Vals Im Bashir (2008)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Ari Folman

Writer:

Ari Folman (writer)

Release Date:

12 June 2008 (Israel)

Genre:

Animation | Biography | Drama | War

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Interview | Lebanon | Bar | Army | Nightmare

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 23 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

Ron Ben-Yishai	...	Himself (voice)
Ronny Dayag	...	Himself (voice)
Ari Folman	...	Himself (voice)
Dror Harazi	...	Himself (voice)
Yehezkel Lazarov	...	Carmi Cna'an (voice)
Mickey Leon	...	Boaz Rein-Buskila (voice)
Ori Sivan	...	Himself (voice)
Zahava Solomon	...	Herself (voice)

Also Known As:

Valse avec Bachir (France)
Waltz with Bashir (International: English title)
Walzer mit Bashir (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for some disturbing images of atrocities, strong violence, brief nudity and a scene of graphic sexual content.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Israel | Germany | France | USA | Finland | Switzerland | Belgium | Australia

Language:

Hebrew | German | English | Arabic

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Israel:16 (re-rating) | Israel:18 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:MA | Netherlands:16 | Germany:12 | Ireland:16 | France:U | Czech Republic:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:R (British Columbia) | Lebanon:(Banned) | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Argentina:16

Company:

Bridgit Folman Film Gang

Trivia:

The first animated film to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The song used in the film, "This Is Not A Love Song" by Public Image Ltd, came out in 1983, even though the war and the massacres depicted in the film happened in 1982.

Quotes:

Anonymous soldier: What to do? What to do? why don't you tell us what to do?
Ari Folman: Shoot!
Anonymous soldier: On who?
Ari Folman: How should I know on who? just shoot!
Anonymous soldier: Isn't it better to pray?
Ari Folman: Pray and shoot!

Movie Connections:

References Space Invaders (1978) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Enola gay

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.