In the same animation and geopolitical vein as Satrapi and Paronnaud's Persepolis (2007), Waltz with Bashir broaches tragedies surrounding the 1982 Lebanon War, eliciting gut wrenching pathos for the events depicted, the 3 days of the Shatila and Sabra massacre.
Waltz with Bashir draws an easy structural comparison to Linklater's Waking Life (2001). In both we find a central figure in a quest to find an Answer, which he attains though a process of interviews with various talking-heads. Whereas Waking Life explores heady philosophical issues surrounding existence and consciousness, Waltz with Bashir deals squarely with the the recuperation of director/writer Ari Folman's lost memories of war.
As Folman himself mentions, Israel couldn't pay for better propaganda, referring to his film setting the record straight as to the nature of Israel's involvement in these atrocities. Still, a lot of guilt complex is explored across a range of Israeli soldier's perspectives, people who actually lived these experiences. Nevertheless, Folman bravely explores the collective post-traumatic stress disorder of a nation's psyche. It's a classic and sad case in which the victim becomes the victimizer, such as when victims of child abuse grow up to become abusers themselves, or in this case in which the Israeli soldiers are shown as occupying the role of Nazis.
I rather like Max Richter's soundtrack which adds portentous overtones certainly, like a beautiful yet queasy feeling of unease for what's to be uncovered or revealed. It's amazing that a cartoon can portray such anguish and reveal as much, if not more than, any live action can about reality. Waltz with Bashir is a crucial look back at the past.
dir Ari Folman
official movie site
film designer David Polonky
Waltz with Bashir trailer:
Ari Folman France 24 interview:
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