From post-war Poland with Ida to pre-war Japan with The Wind Rises, the latest movie from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki. The visual style couldn't be more different - Ida's stark black and white cinematography paves the way for bright colourful animation in which subtle details take on the same degree of importance as the soaring scenes of aviation. The Wind Rises is a significantly maturer piece of filmmaking compared to Miyazaki's earlier work - lacking for the most part in fantasy elements it's a more grounded affair in which Jiro Hirokoshi's aspirations of creating the ultimate airplane comes into conflict with the outbreak of war and the military application of his designs. It's a challenging theme to explore, particularly in animation, and it is to Miyazaki's credit that he handles it with grace. Miyazaki announced that he would be retiring after The Wind Rises - fortunately it's not the first time he's stated his intention to bow out of filmmaking, and since then has done another about turn, so you can hopefully expect more great animation from him in the future.
