Angel's Egg - A Puzzling Masterpiece from the Director of Ghost in the Shell
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Angel's Egg: • Video
Explaining Jung's concept of the Self:
Jung believed that the purpose of one's life is to make one's ego indistinguishable from his concept of the Self. Within each person's unconscious mind lies their own "self", which is the highest possible form of development that one's ego can achieve. Upon achieving the "self", the person achieves a state that is akin to Godhood.
This is why, in Jung's writings, he referred to Jesus as a symbol for the Self. People use Jesus as a symbol to guide their own journey towards their own "Jungian self".
In the case of the girl... she fell into the water, which as I stated earlier in the video, symbolizes unconsciousness. Upon death, she sees the aged, mature version of herself (her "self") and merges with it. It's no wonder that soon after this happened, she is memorialized on the eye of God in the form of a statue. She attained that state. - เกม
I always figured when Oshi says "i dont know what it means" what he's really saying is "i dont know if im ready to acknowledge what it means"
I think artists generally avoid answering the big questions about their art because they want it and it's message to stand on its own. Not because they don't "know" what it means, because of course they do. They put it all there for a reason. But if they tell you what it means or why the made it, the artist can feel as if their art failed by having to explain it. Like a good joke, if you have to explain it, you don't feel like it was a successful joke.
I will say in this case, given the creators beliefs, it seems like when he says he doesn't know what the ending means, what he's really saying is he doesn't know if its good or bad. Because he has shaken beliefs yet a desire to have faith, he doesn't know if the new world will be any better than what came before. He knows what the ending means to him, but what comes after? Could a world truly have faith after being abandoned by God? Should they? In Dark Souls 3 they use this motif again and in that version the egg seems to represent the world order, halting the decay of the world until the girl is awoken and the egg is shattered. Given to her by God and told to protect it until he returns, which he never did. Very interesting concepts.
This comment is so great I took a screenshot and saved it. Comparing the concept of having to explain art like explaining a joke is perfect, it's eye opening to have this concept that I've always understood finally put into clear logical words.
@@spork861 how kind of you to say, thank you, I'm glad. :)
Indeed, good art should never seem to need an explanation, as for art being good would mean it to carry its own message unaided or unhindered by what the artist has to say. Much like a joke, certainly.
I don't agree, while some creators have that sort of understanding and intention in making a piece of art, others don't intend any message, they're just trying to tell a good story or paint a pretty picture and it's ridiculous to assume that they've all got some hidden artistic meaning to convey.
Neither of which seem to be the case for this movie, it's not meant to convey a particular message or be entertainment on its own, it's a form of self examination that just happens to be animated, so there's no actual answers for the creator to give because he's likely changed in a way that the questions that fueled it are foreign concepts to him, even if he could remember what those questions were.
The fishes' shadows, are those of an actual fish called "Coelacanths", thought to be extinct a long time ago and only in recent years found to be still living today! Cheers!
I noticed the shadows were Coelacanths too. Perhaps they were chosen because the scientific community thought they were dead but they were wrong.
@@jackalope2302 Yeah! Or maybe, since they are a prehistoric specie, it's like an analogy to what seems to be this long lost and ruined world...
The coelacanths could be an analogous depiction of the men chasing "bygone relics" of an old ideal i.e The "shadowy" fish- that give them a sense of reason in a world that seems so arbitrary and doesn't line up with expectations. Shadows are known to either represent illusions or reflections of a true form which has more substantiality, the shadows are then not the true body, but an obscure outline of one aspect of its foundations.
Onto the psychology... what little I've deciphered at present:
[They expected the flood to end; but it has yet to stop... it's like people in our world, impatiently rooting for the end of this era of materialism, exploitation and global destruction, they long for salvation that a paradise by God would bring them, so in the meantime, to distract themselves from the pressing concerns of the destruction around them, they "run around " frantically chasing the "shadowy reflection" of the messianic ideal they long for within a world rich in suffering.] But these fish are only shadowed illusions of the real thing, They that lack "substance" i.e actual form, and hence these ideals symbolized by fish can't give them any lasting comfort- hence why the fish can't actually be caught, as soon as they have seemingly caught on to them, the "fish" continue to flee away from them, untouched. Because by their very nature they are impermanent/insubstantial and only offer momentary satisfaction to all who think they have the true idea of the "fish" within their grasp. The people are stuck chasing because in their present mode of consciousness that's all they know how to do, heck it's what they limit themselves to doing, for comfort's sake. The chase after all his its thrills, it's a quest for knowledge that offers a definite distraction from more pressing concerns around them, I mean look at the desolation. The shadowy forms of the fish could represent the ideal, who's true essence they eventually forgot while they were truth chasing, hence why all that's left is an imaginary outline of the ideal, veiled in a lack of true presence. All they do is run around and revel in the thrill of seemingly having attained "truth" through "catching" the fish (obviously that's not working out too well...) ,chasing "it"- (there are numerous fish, one for everyman, every ordinary man hunts, for a different fish, but in the end the same forms exists for every fish, so it can be said that they all long for the same ideal in the end consciously or unconsciously.) The harpoons are the threads of desire, that would allow them to latch onto a subjective truth that would give them some joy in a bleak world; but any victory is short lived since as I've said before each fish form doesn't even exist, they are all transient and fleeting shadows that live on in these men's dreams, not the external world. The men are content living the illusion around them, and prove blatantly ignorant of the destruction they spur in their manic attempt to latch onto truth in a world that seems built on a foundation of lies and empty promises, so much so, they simply dash from one avenue to the next smashing windows and destroying property every time they strike forward with their harpoons of desire. The fish imagery may be evocative of a messiah figure like other comments suggest, some lofty ideal or selfish desires, that either herald a hint of salvation or distraction from the impending "flood" that seeks to destroy them. Notice that no one seems invested in taking the initiative to find a solution to the destruction around them, they are all content chasing after an ideal or dream that may or may not have any basis; a dream that may either "spell" destruction for those chasing an illusion or salvation for those who clung to an uncertain truth amidst the impending catastrophe and the death it would bring. The flood in this sense is an encroaching danger to their existence that eventually overwhelmed them all due to complacency, no one took genuine initiative to actually save themselves, they all placed faith in external powers beyond themselves that may or may not have ended up saving them in the end. That's why everybody died, they were more content dreaming than actually taking initiative to a) see truth and b) take salvation in their own hands.
