Waltz with Bashir (2008) Vals Im Bashir (original title)

Director:

Ari Folman

Writer:

Ari Folman (written by)

Release Date:

12 June 2008 (Israel)

Genre:

Animation | Biography | Drama | War

Plot:

An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.

Plot Keywords:

Lebanon | Interview | Nightmare | Lebanon War | Army

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 26 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Ron Ben-Yishai	...	Himself (voice)
Ronny Dayag	...	Himself (voice)
Ari Folman	...	Himself (voice)
Shmuel Frenkel	...	Himself (voice)
Dror Harazi	...	Himself (voice)
Yehezkel Lazarov	...	Carmi Cna'an (voice)
Mickey Leon	...	Boaz Rein-Buskila (voice)
Ori Sivan	...	Himself (voice)
Zahava Solomon	...	Herself (voice)

Also Known As:

"Vals Im Bashir" - Israel (original title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some disturbing images of atrocities, strong violence, brief nudity and a scene of graphic sexual content.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Israel | France | Germany | USA | Finland | Switzerland | Belgium | Australia

Language:

Hebrew | Arabic | German | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Israel:16 (re-rating) | Israel:18 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:MA | Netherlands:16 | Germany:12 | Ireland:16 | France:U | Czech Republic:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:R (British Columbia) | Lebanon:(Banned) | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Argentina:16 | Mexico:B15 | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Singapore:R21 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Japan:PG12

Company:

Bridgit Folman Film Gang

Trivia:

Contrary to common perception, there is no rotoscope work in this film. The production team did shoot live action footage, but this was then used as references for the film's storyboards. The storyboards where then redrawn as digital paintings, which were manipulated with Flash animation.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The song used in the film, "This Is Not A Love Song" by Public Image Ltd, came out in 1983, even though the war and the massacres depicted in the film happened in 1982.

Quotes:

Anonymous soldier:What to do? What to do? Why don't you tell us what to do?
Ari Folman:Shoot!
Anonymous soldier:On who?
Ari Folman:How should I know on who? Just shoot!
Anonymous soldier:Isn't it better to pray?
Ari Folman:Pray and shoot!

Movie Connections:

References Asteroids (1979) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Organum

Political animation of a very high order

Animation is not just for children - the French "Persepolis" (about a girl in Iran) made that clear and the Israeli "Waltz With Bashir" (about the invasion of Lebanon) dramatically underlines the point. The Israeli work was written , produced and directed by Ari Folman and is based on his experiences as a soldier and his video of his exploration of the traumatic events some 20 years later. Like any really powerful film, the opening and closing sequences are stunning - but the intervening one and half hours contain so many moving and disturbing images - some simply surreal - that the animation plays in the mind long after the credits have rolled.

The title is a reference to Bashir Gemayel, the newly appointed President of Lebanon, who was assassinated on 14 September 1982 following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon on 6 June 1982. The assassination led the Israeli command to authorise the entrance of a force of approximately 150 Phalangist fighters into the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, resulting in a massacre of at least 800 civilians. It is this horrific incident that is the emotional heart of the movie and the cause of Folman's mental repression.