The Sky Crawlers

In this alternative reality, warfare has become a bizarre, company-sponsored form of television entertainment. Combat pilot Yuichi Kannami arrives at his new airbase, where he lives an escapist and heroic life together with his fellow comrades. Memories of the past are just a blur to him, and all he can recall ever doing is flying and fighting. But when Kannami becomes interested in Suito Kusanagi, the mysterious and beautiful base commander, he starts to question the futility of his way of life.

Internationally celebrated anime director Mamoru “Ghost in the Shell” Oshii has conjured up a true epic, commenting on the state of humanity, the status of the Japanese nation and the frightening perspectives of war. Touching on how our personal identities are built by love and memories, the poetic scope of Oshii tells a thought-provoking story through dramatic dogfights and romanticism. Based on the novel series by Hiroshi Mori, “The Sky Crawlers” is fantasy disturbingly close to reality.

Orig. title: Sukai Kurora
Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Ryo Kase, Chiaki Kuriyama, Shosuke Tanihara
Producer: Tomohiko Ishii
Screenplay: Screenplay by Chihiro Ito, novel by Mori Hiroshi
Cinematography: Hisashi Ezura
Music: Kenji Kawai