The Wind Rises

How is this film not in the conversation for film of the decade? A beautiful and breathtaking tale of inspiration, dreams, love, ambition, obsession, life, death, war, and peace. I'm not sure if this is Miyazakis swan song but it absolutley feels like it is him reckoning with his own life. Every single one of his movies are touching but this one is the most tender, in my eyes. The love between Jiro and Nahoko is just the most beautiful and crushing thing I've ever seen. Even though I've seen this film a handful of times I find myself entranced by the arc of their relationship every time as they fall in love with each other. Everything about Jiro using his dreams to create his visions is so creative and can be truly inspiring to anyone who is an artist or craftsman. The love Jiro has for his craft through his life has been his one and only unshaken goal. This is clearly what he is constantly thinking and dreaming about, until he meets Nahoko, and for a brief moment he puts his obsession aside to help a person he is entranced with and inherently cares about even after they first meet. As the story progresses, he can't get a hold of Nahoko and begins back on his obsession, but they meet again, years later, and for one week, he forgets about the planes, how they are being used, and how they can improve, and falls in love. It's truly beautiful. But as we all know, it can be quite the balancing act when we love our ambitions and another person equally. Sometimes Jiro is frustrating as he works 20 hour days while his wife is on her death bed, but we understand it, and Nahoko understands it and loves him all the more for it... Ok now I'm just gushing and haven't even gotten into the aspects of how war, establishments, or even just outside forces can take something beautiful and twist and exploit it and turn it into something it was never intended to be used for by the person who created it, but I'll save that for the next rewatch review because I will surely see this film a dozen more times in my lifetime. It is the second best Miyazaki film, only because Spirited Away isn't even really a film and more of a life event that changes the very matter of your being. But I digress, The Wind Rises is easily one of the best films of the decade and one of the most mature and complex pieces of animated film making ever. Please, do not sleep on this film, or it will show up in your dreams and a French man will make you climb onto the wing of a moving plane.