Waltz With Bashir

Waltz With Bashir tells the story of Ari Folman, who also directed, and was a soldier during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. He's having nightmares about that period of his life, and is also having trouble remembering much of it. Upon the advice of a friend he begins to interview some of his old soldier compatriots in order to fill in the blanks about his own experiences during the conflict. Much of what he discovers is both surprising and horrifying to him, although some of his experiences are likely universal to any conflict. What he discovers at the end though, causes him to ponder his own moral culpability. This film is one of first full length animated productions to come from Israel, and the style reminds me a lot of Persepolis, although this film uses color, as well as shades of black and white. The film was very interesting for the most part, although a little slow in getting started, and once Ari actually starts the interviews, the film picks up. The stories these subjects tell illuminate the sheer terror these soldiers felt every minute, and how they responded to it. Some newsreel footage is shown at the end of the film that is both moving and horrifying, and anyone viewing this film will likely feel both of these emotions.

Rating - 3 Stars