The Best Old Movies on a Big Screen This Week: NYC Repertory Cinema Picks, March 22-28
Directed by Mamoru Oshii
Released on the same day in Japan, the United States and elsewhere, this animated film searches deep for what is common to us all: what it means to be human, to have a conscience, feelings… a soul, if you wish. These questions and philosophical musings are filtered through the non-race-specific female cyborg protagonist, who’s the muscle of a public security agency in charge of catching the hackers who are damaging the cyber-dependent landscape of Tokyo. If the concept of robots confronting human emotions seems a bit trite at this point, it’s because this anime originated that question in the world of film, and its legacy is present in all sci-fi cinema since—not just in a remake that’s been attracting unnecessary and undeserved controversy. Jaime Grijalba (March 24-30, showtimes daily, at the Metrograph’s “The Singularity”)