I disagree. I feel that the message and symbolism is fairly obvious and not very insightful w/r/t religion. Maybe in terms of anime faith and Christianity are unusual themes, but many of the continental European directors which Oshii has cited as influences- Bresson, Tarkovsky, Antonioni- have tackled this kind of thing much better. In fact, it seems like the film's fixation on single-minded iconography to convey its meaning is Oshii's clearest debt to Tarkovsky, but he doesn't carry over the necessary element of duration and movement that make Tarkovsky's films "experiences". We get static shots that loiter not really saying all that much. In fact, Angel's Egg is like a much worse version of Stalker, or Werckmeister Harmonies, or basically any Cannes-bait movie about religion for that matter. Artists have covered religion in so many different ways that this fairly standard take on faith is a bit disappointing, especially since this is supposedly Oshii's serious, landmark film.