It's not a perfect synopsis, it's just my "two cents" on the matter there's more to unpack, but honestly I need to go onto my responsibilities now, so peace to all✌🏾.
Wow really?!?! I'm a huge dinosaur fan and that's so freakin' cool! First time I think I have heard of a species "thought" to be extinct that showed up to be living! The sea is vast with life though and probably the most likely environment for that to happen.
In fact, the female has fertilized eggs within her body while the embryos develop during a gestation period. The eggs are white. Did Oshii knew this? Maybe it is played with the girl keeping the egg under her.
This film was like a stab of anguish, it reminded me of my childhood when after questioning my own imagination i began to lose faith in everything supernatural and that led me to disheartening disappointment in everything i was constantly being told.
What I especially love about the film is the music accompanying it, just eerie and beautiful, calming yet unsetting. I bought a rare copy of the OST and I have no regrets, everyone should check out the music!
As an artist myself, I can give this bit of insight: The moment all the questions of a work are answered is the moment people stop thinking about it altogether. A lot of artists like to put forth this willful ignorance because it serves the intention of the work more to leave things unanswered than to wrap everything up in a tidy bow. If your goal is to inspire deep thought, you let people think for themselves.
And, of course, it's not unusual for people to make stream of consciousness art as a manner of dealing with hardship. It's perfectly possible this movie was intended as something of a vent work, in which case, not having a specific meaning would be appropriate.
The opening scene with the giant egg felt like it went on for hours in my head
Despite the director's loss of faith he clearly has placed self-sacrifice which is rewarded by spiritual ascendance at the core of Angel's Egg & Ghost in the Shell, both protagonist sacrificed their own individuality as a solution to an existential quandry that was rewarded with spiritual gain.
Dude holy shit, this might be the best original analysis I've seen you come up with, your religious background and familiarity with psychoanalysis played perfectly into it.
I would dis agree with his interpretation of the fisher men, this story is told from the perspective of Noahs story and Jesus of Nazareth has not yet come (BTW a Nazarerite is not a place but a spiritual belief IE you don't handle money, dead bodies or indulge in alcohol)
The fisher men are casting prayers to god represented by the ever moving shadows that really don't exist , thier prayers of course yield no results anymore than a person who is dying from cancer would be healed in the 11th hour simply from praying.
IE , I can pray all day long for god to make my house refurbished but it will continually fall apart to ruin without me keeping it repaired.
I don't know why but I found it somehow so disturbing seeing the fishermen hunting the shadows of the fish. Like they are waisting their breath and time on something that doesn't even exist and that they are all blinded by hunting them that they don't even know what would happen if they caught one. This scene was somehow stuck in head for the whole film and still is ahhh
This is one of those films that I strongly believe everybody who watches it has a different interpretation of. For me, the central theme is one of knowledge and faith. An egg is an answer to the question "is it better to know or not to know". Instinctively, humans are driven to want to know as much as possible, but with the egg, the only way to know whether there is anything in it is to break it, thus killing whatever is inside. An egg, therefore, is an object that necessitates faith. Whether there is anything in the egg is deliberately unanswered, we feel in ourselves the same desperate need to know, even while watching the consequences of that unfold in our two main characters, the man too ashamed by what he has done to even face the girl, the girl driven to suicide by despair. Having seen the man left in a bleak, desolate world devoid of faith and hope, we are left with only one question: was it worth it?
These are some of the ideas I've had and ideas I've collected around the internet about Angel's Egg. I've had this in a google doc for a while now.
She is a lost soul of the bird walking through purgatory. She never crossed over to the afterlife because of her obsession with hatching her egg. Her egg was more important then returning to tell Noah if the flood had resided or not. She doesn't know she's dead and her egg wasn't destined to hatch. Those on the ark were also dead and the souls were still awaiting news from the bird. The young man sought to find a resolve and eliminate the egg to set her free, then her soul could return to the ark and the other souls could rest as well.
The girl's desire to protect the egg, and the soldier's desire to know the truth of it, form the core of the movie's conflicts.
The Egg
1st interpretation: The egg can be seen as symbolizing the young girl's innocence. It is something which she protects and holds on to, but is ultimately stolen.
2nd interpretation: Another interpretation states that the egg is the "spiritual seed" planted in a human soul via the Gospel of Jesus Christ - a special kind of meme which tries to take root in a person's soul. It is something she protects amidst a dark world, but it is eventually "reaped" by the Christ-like character after she had journeyed with and entrusted him. Eventually, she reaches "spiritual maturity" while passionately pursuing the path of Christ, and thus bears fruit "many times what was sown", as the parable goes. This was indicated by the production of many eggs from her mouth (her spiritual "fecundity" or "witness"). The small egg represents a "quanta", if you will, of the Gospel that was planted in her soul when she heard or saw something revelatory concerning God's Salvation. This must have happened before the portrayed story began. The egg was brought to life as a result of being "wooed" by the Christ-man, and then once it was fully released, she charged directly after the Christ on the "narrow path" (Matthew 7:13,14)to spiritual maturity. The metaphor is equivalent to a maturing plant producing heads of grain, but Oshii adapted Yeshua's parable to the production of eggs instead of seeds, possibly in order to merge it with the metaphor of the dove and the ark as expounded below.
