Waltz With Bashir

Film Review

Written, directed, and starring Ari Folman, Waltz With Bashir is an animated anti-war documentary exploring Lebanon’s 1982 invasion. Ari stars as himself, trying to remember where he was during the Sabra and Shatila massacre. The film uses animation to cover real-life events, dream states, and distant memories. We learn of the events building up to the massacre, which can only be described as traumatic to everyone involved. So traumatic people don’t even let themselves remember. Brilliant colors and deeply moving animation reflects Folman’s masterful work and attention to detail. An underlying message that can only be interpreted through the film, Ari Folman creates a work of art about something so vicious and inhumane and complex, just to give the audience a sense of understanding. Ari tackles intense human emotion clearly and straightforwardly; having come from Jewish parents who escaped the German regime, he tells the story in such a creative outlet that you can’t take your eyes off the screen. Originally only released in 5 theaters, it grossed only a mere 50 thousand, but it grew to 2 million after only one year, being released overseas added another 8 million. The film won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film along with 24 other awards, and I’m not even counting the ones it was nominated for (another 26). Waltz With Bashir has been on countless Top Ten lists and is still one of the most highly regarded animated films.