Follow Your Dreams--Literally

Yesterday in my Faith, Film and Culture class, we watched the Miyazaki film The Wind Rises. I didn't really have any expectations going into the film, as it was the first Miyazaki film that I had ever seen. Well, if I'd had any expectations, this incredible animated masterpiece certainly would have far surpassed them.

This animated historical biopic follows Jiro Horikoshi, a young Japanese boy who desperately wants to be a pilot, but can't because of his poor eyesight. In his dreams he is met by Caproni, a famed Italian aeronautical engineer, who encourages him to follow his dreams--literally--and use the events of his subconscious to help him design airplanes. The story follows Jiro as he grows up, attends university, and becomes the paramount aeronautical engineer for Japanese fighter plane design in World War II. The story is delightfully obscure, and follows the life and events of a person who, outside of Japan, not very many people have probably heard of. The story is beautifully told, wildly imaginative, and really captures the heart of its audience. 

A good portion of the movie takes place in Jiro's dreams and imagination, a place where he can very easily design planes and map out their potential flaws. This, for the third or forth post, can be connected to Lewis' idea of "the image." For someone working in creative and technical design, such as Jiro, having this kind of imagination and ability to mentally map out his work is absolutely necessary, and I think that this applies to all of us. 

Overall rating for the movie: A