The Big Eggs on Tree Stalks
Near the end of the film, we see organic tree-like structures holding giant eggs with unborn birds inside. These likely represent the spiritual being awaiting the realization of its true form in the afterlife- where each of these saints are "glorified", attaining angelic forms(flying birds being symbolic of Angels), as supported in the very end by: (1)the appearance of the giant eggs after her own small one had been cultivated by the Christ-figure. (2)the girl's angelic appearance as part of the Godhead (the giant eye-like thing).
The root-like growths holding the eggs were foreshadowed earlier by the Yeshua character as (paraphrased)"a great tree, sapping the ground to grow and reach up, as if to grasp... something.". The tree/egg combination, along with the Christ character's explanation of the tree of life, portrays it to be a symbol of true Christianity and its spiritual implications. He gives us the sense that the tree/eggs are the final stage of an evolving line of energy, matter, and eventually living things: initially emanating out from pure Spirit(Giant Eye descending), yet over the eons striving to return to the source... to finally "grasp the hand that feeds it", as it were. The eggs, we see, were located at the tops of the tree trunks, holding the unborn chicks. Each of the giant eggs probably represented a human soul which would be preserved through the Last Judgment On the Noah's Ark of Christ (meaning Yeshua is a sort of spiritual ark for souls), and so become glorified as part of the Godhead, as we see in the end. In other words, the giant eggs represent the second to last step of the ultimate aim of life, the universe, and everything: dead(sleeping) saints awaiting their ultimate glorification. The very last step being the actual glorification or realization of the saints and assumption to the Godhead, as we saw in the end where the Godhead(giant floating eye) was populated by the permanent(eternal) presence of the saints, with our little girl among them.
The Man
The man in Angel's Egg physically portrays a Christ-like figure. In the beginning he is seen standing on a chess board, facing the giant Eye (presumably representing the Godhead, especially God the Father capacity, since it was sending him out). He arrives in the girls life on a bizarre procession of mechanistic/organic(and phallic?!) machines, which most probably represent ancient Judaism, in reference to Matthew 11:12, where the "Kingdom of God" is forcefully advanced by the Law and the prophets. This explains the war-like (battle tanks) and distinctly male appearance of the machines.
He carries a cross on his back and wears bandages on his hands, both of which are strongly reminiscent of Christian mythos.
1st interpretation: In this particular movie this figure is shown in a clearly negative light, first telling the girl that he would protect her and eventually stealing away from her the egg which she cherishes so lovingly. Following this line of interpretation, some have taken The Angel's Egg to represent Oshi's own fallout with Christianity.
2nd interpretation: A different interpretation sees the figure in a very positive light: as being her companion and protector in a violent, illusory world, and bringing to fruition what she couldn't have done on her own. He uses the crucifix to do this, in reference to Matthew 16:24 He actually explains his motives for breaking the egg: Without opening it, one may never realize the potential of whats inside. He overcame her selfish tendency to keep the egg(gospel seed) hidden, by wooing her companionship and trust. This is probably an allusion to "walking in Christ" or "living by the Spirit of Christ".
3rd This man represents Jesus. The film starts with him "emerging" from the "Godhead/monolith/heaven" vessel I described earlier, similar to the way, in Christianity, God sent himself out to man in the form of a man, named Jesus.
The Fishermen and Fish
1st interpretation: Fishermen and fish are popular, recurring symbols in Christian mythology
2nd interpretation: Another interpretation notes that in this particular case, the shifty fish shadows are those of the lobe-finned or Sarcopterygii genera, which are almost entirely extinct as a group. Thus, the shadows can be interpreted as shades of once-living things, but now dissipating from nature- becoming extinct. To apply the spiritual metaphor, the shadows most likely represent ephemeral and even demonic forms. It fits well with the concept of demonic illusions, because it is believed that demons are "fallen" angels. ("fallen", as in cut off from and thus dissipating from God's creation, yet finding some sustenance and rest in the propagation of idolatry in humanity). see Mathew 12:43-45) Supporting this idea, these mirages are zealously pursued by the spearmen, yet never tangibly grasped or attained, and thus no ultimate fulfillment is found, and no innate hunger is sated. The spears are sharp projections attached to ropes. This most likely symbolizes the human spirit(will and conscience) projecting itself onto its environment, trying to form soul-attachments and identities in ephemeral things- passions, pleasures, fears, vices, addictions, fetishes, idolatry, etc.
In contrast, the fish enshrined in the Gothic church was colorful and vibrant, and the girl radiated white in its presence. Where the lobed-finned shadows probably represent the adoption of shifty goals and ephemeral pursuits which are all moving towards extinction, the colorful fish probably represents the Body of Christ- living; thriving; growing; adapting; and steadily surviving.
The Water
The water is a subtle yet strong underlying Typology (theology) present throughout the film. In the beginning, God descends into an "ocean" and the waters emanate out from the impact in waves, signifying the beginning of creation, where Jesus Christ the Logos (the white-haired man) is sent out to perfect the creation, "glorifying God" by gathering in human souls(in reference to Isaiah 55:11), as we see in the film. The water most likely symbolizes Spirit, specifically the Holy Spirit. Initially the girl collects small amounts of it and stores it away (the best she can do on her own), but in a foreshadowing moment early in the film, while staring into a pond she imagines herself to be fully immersed (after which the man shows up). In the end, the water floods everything, and she herself is drowned in it while pursuing the man- symbolizing Baptism with the Holy Spirit while chasing the path of Yeshua.
The Ark
Near the beginning of the film we see the shadow of an ark, which presumably the girl frequented. As the very last twist, we see the ark again at the end- this time slowly panning out. This is yet another example of Typology (theology), in which the story of the Ark, regardless of its historical details, is taken as a narrative allegory. Oshii probably borrowed the idea from the epistle of 1 Peter 3:20-22 regarding the moment of salvation, where the ark represents the preservation of the human spirit(will and conscience) amidst a spiritual "flood" or baptism of the rest of the mind, while demonic influences are purged. As the angle pans out in the last scene, we see a meta-ark, which also probably represents the salvation work of Christ on a larger scale. The entirety of the "remnant" of human souls is preserved through the Last Judgment by devoting itself to God through Christ, but not just a remnant of humanity, but also, a reconciliation of the entire universe is implied here. An idea likely inspired by Paul's epistle to the Romans in which he describes the ultimate goal of existence. Chapter 8:18-27.
