Waltz with Bashir

"This page is dedicated to all the victims of the Sabra and Shatila massacre that occurred on 16-18 September 1982 and to their families."

Waltz with Bashir [Hebrew: ואלס עם באשיר (Vals im Bashir)] is a 2008 Israeli animated documentary film written, co-produced and directed by Ari Folman. It revolves around Folman re-collecting his memories of when he served in the Lebanon War. The film is also notable as the first feature-length animated documentary film.

Plot
At a bar, Boaz Rein-Buskila tells director Ari Folman of a flashback he's been having for the past few years of vicious dogs running through Tel Aviv streets & surrounding his workplace, which demand him. He tells Boaz that oddly enough, he can't remember anything related to his time during the war. Boaz suggests that he talk to several of his former comrades during the war, and so he does. The film follows him as he starts to recollect his memories as he comes to a horrible realization as to the truth about why he couldn't remember anything.

Why it Rocks

 * 1) The film is surprisingly innovative by being the first feature-length animated documentary, which is a combination that works perfectly with each other.
 * 2) Speaking of which, the animation presents some very gorgeous scenes and images which could not be done with live action. The art style is similar to a comic book, which use various instances of traditional, Flash (now Adobe Animate) and CGI animation, and by war film standards, very vivid imagery is displayed.
 * 3) It plays with various art styles as well, sometimes going for thick outlines, but other times choosing to remove the outlines entirely.
 * 4) The soundtrack makes good use of both original pieces and licensed music, such as Enola Gay by Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark and Beirut by Zeev Tene. Not only that, but what's surprisingly rare for a documentary, the music actually serves a role in the scenes. Perhaps the best example would be the eponymous waltz scene.
 * 5) Conflict in the Middle East doesn't receive much attention in the world of cinema, and when it does, it's usually in a way that makes people of the Middle East look like the bad guy. It's a very refreshing change to show and see that humanizes the soldiers, in which they show remorse rather than just being bullet fodder.
 * 6) The anti-war message is executed insanely well, because instead of fictionalized portrayals, you get to hear from real voices about their time in the Lebanon War. In addition, the various people are all uniquely likable, as we see their living condition, and how they dealt with the circumstances they were placed in. Never is the audience supposed to feel as if there are any heroes or villains, as everyone is shown to be in the wrong. However, since audiences can truly familiarize themselves with the people depicted, & considering other pieces of animation aimed at adults, this can be considered to be impressive.
 * 7) Right off the bat, it manages to shock you, with the barrage of aggressive dogs running through the streets of Tel Aviv, which sets up the tone of the film very well.
 * 8) It also handles the use of a shocking tone very well. The viewers, while watching, feel connected to Ari Folman in such a way where it feels as if they are truly with him in his journey.
 * 9) In addition, it eases itself in by explaining why that's relevant to his journey by showing Ari's conversation with Boaz.
 * 10) Though it reuses the same scene of Folman and two others walking onto the beaches of Beirut, getting dressed, and walking upwards, ready for duty.
 * 11) Even with all the strong conflict, it can take a moment to show something beautiful, like when Ronny is swimming alone after escaping soldiers. Another example would be the titular waltz as well.
 * 12) To end the film, real scenes of grieving widows and dead bodies are shown to the viewer, which shows what even soldiers like Ari Folman couldn't dream of doing to the families.
 * 13) The production and animation quality exceed the budget.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) While the film is very striking and powerful, it's also very disturbing and not for the feint of heart. As stated, there are many graphic moments, including showing real dead bodies during the ending.
 * 2) Even then, there are some scenes that can be seen as unnecessary, such as a scene where a man watches pornography.

Reception
Upon its release, the film was a critical success. Rotten Tomatoes aggregates that out of 153 reviews from critics, 96% spoke positively, with the consensus reading, "A wholly innovative, original, and vital history lesson, with pioneering animation, Waltz With Bashir delivers its message about the Middle East in a mesmerizing fashion." Metacritic gave it a score of 91 based on 32 positive reviews and 1 mixed review from The Hollywood Reporter. The film was praised for its powerful message, and for it's unique combination of being animated and a documentary. The film would also make its way into several top lists of not only the best movies of 2008, but other honors as well. Rotten Tomatoes put it at #11 in their Best 100 Films of 2008 list, The Los Angeles Times would tie it with Wall-E for the 10th best film of the year, Newsweek would also tie it with Wall-E for the 9th best film of 2008, New York Magazine would put it at #7 on their list, Lisa Schwarzbaum at Entertainment Weekly put it as the 4th best film in her list, Michael Philips from the Chicago Tribune placed it at #3 in his list, and Stephen Farber from the Hollywood reporter would rank it as the best movie of 2008 on his list. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, won Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Film Not in the English Language at the BAFTAs, and while it wasn't nominated for Best Animated Feature and didn't qualify for Best Documentary at the Oscars, it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. However, it should be noted that the movie is banned in Lebanon for obvious reasons.