If you’re a fan of quality animated films then the name Hayao Miyazaki should ring a bell. The masterful writer and director behind such amazing films like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke has one more feature film left on his plate before he retires and it is screening at this year’s NYFF. Titled The Wind Rises, the legendary Japanese animator take a less fantastical approach to his final story that’s inspired by a real life figure but delivers one of quality, one that could easily play out as a live action feature film and not an animated one.
The Wind Rises follows Jiro Horijoshi, the man who designed the Japanese Zero fighter planes used during WWII. The film chronicles his life through the early 20th century up until WWII, starting from when he was a boy expressing his love for aviation, making his way through school and eventually landing a job as an aeronautical engineer for a company that designs planes in hopes of winning a contract with the military. Throughout all of this there is a love story which becomes the focal point for quite some time in addition to Jiro’s philosophy about fulfilling his passion even if it will aid in the destruction of his own country, something he sees happening on the horizon.
This is a very different Miyazaki film from the ones I’ve seen in the past. It is rarely fantastical even if there are some crazy dream sequences and the tone only gradually changes. In fact, there never seems like there is a sudden shift in tone even when there actually is one which feels so weird to experience. As for the dream sequences, they are flawless transitions from Jiro’s reality to what he feels like day dreaming about, usually something aviation related. At times it doesn’t work or seem to be appropriate but other times it is utilized perfectly. Furthermore, this is a movie that requires absolute patience as it is a very slow moving picture and can certainly be tedious at times. I wouldn’t recommend going into the film tired because the first half hour could certainly put you down regardless of how much you love Miyazaki.
The title of the film comes from a poem by Valéry, “The wind is rising! We must try to live.” That’s the philosophy Jiro lives by and is willing to do anything he can, as long as it’s honest, to achieve his goal of designing a fighter plane made out of metal that can keep up with those being built in Europe. The reason this is important is because Jiro can see Japan heading for disaster and while he can feel things changing around him he must live in the moment and do what he can before things take a turn for the worse, that’s all one can do.
I know I sound like a broken record when I say this but the visuals in the film are stunning, per usual with any Studio Ghibli film, but the one part that struck me most was how good they made early 20th Century Germany look as well. Most of the Ghibli films I’ve seen take place in Japan or some fantastical world and, for me, this was the first time I saw another country depicted in their animation style and it seemed spot on.
On the whole, The Wind Rises is a quality film, one that works as an animated film but one that I could see playing out even better as a live action feature. The film has its issues, namely being a bit long, occasionally dry and the inclusion of some hilarious and/or off putting characters and plot lines that don’t seem to fit necessarily well. That being said, while it isn’t Miyazaki’s best and probably won’t fall in his top three films either, The Wind Rises is still better than most feature films being made by prominent studios today and explores an interesting topic that may even serve as a parallel to Miyazaki’s own life, especially since his father worked in the aviation industry.
Rating: A patient and intriguing biopic that serves as a wonderful final film and life companion piece from the master of Japanese feature film animation (7.3/10)
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