Film review - Waltz with Bashir (2008) - Israel

Figure 1. Movie poster

Waltz with Bashir is an animated film that documents what happened to a 19 year old solider and his friends during the Lebanon War in 1982 and how the solider witnessed the Sabra and Shatila massacre. The film shows the main character, Ari, in 2008 as he speaks to his friends that were there with him during the war to see whether he is able to remember the events that happened. Throughout the film scenes from current day (2008) and 1982 are shown. 'The animated feature is replete with phantasmagorical imagery and surreal dream sequences; the film opens with an unsettling depiction of his friend's canine nightmare. The movie's overall look and feel is dreamlike in its own right, thanks to a unique combination of conventional, Flash and CG animation together with a carefully chosen color palette and bold character design.' (Strike, 2008)

Figure 2. Citizens

The director of the film is Ari Folman himself, showing throughout the movie what he had experienced while being at war. '...the structure of the movie comprises a series of flashbacks as Folman reconstructs his experiences of war through conversations with those he fought alongside. Folman is suggesting that people such as himself can extinguish traumatic moments from their past. Yet war movies tend to suggest the opposite, that horrendous images of war are indelibly etched in our conscience, forcing us to relive past miseries.' (Jenkins, n.d.)

Figure 3. Real footage

Throughout the film, animation is used to help understand what the solider went through and to help soften some of the more challenging aspects of the film. However, for the last 2 minutes of the film, real footage is shown of some citizens running away from the area they were held captive, surrounded by dead bodies and broken buildings. This not only shows what it was really like but it also causes a big change in the audience's emotion as they are suddenly hit with the reality of what they have been watching. 'Live-action footage on videotape has been digitally converted into a bizarre dreamscape in which reality is resolved into something between two and three dimensions. Planes and surfaces stir and throb with colours harder, sharper, brighter than before. It looks like one long hallucination, and therefore perfect for the trauma of Folman's recovered memories.' (Bradshaw, 2008)

Bibliography:

Bradshaw, P. (2008). Film review: Waltz With Bashir. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/21/waltz-with-bashir-folman [Accessed 31 Jan. 2019].


Jenkins, D. (n.d.). Director Ari Folman on 'Waltz with Bashir'. [online] Time Out London. Available at: https://www.timeout.com/london/film/director-ari-folman-on-waltz-with-bashir-1 [Accessed 31 Jan. 2019].

Strike, J. (2008). 'Waltz with Bashir': Animation and Memory. [online] Animation World Network. Available at: https://www.awn.com/animationworld/waltz-bashir-animation-and-memory [Accessed 31 Jan. 2019].



Illustrations list:

Figure 1. (2008) Movie poster. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt01185616/

Figure 2. (2008) Citizens. https://thefilmstage.com/news/explore-the-ethics-of-waltz-with-bashir-in-a-new-video-essay/

Figure 3. (2008) Real footage. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319854190_A_hybrid_documentary_genre_Animated_documentary_and_the_analysis_of_Waltz_with_Bashir_2008_Movie