Vals Im Bashir (2008)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

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 & 22 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:

Valse avec Bachir (France)
Waltz with Bashir (International: English title)
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 Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | 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

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 Asteroids (1979) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Enola gay

Powerful

Waltz with Bashir may not deliver everything you expect after seeing the trailers, but it is powerful. Director Ari Folman presents a personal view of historic events in which he took part as a young soldier, but which he cannot remember due to repression. A full-length documentary, filmed with animation over the recorded speech of actual participants in the 1982 Lebannon War, Waltz with Bashir is beautifully done and get its message across clearly.

It's a shame that some of the stronger artistic points in the movie were left undeveloped, such as the imaginary ghost of the soldier's ex-girlfriend following him around (as seen in the trailer). The way comedy and tragedy are interspersed in the latter parts of the film may also seem inappropriate to some viewers. The film presents a highly personal point of view for a documentary, justified partly by staying true to the factual material, and partly by its author having been there on the scene.

Overall, despite its shortcomings, this film makes a strong statement and is definitely worth seeing for its visuals and score.