The Dove
Drawing from the theme of all the 2nd interpretations above- while the ark represents Christ as a preservation of the remnant of human souls (and the universe reconciled through them in a mysterious fashion- (Romans 8:18-27)), the dove must represent all the souls of humanity, sent out by God into human bodies, but in the process of free will and sinful nature, alienate themselves from "Him" by sin. According to what is implied in this film, this severs a person's connection from Eternal Life in God-(the birds forgetting their origins, dying, and becoming fossilized). In the largest dialog section, the Yeshua character presents a variation of Genesis 8, in which the bird forgot where it came from, and probably died in the waters somewhere. He then makes an equivalence between the forgetful bird and humanity(including himself, as "the son of man"). Shortly afterwards, they find the bird dead amongst the fossils, which symbolizes concepts found in Ephesians 2:1-3 i.e. "spiritual death" because of relational estrangement from God. This idea is supported further when the girl declares to have the bird alive and growing in the egg, which the Yeshua character treats with some skepticism because, as we see later, it was only a half-truth that she had the bird, since the egg was only the seed of the knowledge of salvation planted in her, and it only became a real bird after it was brought to fruition by Christ. Thus, the bird represents the human spirit initially created by God (dove sent out from ark), fallen in sin (bird forgets God and fossilizes),but then reconciled again to God through the Son (he uses the crucifix to cultivate what was sown, and later the giant tree/eggs emerge).
The Girl
The girl, of course, represents a spiritually immature person- but possibly also an actual child, since in the end she appears as part of the Godhead in a child-like form rather than in an adult form as are many of the other statues. She holds the egg in a way which looks like she's pregnant, which follows with the analogies above in which the gospel seed grows inside of a person, taking root in their soul, eventually "birthing" fruit, several times what was sown. (Mathew 13:23)
*The creator of the film stated there is no meaning.
*Oshii has further admitted that a good deal of the movie's meaning is highly private, and that made me worried any attempt to "decode" the movie would only leave us with esoteric symbology. We don't have Oshii's experiences, and so the movie may be fated to mean far more to him than it could to the rest of us. Where he saw a great allegory about the redemptive power of faith falling short in the face of the universe's indifference to it, many others simply see a bunch of weird images.
*But Oshii did leave us a way in that has almost nothing to do with the movie's themes per se. It's through the mood and tone of the film - its great sense of sadness and loss - which say as much about his subject as the symbolism and imagery do. If we fail to connect with the film because we don't get what he's trying to say, that does not mean either we or the film have failed. That just means our first and best means of approach for the movie is not through what it's supposed to be about.
*He's a representative of the black ocean, the world that was washed away. She is the embodiment of the ark's mission to send out birds until you find land. They're both in a sorry state though. Neither of them know why they do what they do or who they do it for. They don't know if they ever really had a purpose to begin with. They've just done it for so long that at some point they forgot everything, even their own names. He doesn't want to hurt her, but he knows he must destroy the egg. "You have to break an egg to know what's inside". That is his cross to bear, literally. She finds the egg shattered and with clearly nothing having ever been inside it. It's dry and empty, the shell and the pavement beneath it completely shattered but without any gore from a living thing contained in it. Her faith in the bird is dead. She chases after the Soldier and falls into the floodwaters and dies. From her dying breath is born many new eggs. It's possible there are many Angels who look just like her and those eggs will find their way to those Angels. This would explain why the Soldier has been doing what he does for so long that he's forgotten everything, because each egg shattered just results in more eggs. It would explain why his ship has a statue of her, so that he never forgets who he's looking for.
*"Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-along with persecutions-and in the age to come eternal life." Mark 10: 29-30
(She loses one egg, gains many many more, then is memorialized i.e. eternal life.)
"If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it." Luke 17: 33
After Noah's ark, mankind has now forgotten that God once judged the earth and went right back to godlessness, in the "futility of their minds" (Ephesians 4: 17-19). They have become darkened in their understanding, chasing after meaninglessness. So God will once again destroy the evil on the earth but first He sent His son as a human to save those who would believe in him. He brings them to the Father.
It’s ultimate message lies within identity and reality. It implies that these two things can't be proven and thus are things everyone has to face in their own way. It's not about understanding what is going on or being happy or sad, its about the emptiness that resides in ourselves no matter what we try to fill it with. Because that's what keeps you going. That's what keeps everything you have faith in (personally) alive
Thank you for this. Brilliant.
Holy crap
You wrote a whole thesis on the possible interpretations of the film, wow, count me amazed
So... I haven't read all of that yet, but here's another interpretation of the egg. Assuming she's the bird and she didn't come back to Noah's Ark because she was too focused on the egg, the egg could represent the instincts of a parent, which in the context of religion can sometimes be a form of temptation. Consider evolution: you survive, you reproduce, you parent. The latter one is admittedly less important in this context than the former two, but all of them have the potential to clash with God or religion: Survival does not require righteousness, reproduction does not require chastity, and there are many ways to parent out of instinct rather than religious practice.
The love of a parent categorized as a temptation, almost on par with sex and avoiding pain, is sad to think about, and I think that's the point of the egg. One of the great struggles of faith is choosing between your instincts and your doctrine-how much are you willing to lose or subvert for God?-and parenting is perhaps the most invasive, and therefore most effective, example with which to ask that question.
With that said, I'm just expanding on a theory about the lore, so this is probably not what the author intended.
