THE WIND RISES (review)

THE WIND RISES

Caproni: Airplanes are beautiful dreams.

Much to many ardent fans’ dismay, THE WIND RISES will be legendary director, Hayao Miyazaki’s final film. At the very least, they can rest assured that he is going out on a high note. THE WIND RISES plays like a warm breeze that shifts and swerves and takes you to places you never expected. It may not soar as high as some of Miyazaki’s previous classics (PONYO, SPIRITED AWAY) but its prefect blend of romance, history and politics make it a dense work that is both thought provoking and beautiful to behold.

When we first meet Jiro, he is but a boy with big dreams and poor vision. His dreams are so grand, he can’t even make sense of them at first but before long, and after a chat  during one of his dreams with Italian aeronautical engineer, Caproni, he wakes up to the realization of what he wants to do with the rest of his life. And so he sets himself on a clear course to become an engineer and design airplanes of great beauty and grace. While making this journey, he learns that the wind can change the course of one’s dreams without any notice and that it is best to follow that course rather than fight against it. In fact, Jiro strives to live his life in accordance with the philosophy described by French poet, Paul Valery: Le vent se leve; il faut tenter de vivre, which translates loosely to “The wind is rising; we must try to live.”

Live is exactly what Jiro does and he never gives up or loses sight of his dream, no matter what life throw in his way. He falls in love along the way and this romance only further strengthens his resolve to make his dreams come true. Naturally, unless you are a total pessimist, you will root for Jiro to achieve his goals. The complexity that Miyazaki adds to this very simple notion is the reality of what will happen if Jiro makes his dreams come true. To be an aeronautical engineer in Japan before the second World War meant that you were working on airplanes that were ultimately designed to destroy, as we all know they ended up doing quite successfully. So to root for someone’s dreams when we know they will kill so many people can wreak havoc on your brain, that is one of the truly genius elements of THE WIND RISES.

Your turn!

How many sheep would you give The Wind Rises?

[kkstarratings]