Review of Waltz with Bashir (2008) by Matthew H — 01 Oct 2009

For me, foreign films always offer a much needed breath of fresh air from the slew of Hollywood films that hit the theater. It's always great to see things from a different perspective, so when I heard about the Israeli film, Waltz with Bashir, I was definitely intrigued.

To be honest, I didn't know what to expect before viewing it. People had been calling it an animated documentary. Having seen it, I'm not so sure about that...I think it stands alone in its own unique category. For example, you only hear from the Israeli perspective, as opposed to those from all sides of the conflict that took place. But this film isn't so much about being a documentary of the events, as it is a piece of self-reflection and discovery.

The film is a reflection of the director's own personal quest to come to terms with what happened during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Beirut and the massacre of Palestinians that would later take place. Ari Folman struggles to remember much of anything about the war, much less his role in massacre, be it an indirect or direct participant. It is this self-questioning that drives the plot of the film, as Folman meets with several others who also participated in the invasion. In asking for their own personal accounts, he is trying to piece back together the puzzle of what happened. The stories are compelling and, as the film progresses, Folman gradually begins to remember the details of what happened to the point where when the film finishes he remembers what happened in vivid detail. Overall, the direction of the plot was very effective. For, as Ari is questioning himself as to what happened, so too is the viewer, and the viewer is essentially engaging in the same process of discovery that Folman goes through. It's so powerful that when the film ends, you cannot help but feel some sort of emotional response to what you have just seen.

Another one of the high points of the film is the animation style. From what I remember, it uses a combination of flash, hand-drawn, and 3D animation. Before I read about that, I actually thought the characters were done using rotoscoping (look it up) techniques, so I was quite surprised to discover they were done in flash. Because it is so unique and unusual in its style of animation, it felt really appropriate to the theme of war and trying to regain one's memory of traumatic events. It really presents the surrealistic nature of coming to terms with one's past, something I don't think live-action would have been able to capture as effectively.

The musical score also adds to the film's atmosphere. It wasn't overly complex, but it was just enough to capture the emotion trying to be conveyed.

Overall, Waltz with Bashir exceeded my expectations, and I can't recommend it enough. Definitely see this one if you can get a chance, as it truly is worth it!!