Review of Waltz with Bashir (2008) by Matthew R — 17 Oct 2010

WOW.

This film is amazing. Captivating right from the get-go, Waltz with Bashir is a film that certainly leaves its indelible mark upon anyone who watches it. For one, it shows off some wholly innovative, absolutely mesmerizing experimental animation. Two, it is an important history lesson about Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, and a shocking one at that.

Based upon the experiences of director Ari Folman and others, it starts out as Folman is searching for the meaning behind a memory he has of a massacre he doesn't remember participating in. Within this memory is a man he served with, so thus starts Folman's journey to unseal his memories of the war.

What makes this film so memorable is the animation and art direction. The animation makes a point of making slow, deliberate movements. Character animation is fluid, yet they move so slowly and smoothly in a way that hasn't really been seen before. There is something seductively fascinating about it all -- something very surreal. The art is also gorgeous, with its somber hues and vivid vistas; and the character designs, based upon real people, are simplistic, yet they feel very real at the same time.

As time goes on, imagery from the war becomes more and more disturbing to the point of tears while watching the Sabra and Shatila massacre unfold. The transition to the usage of archive footage of the massacre at the very end is jarring, but all the more affecting as we see just how horrible war can be. Waltz with Bashir is unabashedly anti-war and rightfully so, considering what Ari Folman and several others witnessed. Folman certainly made a bold, visceral statement with this brilliant film -- a statement that will not soon be forgotten.