Vals Im Bashir (2008)

Director:

Ari Folman

Writer:

Ari Folman (writer)

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:

Interview | Lebanon | Bar | Army | Nightmare

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 23 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Ron Ben-Yishai	...	Himself (voice)
Ronny Dayag	...	Himself (voice)
Ari Folman	...	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:

Waltz with Bashir (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Valse avec Bachir (France)
Walzer mit Bashir (Germany)

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

Language:

Hebrew | German | English | Arabic

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 | Japan:PG12

Company:

Bridgit Folman Film Gang

Trivia:

The first animated film to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

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:

Boaz Rein-Buskila: Do you ever have flashbacks from Lebanon?
Ari Folman: No. No, not really.

Movie Connections:

References Ms. Pac-Man (1981) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Enola gay

Hard-Hitting Film

This film exists on several levels. It is partly a film about combat trauma, memory and repression, partly about the specifics of Israel's role in the Lebanese civil war, and partly about war in general as experienced by soldiers. It was cleverly constructed, moving back and forth from the middle-aged protagonist and his search for his lost memories via contacting old comrades, and the depiction of the actual events during the time of his and their youth. The film is mostly done in animation and uses animation in a very effective way.

I do not believe it is at all relevant what someone's political opinions are in terms of appreciating this film. The film reveals truth through taking the viewer on a journey to the past through the memories of people who witnessed the worst days of the conflict.