Directed by Hideaki Anno and Shoichi Masuo • 2006 • Japan
Starring Noriko Hidaka, Rei Sakuma, Kazuki Yao

Distilled to feature length from the acclaimed, six-episode anime series that marked the debut of visionary animator Hideaki Anno (“Neon Genesis Evangelion”), this exhilarating space opera blends turbocharged mecha action with a disarmingly poignant exploration of time’s passage and the fragility of human life and relationships. In the near future, humankind is under attack by warring alien insects; the only hope for survival is a band of heroes piloting enormous robots. Among those selected for duty are two young women who forge a deep bond while fighting the aliens. But while they travel the universe near the speed of light, what seem like moments to them are actually years flying by on Earth. What awaits them when they return to a home that has aged far more than they have?