated me initially, I appreciated this ambiguity. It left me pondering long after I had seen the movie. It is also interesting seeing people offer their own views on its possible meaning.
Unfortunately, there is one small problem I have with “Angel’s Egg.” While the film’s overall pacing is good, there are a few scenes that went on for much longer than they should be. A particularly egregious case comes after the boy tucks the girl in for bed. After this moment, the film captures the boy sitting as a small flame flickers nearby. This single moment lasts up to two minutes and nothing substantial really happens. I am all for slow moments in films, yet I felt this was a step too far. It almost came off like padding, which is insane considering the movie is not that long in the first place.
This one issue barely affected how much I loved the movie. “Angel’s Egg” is a movie like no other, with its lack of dialogue, mysterious story and world-building that leaves you with questions long after viewing. If you’re seeking to watch something more artsy and less mainstream, I’d say give this movie a shot.
Joon Kim PO ’26 doesn’t have a preference between subs or dubs in anime and would rather stay away from the debate. Sometimes, he will watch the subbed version. Other times, he’s in the mood to watch with a dub.