Angel's Egg is such a weird movie a lot of it is just long stretches of a gothic dreamlike atmosphere it's one of the most unique anime I've ever watched and is really impressive for when it was made, it is abstract symbolism but I think the girl becoming a statue represented her becoming a martyr like Jesus and the eggs being an obvious symbol for faith, Angel's Egg is an abstract movie about faith with things like the fossilised arc and how many jars of water there are representing how a lot of religions are thousands of years old, despite the world now being far removed from the world of the past we still have faith in ways that are ancient
Interpretations aside, Amano shines beautifully in this movie. Some shots/scenes are exquisitely fine and moving. Angel's Egg is still the supreme form of animated Amano, going on close to forty years now. Nothing else has ever done him justice to this extent. It is likely nothing ever will, unfortunately.
This movie really shows how far anime has fallen in quality: its super old but visually and from a storytelling perspective it's still mesmerizing.
I would say it looks gorgeous when compared to most modern anime. Also looks better than most anime from that period as well.
Funny you should say that as Oshii almost ended his career making this film. It just didn't sell! As a business, art must be profitable, so good art is profitable art! So by that logic, any number of anime are BETTER than Angel's Egg! Funny how that works, huh?
Having been up a down with religion myself, I really liked your take at the end about how he may have been both presenting the faithful girl as being rewarded while also acknowledging the validity of the man dissatisfied with God. I think often times the faithful and the dissatisfied view each other as "problematic" but I've never agreed with that, I've always felt that the faithful should understand that there's much to question, and those who doubt should understand that it's okay that some don't need answers. In the end I think the truly righteous thing is just to hope that the other find their peace, that those who doubt can confront their ominous God and those who have faith will be accepted by him.
''it's okay that some don't need answers'' Not when they drag others and me down with them.
@@thotslayer9914 God doesn't exist but if he did, I'd want to crucify the bastard myself.
@@Dunge0n oh my science!
@@Dunge0n ok, heathen
@@Dunge0n The other commenters mock you but you are right, the problem with religious people is that they want me to be religious too and I don't give a shit.
In a Jungian viewpoint, it makes sense that the man symbolises the conscious side of Oshii, or at least the part who became aware of the bleak and despairing life of reality, and the girl is his inner, unconscious conscience, the little voice from deep within that whispers 'Have faith and let it be'. The girl's maturation point, whereby she seems to die, could be interpreted as Oshii's unconscious maturation from the unconscious young and inexperienced anima (since the unconscious part seems to age much slower than the conscious self) to the awakened Sophia, the spirit of wisdom that was there with God from time immemorial whose strength and influence are of equal measure.
That she sits on the God-eye may hint at the Sophia-God relation, for Sophia is the spirit that became embodied as Virgin/Mother Mary, likewise when God became embodied through the birth of Christ.
About the fishermen and their relentless hunt for the shadow fish, well, if everyone in that island became faithful followers then what is there to do other than wanting to become that which they follow? If they have no means to measure on if they became like the one they followed, then the next best thing to do is to hunt down the symbolical image of it even when it doesn't give tangible results. Humans are like that. Leave them for long and even when a saviour comes by and fulfill the requirements of a messiah, they won't notice him due to the natural course of faith becoming blind zealoutry amongst common followers of the old religion. They are left to deal with their own unconsciousness of which they were not properly equipped to deal with, unlike the two main characters.
What is there to do when everyone becomes part of it anyway? Perhaps that is what Oshii went through, perhaps that was the reason why he turned from Christianity, at some point the faith might end not due to persecution but due to zealoutry borne out completely by followers. Then it is better to leave it be and make a new one, one that was inspired by Christianity but which aspiration leads further than the fisherman and into the deep through the waterbearer. Leave the stone men be and let them decide on their own.
This by far is the most satisfying interpretation I have heard. I absolutely love this video
I believe the lynch doesn’t know what’s in the box. He’s a student of Tarkovsky and Tarkovskys process was to get lost in the process of exploring what meaning could be derived. Like the pinwheel in Inception.
I noticed the fish shadows were Coelacanths. Perhaps they were chosen because the scientific community thought Coelacanths were extinct (dead) but they were wrong.
The fish shadow is of a coelacanth. They are considered "living fossils".
Thank you very much for this video! So glad you finally made a video on Angel's Egg. I've seen so many video essays on it and you've finally added to it!
Angel's Egg is my second favorite film of all time. It and The Seventh Seal are the best films about people losing their religion.
Personally, Im certain artists Always Know what they are doing and they always have an intention at the moment of creating art.
However, I also believe the good artists know deep doen that their intention and vision ultimatly doesnt matter.
Art is uniquely interpreted by each unique person.
Thats why they say they dont know.
Because thry dont want to influence our interpritation and understanding.
I think the high-tech styling of the cross the man carries represents how both science and christianity work against the experience of the unconscious represented by the girl and her egg. Also I think that Orphism deserves a mention, where the egg is an important symbol of the creative impulse in the universe, and which encouraged a form of gnosis that science and christianity tries to destroy or at least discredit.
I like how the bird has a human skeleton but bird wings. So its an angel?
Also the whistleing of the eye is like whale calls that wake her up in the beginning
Worth noting that the silhouettes of the fish are coelacanth, a fish long thought to have vanished from the world only to be found again.
I remember years ago I saw a video saying princess Filianore from dark souls 3 dlc is a reference to this movie! in dark souls 3 when you break the egg you get transported to the end of time/ the illusion of the ringed city is dispelled.
This movie was beautiful. The animation in it was astonishing, the music, the scenery, all of it, amazing. I wish more movies would look like this.
I got introduced to Angles Egg by Dark Souls 3 dlc, final area, due to some similar things, both are incredible, but bizarre.
One critical point in the movie that's super interesting and raises questions is the skeleton of the bird/angel on the wall of the supposed ark and the character's reactions and knowledge about it. When the skeleton is revealed the music swells in a disturbing pitch and the man has an awestruck expression on his face. The girl had led him to it saying "it's here" as if she was responding to where the dove had gone in the man's previous story, but she never specifically states that. Within the scene she also states "I'm going to hatch it and put it back" when referring to the egg but to which she also never explains what she means by "put it back". She then says "it's the bird I found" to which the man replies "I know that. I thought so." after several seconds of silence that implies he has a deeper sense of understanding of the current situation and/or exactly what the skeleton is.
