Dir: Mamoru Oshii

Japan 2008, 122 minutes

Voices: Rinko Kikuchi; Chiaki Kuriyama; Shosuke Tanihara

A group of adolescent fighter-pilots (‘Kildren’) are part of a mysterious, ongoing war in this adaptation of a series of books by Hiroshi Mori. Thrilling aerial sequences alternate with stretches of dream-like downtime where they smoke and drink and ponder. If you’ve seen anything by Oshii before (Ghost in the Shell, Avalon) you’ll know that a straightforward anime shoot-em-up is not on the menu; beneath the beautiful skies and exploding planes there’s a real sense of loss.

Tags: Japan, animation