4. The Wind Rises (2013)

Aside from a continued fascination with flight, The Wind Rises stands apart from Hayao Miyazaki’s other films. There are no mythical realms with fantastical creatures; instead, it’s a sophisticated World War II biopic of Jiro Horikoshi, the Japanese engineer who designed the fighter jets used at Pearl Harbor. Taking some creative liberties with Horikoshi’s life, The Wind Rises explores complex ideas about the price of artistic creation.

Miyazaki contrasts the lovingly crafted details of Horikoshi’s sleek machines and the serene countryside where they were created with the destruction and havoc these machines cause in the world, an internal struggle Horikoshi grapples with throughout the film. These contemplative themes are complemented by Jiro Horikoshi’s touching romance with a woman named Nahako. They meet unexpectedly during an earthquake and never forget one another until they reunite years later. After quickly falling in love, they marry when Nahako is diagnosed with tuberculosis.

The final words on the screen, “The wind rises…We must try to live” are a poetic reminder that although we are constantly swept away by the difficult changes of life, we must adapt to them. The sensitive, humanistic approach to adapting the life of a real person whose passion had severe global repercussions makes The Wind Rises one of Miyazaki’s greatest works.