Review of Waltz with Bashir (2008) by Chris J — 12 Jul 2009

A bravura documentary which balances the personal and the political as it peers into the First Lebanon War, its stark, high-contrast animation is the lifebreath of Folmanâ??s film, appropriately moving the intervieweesâ?? recollections away from the talking-head/archive-footage standard and towards something gorgeously graphical and soaringly inventive.

Perhaps itâ??s not the most balanced approach. But while Folmanâ??s repainting reality, this is no whitewash: the Israelli Defense Forces, with its dubious mission to â??cleanseâ?? Palestinian missile sites by invading Beirut and boosting the Lebanese Christians to power, isnâ??t let off lightly. In fact, it isnâ??t let off at all, and a tough decision to end with harrowing real-life footage rams this home. Astonishing, unforgettable: you have to see it!