Waltz with Bashir: A Review

Fig 1. Waltz with Bashir (2008) [Poster]

Written and directed by Ari Folman, Waltz with Bashir (2008) is an animated documentary based on Folman attempting to recall traumatic events that occurred one night in September 1982 when he was just 19. During that night, over 3000 Palestinian refugees were massacred by Christian Militia. The area was surrounded by soldiers from the Israeli army, who let the Militia into the refugee camps. Folman was one of those Israeli soldiers and witnessed the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Twenty years on, Folmans memory of the events of that night are blank and he implies, through the film, that the Israelis have also intentionally blanked these events from their minds.

“Over the past quarter-century, the massacre's horror has been absorbed and repressed within the Israeli mind, Folman suggests, but only partly. The very concept of Israel's partial or indirect guilt, established by the government's own Kahan commission, and therefore a guilt which Israel can concede without admitting to direct culpability, makes it a uniquely painful and potent subject. It's a reproach drifting just beneath the surface of memory and liable to break cover at any time.” 

- (Bradshaw 2008)

Folman embarks on a process of tracing and talking to old friends and contacts, including an expert in post-traumatic stress, to try to piece together the truth about himself and the role he played in those events, which proves to be shocking and ugly. Folman was well placed to understand the horror of the massacre as both his parents had survived the Holocaust.

Fig 2. Waltz with Bashir (2008) [Film Still]

The film took around 4 years to complete and is animated apart from one section of archive news footage. The animation style is unusual, using standard animation combined with Adobe Flash. Each drawing was dissected into many hundreds of parts which were then moved around in relation to the other cut parts of the image, which gave the impression of movement. This technique was developed in Israel by Yoni Goodman at the Bridgit Folman Film Gang Studio.

Fig 3. Waltz with Bashir (2008) [Film Still]

The film had a mixed reaction – some audiences found the subject matter contentious and uncomfortable. However, the film attracted many awards including a Golden Globe in 2009 for Best Foreign Film, a British Independent Film Award (BIFA) in 2008 for Best Foreign Independent Film, and in 2009 the Directors Guild of America for outstanding directing.

Bibliography
Bradshaw, P. (2008) Waltz with Bashir [Online] At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/21/waltz-with-bashir-folman (Accessed 08.05.18)

Illustration List

Fig 1. Waltz with Bashir (2008) [Poster] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185616/?ref_=nv_sr_1 (Accessed 08.05.18)

Fig 2. Waltz with Bashir (2008) [Film Still] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185616/mediaviewer/rm498439168 (Accessed 08.05.18)

Fig 3. Waltz with Bashir (2008) [Film Still] At: https://www.curzonartificialeye.com/waltz-with-bashir/ (Accessed 08.05.18)