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 narrator refers to the transport helicopter as a "Hercules helicopter", which is a confusion of the C-130 Hercules cargo plane with the CH-53 Stallion helicopter, the latter being the true transportation device.

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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

[from trailer]
Ari Folman: After the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, I lost my memory. Now in order to remember, I am looking for those who can never forget.

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Connections

Referenced in AniMat's Classic Reviews: Chico & Rita (2014)

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Soundtracks

Shadow Journal
Written and Performed by Max Richter
Published by Mute Song Ltd
Courtesy of Fatcat Records

User Reviews

Political animation of a very high order

Animation is not just for children - the French "Persepolis" (about a girl in Iran) made that clear and the Israeli "Waltz With Bashir" (about the invasion of Lebanon) dramatically underlines the point. The Israeli work was written , produced and directed by Ari Folman and is based on his experiences as a soldier and his video of his exploration of the traumatic events some 20 years later. Like any really powerful film, the opening and closing sequences are stunning - but the intervening one and half hours contain so many moving and disturbing images - some simply surreal - that the animation plays in the mind long after the credits have rolled.

The title is a reference to Bashir Gemayel, the newly appointed President of Lebanon, who was assassinated on 14 September 1982 following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon on 6 June 1982. The assassination led the Israeli command to authorise the entrance of a force of approximately 150 Phalangist fighters into the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, resulting in a massacre of at least 800 civilians. It is this horrific incident that is the emotional heart of the movie and the cause of Folman's mental repression.