Adapted from the manga by Masamune Shirow, this 1995 masterpiece remains a milestone of animated cinema. Ghost in the Shell takes place in 2029, with humanity and technology intertwined to such an extent that people can transfer their consciousness into cybernetic bodies. Cyborg cop Major Motoko Kusanagi leads a special police security unit that is tasked with tracking down ‘ghost hackers’, criminals who can clandestinely tap into the bodies and minds of other people. Imagining a future in which sexual reproduction has given way to mechanical replication, Ghost in the Shell has been acclaimed for its inversion of traditional gender roles and depiction of fluid sexuality. Both a high-octane adventure and a philosophical speculation on what it means to be human, Mamoru Oshii’s film is a visionary piece of action cinema.