Review of Waltz with Bashir (2008) by Tiberio S — 21 Nov 2012

The realistic surreal (pardon the oxymoron) imagery actually plays a story role; it's not just there for the hell of it. We're getting a perspective of Ari Folman's distorted memory of events from the early 80's Lebanon War.

The animation is visually intense to say the least. The details are rich yet lacking certain elements, making it just the right balance to represent Folman's mind. 'Bashir' is an absolute psychological study; the filmmaker is figuring out his own mind and making associative hypotheses along the way.

Folman faces dramatically dark material but still manages to apply all attributes of great cinema: great color, great music, funny moments and horrifying moments. There's one scene fulfilling the spectrum of these attributes where Folman satirizes an army tank's power driving through pedestrian streets -- imagine the ability to drive a vehicle that can destroy every other vehicle? Folman provides an orgy montage to satisfy this desire, but he follows the laughter with shell-shocked horror.

This exemplifies perfection in the cinematic method. I am also blown away at times by the staggering camera movements and lighting within the animation. Such craft only enhances the already engaging experience.