Waltz with Bashir (2008)

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.

Director:

Ari Folman

Writer:

Ari Folman

Stars:

Ari Folman, Ron Ben-Yishai, Ronny Dayag

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 45 wins & 58 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there's a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can't remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images.

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Plot Keywords:

lebanon | israel lebanon war | israel defense forces | animated documentary | israel | 

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Taglines:

We may forget the past, but the past won't forget us. [Theatrical trailer.]

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Genres:

Animation | Biography | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

Israel France Germany USA Finland Switzerland Belgium Australia

Language:

Hebrew Arabic German English

Release Date:

12 June 2008 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Waltz with Bashir

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$69,055, 28 December 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,283,276, 10 May 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bridgit Folman Film Gang, Les Films d'Ici, Razor Film Produktion GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film took four years to complete.

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Goofs

When Ori grabs a cup on his kitchen table, his thumb goes straight through instead of clasping around it (error in animation).

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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!

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Connections

References Defender (1981)

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Soundtracks

Enola Gay
Written by Andy McCluskey (as Andrew McCluskey)
Performed by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (as OMD)
Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd
Courtesy of Virgin Records Ltd

User Reviews

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.