The Wind Rises

A lot has come to be expected from Hayao Miyazaki’s creations with Studio Ghibli, from the fantasy of Spirited Away through to militarism of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Hailed as Miyazaki’s last film before leaving Studio Ghibli, The Wind Rises doesn’t disappoint its audience, being filled with the same magic as we’ve come to expect from his other creations. The plot centres around the life and work of Jiro Horikoshi, the great 20th century aviation pioneer who’s designs went on to become the Japanese warplanes of World War 2. However the film draws upon other motifs, external to Horikoshi’s real life, including a surprisingly poignant tragic romance that Myazaki expertly weaves in.

Unlike many of the productions that come out of Studio Ghibli, The Wind Rises is subtly a more adult feature. There is the constant foreshadowing of the destruction that is to be wrought by the dreams that Horikoshi so desperately chases, with his almost childlike innocence and denial of what is to come. There are little nuances too, such as the sounds of destruction in the 1923 Tokyo earthquake generated by the animator’s voices really add to the storybook feel of the film. Now at 73, Hayao Miyazaki’s final film is almost a personal memoir – about a man who for his entire life has worked for and chased his dreams, bringing them to life.

Harry Austin