Okay, can I just confess that I think Hayato Miyazaki is the best Japanese filmmaker ever? It`s true. He`s also probably one of my favorite directors of all time, and today`s feature film just works to prove this. I love everything Miyazaki does, from Spirited Away to My Neighbor Totoro- every single piece of his is vibrant with animation and creativity. But since most of his work lies mainly in the realms of fantasy, what would happen if Miyazaki went into reality while still attempting to maintain a dreamlike atmosphere? For his final feature film, he decided to give it a shot, and it ended up becoming a brilliant film that touches the heart while still displaying the excellence of Miyazaki`s craft. This masterpiece displays the magnificence of Miyazaki`s work, real or fictional, and is known as The Wind Rises.
The film mainly revolves around the life and various exploits of Jiro, a boy growing up in WW2II- era Japan with dreams of becoming an aeronautical engineer designing airplanes. He is inspired by an Italian plane designer through his dreams, and his decisions of the future. Along the way he meets a girl, saves people from an earthquake, gets a job, sees Germany, and stays at a place with a name I`m about to invent: the Magical Hotel Of Insane Coincidences. You know, the hotel every movie character goes to where so many insane coincidences happen at once. But in this case, it`s a good cliche.
Things happen, Jiro gets married, he gets promoted, and so on until the sadness begins to emerge. Serious issues like disease and the threat of war slowly emerge in Jiro`s life, and he is forced to make important decisions regarding not only the fate of the Japanese air force, but for his wife and himself. Jiro`s life is told in a series of short experiences, and while many events seem disconnected, it`s actually a fantastic portrayal of modern life and how strange everyday occurences can all tie together.
The dream sequences are, as in all Miyazaki work, fantastic, but so are the descriptions of the everyday life of an engineer. After something happens to his wife, he is forced to care for her and balance his job at the same time, with the prospect of WWII slowly dawning on the horizon. Miyazaki paints an amazing picture of WWII Japan and of a man`s life.
OVERALL RATING: 10//10
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This film is genuinely a sad one, and I filed out of it with a sad and thoughtful face. Watch it and understand a man`s life told simply and beautifully.
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