In 1982, during Israel's occupation of Lebanon, a group of Phalangists - whose political party was based on that of Francisco Franco - massacred Palestinian refugees while the Israeli army watched. Future prime minister Ariel Sharon was a brigadier general in the occupying army and claimed to have seen nothing (a sketchy claim, to say the least). Ari Folman's "Vals Im Bashir" ("Waltz with Bashir" in English) focuses on a former troop talking to an assortment of people about their memories of the occupation. Aside from the massacre itself, a particularly intense scene shows an Israeli tank driving through Beirut, casually running over cars; the Lebanese Civil War was essentially a proxy war between the US- and Israel-backed Christians and the Syrian-backed Muslims.
The movie falters by only showing the atrocities committed by the Phalangists while ignoring Israel's equally horrific acts during the war. There can be no good guys in these wars. In the end the movie is worth seeing just as long as you understand the bias.
The title refers to Lebanese Pres. Bashir Gemayel, assassinated a few days before the massacre.
The movie falters by only showing the atrocities committed by the Phalangists while ignoring Israel's equally horrific acts during the war. There can be no good guys in these wars. In the end the movie is worth seeing just as long as you understand the bias.
The title refers to Lebanese Pres. Bashir Gemayel, assassinated a few days before the massacre.