My personal fun theory I have is that the skeleton is actually that of Lucifer and the egg the girl carries is his. If you extrapolate that the little girl could be seen the inverse to Mary in the sense that she is carrying Satan's child that resides within the egg in a cold dead world. Satan may have also stowed away on the ark thus damning it to it's fate. The man would still represent Christ, however he just had been given a mission from God to eliminate Satan but had forgotten that mission until he had seen the revelation of Lucifer's skeleton.
I was under the impression that Oshii's statement he didn't know what Angel's Egg meant was implying he couldn't fully determine if it "sided" more with the faithful or the faithless. I certainly assumed the broken egg was empty in my first viewing, at least until we saw the populated eggs later on.
This is a topic about the existence of "absolute truth" to me. What art and life offers us, are possebilities. Whether the Artist has it's own answer to a question of his creation or Not, if you look at it as art, it's No longer only his. Everything that is able to leave the mind, will be interpretated, judged, observed. There are different layers of truth. The intentional answer, that only can come from the artist. The Origin. But maybe He has different answers for the same question as well? Can one have that absolute answer, as long as he or she lives? Most of our answers will evolve, If they would Not, we would Stop to evolve as well, or Not? But what does or can change mean? Change can affect and produce different outcomes. An answer can become more clear by adding more detailed information, or it can completley change until it's the opposite or shaoing to anything in between or outside of that pattern. Even if the artist is the origin His truth can be "surpassed" in a way. "What was / is in the Egg?" Why do we ASK? This question leads to many more.
“Our willingness to endure this silence, to maintain our morality, and to push forward as imperfect beings”.
I'm 26 now and I can recall watching this in my teens. I only watched it that one time but I have never forgotten about it. I absolutely adore the score especially the end/credits music!
I've waited a long time to find a good analysis of this film, and it even aligned with my interpretation quite a bit.
What about those weird, kind of organic tanks? Seriously, i can't find anything about those tanks, they seem to just be there and that they were somewhat friendly towards the unnamed man and they're looking a bit organic but that's kind of all we know.
Finally! I love max content's, and seeing a movie who inspired my book get analyzed by him is amazing! Salutations from Brazil
Mulher de cultura
Tmj!
Angel's Egg is one of greatest animation films ever to be created up to date!
Top 10 material for sure. If we are talking about all films, not just animation, then it would still be at least in top 100 imo.
One of my favorite movies of all time. Thank you Max!
I remember asking you to review this movie a few months ago. Thank you so much.
After watching movie you can clearly tell that Hideo Kojima took a lot of inspiration from the movie in making Death Stranding ;)
--beach that is in a way passage between living world and afterlife
--fisherman being mindless ghost cult, -- Homo demons
-- mysterious white hair soldier - Cliff
-- girl carrying egg -- Sam carrying BB
--overall dark tone and set of ambiguous if this is world of living or dead.
Definitely a very enigmatic film, seems like it's very unique and explorable setting
This is one of favourite movies of all time!!! As someone on the Spectrum I really appreciate the neurodiverse angle brought to it. I would highly recommend anyone who liked this movie watch the massively (criminally) underrated TV series RAISED BY WOLVES from creator Aaron Guzikowski and producer Ridley Scott. It explores some similar themes concerning the breakdown and dangers of faith and the deeper allegorical roots of mythology with a similarly batshit surreal, mind-bending, ominous tone steeped in extremely heavy symbolism and its own convoluted lore hidden in so many little details that will make you want to analyze every frame. Unlike shows like LOST or FRINGE, however, where all of these fascinating mysteries just go nowhere cause they think up stupid shit at the last minute, this show was pre-planned from the start as being 5 seasons, and the show even reveals this underlying structure when it reveals its crazy twists (some of which are not dissimilar to some of the fantastical elements in Angel's Egg and make me wonder whether Guzikowski was influenced by it at all). The show was unfortunately cancelled by HBO Max despite strong ratings and critical reception because of the stupid Warner-Discovery merger, but I can say as someone who is part of the campaign to bring it back that it has been shopped around to several different networks/streamers (and as far as I know still is, with some of the scripts being updated to write in a larger time gap between seasons 1 and 2 to make up fro the lost time), and a graphic novel/comics deal has been made to finish the story as well. #RenewRaisedbyWolves
Angel's Egg is such a good movie. Happy that it get's recognition :)
I cant believe I've never heard of this, its right up my alley!
*I can never escape this movie*. It's good and pretty, but ever since watching it on the night that ended up marking the death of my Great Grandmother, i keep on seeing it everywhere. I don't know what possessed me to watch it, I just remember VaatiVidya mentioning it in a Dark Souls 3 video.
Sorry for the heavy anecdote. I do want to bring up a little note that was in an art book my dad had at one point, that said that the nameless man's name is Michael. Idk how accurate this information is, since said book is currently stored away and he and I can't get to it right now, but that's what I was told. Thought anyone might want to know that.
I fucking love your content mate. Top notch. I haven't seen this movie since...around 2005-ish. I was fresh out of highscool, incredibly stoned. The kinda stoned where your terrified of life. I went into this movie, already highly anxious and maaaaaan...it was a trip. Somehow, by the end, I think I kinda got it. I don't know how but I.. kinda felt it?
This video has prompted me to go back and rewatch it. A little clearer this time.
I love the part when the girl throws the egg into the air and then looks directly at the camera and says "it's eggin' time"
Why are you even here with your unfunny jokes?
Ok, this was beautiful. I have never seen someone make so much sense of this short-film. Chapeau, dear sir! Chapeau!
This is one of the most surreal short anime ever made and it brings so much holy symbolisms from beginning to end. Even the Ark itself looks like that they’re inside a dead animal.
I love your anime analysis top tier especially the way you add philosophical takes on it.
