Film: Waltz with Bashir
Director: Ari Folman
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: 2008
Recently, I've been on a sort of movie watching binge, as I've experienced a slight burnout in regards to playing video games. Factoring that in with my computer's motherboard getting damaged, becoming absolutely unusable. So, I'm out of a reliable computer for the next couple of weeks or so and I'm gonna be bored out of my mind. That being said, however, I've been meaning to talk about a movie for a while, as it has been a hot minute since I have talked about a movie I've watched in recent times. I could look at something better established like Taxi Driver but I feel like I wouldn't really bring anything new to the table as far as discussion goes. So, why not discuss a film that is not often talked about? I guess this is the part where I start talking about Waltz with Bashir.
Waltz with Bashir is an animated war documentary about the grit of the 1982 Lebanon War. The film/documentary centers around filmmaker and Lebanon War veteran Ari Folman who has no recollection of the war he served in. In order to regain his memory of the war he served in, he reaches out to his friends to help him remember his days as a soldier in the war. Each friend he reaches out to gives their personal experiences of the war.
Waltz with Bashir presents itself as an animated film/documentary hybrid, combining documentary coverage with animated visual storytelling. I was not familiar with the 1982 Lebanon War before watching this film, so learning about the conflicts that happened was a new experience for me since it was never covered in my high school history class. Getting first-hand accounts from the veterans of the war was welcome, considering the United States' lack of involvement in the war.
The combination of personal accounts alongside animated visual storytelling is done masterfully with its use of animation and color. This film was animated entirely in Flash, which took 4 years to fully animate, and for a flash animated film, it looks incredible. I love the use of color the film uses. It looks filthy and gritty in the best way possible. Combining the personal accounts with the color, lighting, and animation make for a haunting experience when watching this film, not to mention the grit and violence that is showcased as well.
A lot of anti-war movies are set in a World War II setting, mainly cause the stage that was set was so spectacular and dramatic. Anti-war movies often show the drama and grit of war, but can't help but show off their acts of heroism and victory alongside the drama, in movies such as Saving Private Ryan or Hacksaw Ridge. In Waltz with Bashir however, there are no heroes in this story. This isn't a country like the United States going into the heart of war to save the day. In this conflict war crimes and genocide are committed. There are no acts of heroism in these accounts. There is no outside force coming to stop the conflict and take the glory. Evil is committed, but it's stated bluntly and neutrally. It's like having a nightmare where heinous acts are committed, but you can do nothing about it.
I think Waltz with Bashir touches upon the themes of anti-war better than any other movie I've seen. We have themes of guilt, evil, and international indifference that is peppered among the personal accounts, combined with the lack of heroism and intervention in the conflict. When Ari regains his memories of the war, he feels the guilt for doing nothing to stop Sabra and Shatila massacre, feeling as guilty as those who actually carried the genocidal act. That guilt had an effect on me as I began thinking about why the United States or any other foreign superpower didn't intervene in the injustice that took place among the hundreds, if not thousands, that were killed. It got me thinking about the U.S.' involvement in foreign conflicts and the importance of foreign policy, even if my mind and intellectual capacity is not necessarily at that level to discuss it.
The combination of personal accounts alongside animated visual storytelling is done masterfully with its use of animation and color. This film was animated entirely in Flash, which took 4 years to fully animate, and for a flash animated film, it looks incredible. I love the use of color the film uses. It looks filthy and gritty in the best way possible. Combining the personal accounts with the color, lighting, and animation make for a haunting experience when watching this film, not to mention the grit and violence that is showcased as well.
A lot of anti-war movies are set in a World War II setting, mainly cause the stage that was set was so spectacular and dramatic. Anti-war movies often show the drama and grit of war, but can't help but show off their acts of heroism and victory alongside the drama, in movies such as Saving Private Ryan or Hacksaw Ridge. In Waltz with Bashir however, there are no heroes in this story. This isn't a country like the United States going into the heart of war to save the day. In this conflict war crimes and genocide are committed. There are no acts of heroism in these accounts. There is no outside force coming to stop the conflict and take the glory. Evil is committed, but it's stated bluntly and neutrally. It's like having a nightmare where heinous acts are committed, but you can do nothing about it.
I think Waltz with Bashir touches upon the themes of anti-war better than any other movie I've seen. We have themes of guilt, evil, and international indifference that is peppered among the personal accounts, combined with the lack of heroism and intervention in the conflict. When Ari regains his memories of the war, he feels the guilt for doing nothing to stop Sabra and Shatila massacre, feeling as guilty as those who actually carried the genocidal act. That guilt had an effect on me as I began thinking about why the United States or any other foreign superpower didn't intervene in the injustice that took place among the hundreds, if not thousands, that were killed. It got me thinking about the U.S.' involvement in foreign conflicts and the importance of foreign policy, even if my mind and intellectual capacity is not necessarily at that level to discuss it.
Thinking back on watching this film/documentary, it does get me thinking about the brutality of war in a way that often doesn't get looked at in most anti-war films, the ones I have seen at least. This is a graphic, violent, hellish account of war and the atrocities committed in the Lebanon War. I *really* want to recommend this movie so badly, but the content and the language barrier may prove to be an issue. Perhaps it wasn't an issue for me, but I don't want to force this on people. What else can I say about Waltz with Bashir? It's an incredible film that gets you thinking about foreign conflicts and global superpowers' involvement in them, or in this case lack thereof. Its animation that helps paint the picture of the grit of war is stellar and memorable. Combine these aspects with the personal accounts of the war, you get a very haunting film/documentary of a conflict that shouldn't have been ignored
Verdict: 10/10
Verdict: 10/10
