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 | Mystery | 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

Featured in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

A great blend of the real and the unreal.

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.