This movies beautiful.
Thank you Max.
Hey thanks for this. I watched this awhile back and only had a partial understanding of it. Thanks for making this much clearer.
You have a beautiful mind, and you give me some of the best recommendations (and observations!). Love your channel Max, and the questions you ask. Great job on this.
The egg contains a MacGuffin
But what was in it, really?
What if the nameless girl was a reprsentationof the Virgin Mary? The eggs come from her. The eggs are like her holy children, and it's similar to the immaculate concept of Jesus. And don't forget the statues praying to her. Mary wasn't a saint, but became one after she became pregnant and birthed Jesus. And a fun fact is that Mary is often associated with water. To me, it makes sense that she is a version of Mary.
🧌
Jesus cracks Mary's egg? This is one of those weird gnostic dreams that got them eradicated.
I strongly disagree. This is not Mary. Also 'Holy Children' ? She had one 'Holy Child' in Chirst, all the rest of us humans are just as needing of salvation. 'Sainthood' is an invention of the Catholic Church and completely divorced from the Biblical concept of a saint merely being a saved, child of God.
I can’t recall where I heard this, but the fish in the film are a species that was long thought to be extinct, but then rediscovered.
Damn, I'd never even considered the eggs in the water might've actually contained something 😅
I'd looked at the stream of bubbles from the girl's last breath, and saw them bob up to the surface as eggs - but I kinda took it literally and thought "those were bubbles filled with nothing but air, so the eggs must be empty with just air inside as well".
I suppose it'd just look kinda stupid if the breath-eggs sank lol. But I guess in terms of cooking -- ie unfertilized chicken eggs -- you know an egg's gone bad if it floats in water (since the permeable shell gradually lets moisture escape & gasses inside).
All in all, I like Angel's Egg for solidly delivering on its mood/tone/atmosphere (idk the right term here lol) that can stand alone from any specific reading one chooses to make about its story. Thanks for the video!
Thank you for this Video Max.
I love your content!!!!
It really is refreshing to hear genuine insight and intelligence on youtube. Took the algorithm long enough to recommend, but subscribed! And as to Angel's Egg I'll just say that I definitely thought the final shot depicted an extremely large, overturned Ark. Congrats on a fantastic breakdown.
Three manga I would love to hear this level of thinking applied to are Made in Abyss, Girls' Last Tour and Land of the Lustrous (as a note, MiA is ongoing as a manga and has two sublime seasons and a film, GLT is a complete manga but only a partial, though perfect, anime adaptation, and LotL is very near completion as a manga and only has one season so far - though that too is a great season to watch in spite of the little it adapts). There is a wealth of depth in many areas to all three of these and would certainly keep you busy :)
Another great video as always
Excellent analysis of this movie. I had never heard anyone talk about the unconscious mind symbolism before and I think you did a very good job explaining it
Many interpretations have occurred to me, but I like more the one of a complex futuristic tale about a devastated Europe, the oldest Christian land of all, although it is best to enjoy it in all its beauty without thinking much, it is captivating. In truth many interpretations are possible as in classic works like Eleanor Rigby or The Shining but your interpretation is very plausible, congratulations.
Its interesting that the man enters the movie in rows of tanks that are very phallic. and that Coelachants represents the elusive faith. A masterpiece!
This movie makes me feel uneasy
Have you looked into Andrei Tarkovsky's "The Mirror"? It's heavily characterized by intuitive creation on behalf of Tarkovsky. It may perfectly fit the criteria laid out in this video
Wait, you've been into anime for 3 years already?
Time flies, seems like only yesterday!
"Only yesterday" is an amazing anime movie btw, if you haven't seen it already XD
Love your topics. You always have unique takes on things.
You should read Susan Sontag's essay Against Interpretation - she argues we don't necessarily need to "interpret" confusing works of art, even though that seems like the most natural way to respond to confusing movies. When we interpret, we end up caring solely about transforming our experience of art into digestible "contents" ("X really means Y") and this ends up disregarding art's sensory basis, which she thinks we should focus on instead. I'm not in total agreement, but I thought it was refreshing to hear a perspective like this, especially since there's a sort of obsession with treating works of art as codes to be cracked (think of all the "X explained" vids).
I think interpreting art and discussing it is a great way to deepen your understanding of yourself and at least your own tastes, but in general I think Sontag's take is the most right. Artistic mediums already have their own emotional languages, and something essential about that is lost when you try and compress it into words.
I think there's also some reference to the procession of the equinoxes in the film. The fish and the man represent Pisces, while the girl represents Aquarius (the water bearer). Her ascension could mean the beginning of the Age of Aquarius.
I remember stumbling across the art book for this film when I was a teenager. Trying to actually FIND the film in Phoenix, Arizona in the 1980s proved to be an insurmountable task. I could never find the right people in the right place at the right time. I finally stumbled across it on the net somehow several years ago. Was glad to have finally seen it. Honestly, it did not disappoint but you need to at least have an understanding that "art films" can be very different than regular narrative.
Thanks for making this--I've been curious about Angel's Egg ever since I heard it was a big influence on the style of Hollow Knight, but I've been kind of leery about watching it myself, given the oppressive nature of the thing. (I may still watch it, though, so don't worry about you making it less likely or anything).
I watched this movie when I was 16 at 4AM during summer vacation on a CRT TV, so I can safely say that I have no idea what it means but it is a vibe lmao
I feel like when artists make pieces like this, they know what they're doing even if they don't know what the underlying meaning is. Lynch is a good example because he is very particular about his process with things, but his work seems to always expresses a confrontation with the unknown. In my opinion, it's not that he doesn't know what he's doing or trying to express, it's that his art is strives to be something that inspires a sense of mystery.
I was just watching a bunch of Lynch videos before checking this one out. I had no idea he was going to be mentioned, pretty serendipitous moment for me.
A boss night with Slave Knight Gael was in the egg
I'm a huge fan of Oshii's work, especially Angel's Egg and I've got to admit that this is one of the best analysis of the movie yet. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!
