8.0/10
54,669
167 user 242 critic

Vals Im Bashir (2008)

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 & 62 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ari Folman ... Self (voice)
Ori Sivan Ori Sivan ... Self - Interviewee (voice)
Ronny Dayag Ronny Dayag ... Self - Interviewee (voice)
Shmuel Frenkel Shmuel Frenkel ... Self - Interviewee (voice)
Zahava Solomon Zahava Solomon ... Self - Interviewee (voice) (as Prof. Zahava Solomon)
Ron Ben-Yishai Ron Ben-Yishai ... Self - Interviewee (voice)
Dror Harazi Dror Harazi ... Self - Interviewee (voice)
Miki Leon ... Boaz Rein-Buskila (voice)
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:

R16 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film took four years to complete. 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 »


Soundtracks

Concerto No. 5 in F Minor for Harpsichord and Strings, BWV 1056
(uncredited)
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
See more »

User Reviews

 
Great, personal film about the horrors of war
12 January 2009 | by GHCoolSee all my reviews

I saw this film at the AFI Film Festival a couple of months ago and it stayed with me since then. This is not your typical war movie, nor is it your typical animated film. I'd say its kind of a cross between Waking Life and Grave of the Fireflies.

The film takes place in the present. The film's director, Ari Folman, comes to the realization that he cannot remember anything from the time he served in the Israeli army during the 1982 Lebanon War. The bulk of the movie are his interviews with his old army friends where he asks them what they remember from that time. Folman tries to see in their memories something in himself that has been missing, deadened, or dulled. Like Waking Life, there is no "plot." The filmmaker prefers a more interview-based film. This is an "idea film," a poetic film, and traditional narrative style takes a back seat.

Like Grave of the Fireflies, the animation in Waltz With Bashir shows the horror of war and its effect on individuals in ways that a live action recreation could never replicate. The film's themes of human memory and its elasticity are served well by this technique. Rather than a soldier escaping death by hiding in the sea, we get the larger-than-life memory of a soldier escaping death that would look too "real" in a live action reenactment.


64 of 72 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 167 user reviews »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more »
Edit

Details

Language:

Hebrew | Arabic | German | English

Release Date:

12 June 2008 (Israel) 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:

$11,179,372
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 »

Contribute to This Page

We've Got Your Streaming Picks Covered

Looking for some great streaming picks? Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist.

Visit our What to Watch page



Recently Viewed