The Wind Rises

## The Wind Rises *The Wind Rises* (*Kaze Tachinu*) is Hayao Miyazaki's declared final feature — a mature, melancholic meditation on the act of creation and the moral weight of genius in wartime. The film follows Jiro Horikoshi, the historical engineer who designed Japan's iconic Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter plane. From his childhood dreams of flight to his career designing aircraft for a nation hurtling toward war, Jiro pursues beauty in engineering with passionate singularity. The film is also a poignant love story with Naoko, a woman with tuberculosis. Miyazaki frames Jiro's artistry as both magnificent and morally fraught — beautiful machines built for destruction. A profoundly adult film from a director at the height of his powers.