The first time I watched this movie I felt such sadness by the end of the girl. Never heard that Mamorou Ishi was a Christian. Very interesting.
The girl is so stuck to her beliefs that the man smashing the egg which cracked the stone floor didn't wake her up.
I like to write in stream of (un)conciousness. It's more fun, though I won't deny there is some planning on my part. I'd never be able to come up with something as beautiful as Angel's Egg. It seems to me as a meditation over how one's faith can change, is necessary to change, and how painful it is to change. Something akin to the book Silence.
I believe your analysis for Angel's Egg also fits nicely with that of Dark Souls Lore. Strange parallels.
This series is highly psychological and fascinating........must watch one day!
I love the use of the Kingsvfield 4 music
No way. This is my favorite movie
This video gave me a lot of insight. Thanks Max. Stay yellow.
Very beautiful video, very poetic.
It's interesting that you briefly displayed an old alternative to Jesus, that being the name "Iesous."
The Greeks had their own version that I'm sure most people have heard of, Zues, the God of Thunder.
You know your interpretation of angel's egg is almost similar to chris stucman's video except there's more (I highly recommend you to watch it). Like for example on his video he mentioned something that no one thought of it so he shared it that the animation there are hints of reincarnation. The two main characters mentioned something about it feels like they have dejavu. The scene where the man looked at the tree in the wall it feels like he seen it before. There's also the soundtrack of angel's egg no#13 it translate to transmigration.
Excited for the director's new project next month "The Fire Hunter"
Yeah but it is not an original project by him, it's an adaptation of a novel. Plus he is not even the director of it, just the scriptwriter. Still though, i am pretty excited for it as well.
Its shocking as this project was originally suppose to be Lupin III episode xD totally different tone
In the end Mamoru Oshii finished it.
Lupin III part 6 episode 10. Like in Angel's egg we are set in very ambigous story and often confusing.
Like in the movie Archeopetryx skeleton plays important role.
SPOILER from episode
In the end we are left confused whether Archeopetryx skeleton was a transitional species proving evolution of birds into dinosaur, or skeleton of fallen angel
Fun Fact!
This movie originally was gonna be a Lupin the 3rd film!? This film was planned to come out right after the success of "Lupin the 3rd: Castle of Cagliostro". The film was being pitched by Mamoru Oshii(creator of Ghost in the Shell and Angel's egg) and Hideaki Anno(creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion)
The film pitch was sadly turned down for being um a bit too weird/strange for Lupin, like how in the pitch Lupin was gonna be going though a existential crisis about him already stealing everything in the world and trying to figure out who he is anymore. And then it would wrap up with lupin finding out he's not real(a fictional character) and the world gets destroyed. I know pretty crazy XD
(Some of these themes and elements would be reused in Angel's egg and Patlabor)
So instead of this strange but interesting movie, we got in 1985 "Lupin the 3rd: Gold of Babylon".
Wow and I thought the Patlabor movies were a tone whiplash
“The answer will forever elude those who ponder it.” This phrasing is painful. If the answer is the destination and the destination cannot be reached, what is the meaning of the journey? What keeps us asking if we know that the question will never have an answer? Is that the reason why the arc, not unlike a rib cage, has lost that which made it living and essentially has hardened its heart to stone? That is also Christian symbolism. A loss of faith doesn’t mean you know what to do next. It’s like that lonely moment when he was telling the story. A part of you still wonders among the shadows of your years. What happens next? What happens if there is no answer? An Angels egg may as well be Schrödinger’s cat. Do I have a soul or am I empty? Sorry if this is strange. It’s the kind of thing I have been thinking about and your video helped me put it into words. I hope you don’t mind. Thank you for reading this.
I watched it yesterday and it felt like a fever dream
I like how the shows fish are Coelacanths.
This might be the best take in this wierd movie I've ever seen. I liked it but if you asked me what it was about I'd pretty much say "uhh....Symbolism!" Because I had no clue
My favorite movie by Mamoru Oshii will always be Patlabor 1. But damn is Angel’s Egg a brilliant work of art
Thank you for this video, it helped prompt me to finally go watch the film since I've wanted to for ages. I recently found out that the character Aura from the .hack series was inspired by the girl in Angel's Egg. I suspect you would enjoy .hack, especially the first part of the series. One of the people behind the Ghost in the Shell film worked on it. It's also got similar themes to Lain. Anyway, thank you again.
*spolier territory ahead*
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Finally watching it was really striking to certain elements or imagery in that series. A girl in a dress with a cape that has tassles, fleeing place to place, her general appearance are similar to how Aura looks in the games. Also the way the man handles the cross when he crushes the egg brought to mind the way Tsukasa, from .hack//SIGN crushes a bug at the end of episode one.
For me the "reward" the girl recieves at the end of becoming a statue in the eye is not a reward at all if you think about it, because at the end of the day she's no different than the fishermen, a motionless statue, and we wouldn't say they have been rewarded.
There is a character that really deserves to be analyzed from my point of view, he is so complex that after 20 years I still do not understand him, his name is Goro Majima from Yakuza,
The phrase that represents this character is The Power to Adapt to the World. he is undoubtedly one of the greatest Rivals in games, being a direct rival of Kiryu Kazuma. another character that will surely interest you. the world of yakuza is usually full of very interesting characters
I don't know if you always use Hollow Knight music at the end of videos, but it was a perfect choice for this one. I was thinking about Hollow Knight the entire time I watched Angel's Egg for the first time.
Great video! I believe the giant floating eye was the ark, the wondering man was that world's version of Noah, and he was collecting any survivors that would accept it to be cryogenically frozen on the ark until maybe something happens that makes life worth living again. The fishermen weren't on the ark because they refused to accept their fate and still believed in a god but the others embraced possible eternal stasis hoping for the possibility that the future might be better. I think it's a pessimistic set of symbols based around Biblical symbols.