8.0/10
52,910
163 user 239 critic

Waltz with Bashir (2008)

Vals Im Bashir (original title)
Trailer
2:06 | Trailer
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
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 45 wins & 59 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

More Like This 

Persepolis (2007)
Certificate: K-11 Animation | Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

A precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.

Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
Stars: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands
Certificate: K-7 Animation | Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

When her grandson is kidnapped during the Tour de France, Madame Souza and her beloved pooch Bruno team up with the Belleville Sisters--an aged song-and-dance team from the days of Fred Astaire--to rescue him.

Director: Sylvain Chomet
Stars: Michèle Caucheteux, Jean-Claude Donda, Michel Robin
Illusionisti (2010)
Certificate: K-7 Animation | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A French illusionist finds himself out of work and travels to Scotland, where he meets a young woman. Their ensuing adventure changes both their lives forever.

Director: Sylvain Chomet
Stars: Jean-Claude Donda, Eilidh Rankin, Duncan MacNeil
Certificate: K-12 Documentary | Biography | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.2/10 X  

A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.

Directors: Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous, and 1 more credit »
Stars: Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin
The Congress (2013)
Certificate: K-12 Animation | Drama | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.

Director: Ari Folman
Stars: Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, Jon Hamm
Certificate: K-13 Drama | History | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. Who is responsible?

Director: Michael Haneke
Stars: Christian Friedel, Ernst Jacobi, Leonie Benesch
Heremakono (2002)
Drama | Music
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

The story of two people who cross paths in Nouhadhibou.

Director: Abderrahmane Sissako
Stars: Khatra Ould Abder Kader, Maata Ould Mohamed Abeid, Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Mohamed
Certificate: K-15 Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A woman assists her friend in arranging an illegal abortion in 1980s Romania.

Director: Cristian Mungiu
Stars: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Two pairs of assassins are sent by a holocaust survivor's son to bring the last Nazi for a show trial in Israel.

Director: Ari Folman
Stars: Menashe Noy, Evgenia Dodina, Jürgen Holtz
Profeetta (2009)
Certificate: K-15 Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

A young Arab man is sent to a French prison.

Director: Jacques Audiard
Stars: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif
Ida (2013)
Certificate: K-12 Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A novice nun about to take her vows uncovers a family secret dating back to the German occupation.

Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Stars: Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik
Luokka (2008)
Certificate: K-3 Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.

Director: Laurent Cantet
Stars: François Bégaudeau, Agame Malembo-Emene, Angélica Sancio
Edit

Cast

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

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. Written by intlpress@aol.com

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

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


Certificate:

K-15 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Language:

Hebrew | Arabic | German | English

Release Date:

20 February 2009 (Finland) See more »

Also Known As:

Waltz with Bashir See more »

Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$50,021, 28 December 2008

Gross USA:

$2,283,849

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,125,849
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Artist David Polonsky is right handed, but did most of the illustration for this film with his left hand, as he felt that his original drawing were 'too pretty.' See more »

Goofs

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

Quotes

Himself - Interviewee: Memory is dynamic, it's alive. If some details are missing, memory fills the holes with things that never happened.
See more »

Connections

Features Ms. Pac-Man (1982) See more »

Soundtracks

Incubator
Originally Performed by The Clique
Written by Dani Dotan (as Dani Dothan)
Composed by Eli Abramov
Performed by Nitzan Rimon
Guitars by Nitzan Rimon
Bass by Dar Nahmias
Drums by Ofer Harrari
Produced and Recorded by Dar Nahmias
Recorded at Ambience Studios, Israel
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more »

User Reviews

 
A great blend of the real and the unreal.
27 July 2008 | by crappydooSee all my reviews

Waltz With Bashir is amongst the finest animation films I've seen. It is a very disturbing comment on war and its consequences both on countries and on people of both sides. No doubt this approach has been taken by numerous other film makers; however what sets Waltz With Bashir apart is that it takes a documentary approach and compares Israel's activities in Lebanon with atrocities in the past wars.

Other than documenting events, the film also consists of surreal dream sequences and real life incidents. Thus the film emerges as a unique combination of the real and the unreal. The hand drawn animation also makes it a delight to watch. The colour gave it the right atmosphere of claustrophobia in open spaces and the background score is fabulous.

It is certainly not, as the Director of NZ Film Festival announced before the screening, a 'feel-good film'. It should appeal to people who have an interest in animation, documentaries, war and current affairs. 10 out of 10.


125 of 149 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 163 user reviews »

Contribute to This Page

Stream Trending TV Series With Prime Video

Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video.

Start your free trial



Recently Viewed