Waltz With Bashir a review by Vic Thiessen

During the Lebanon War of 1982, Palestinian civilians in two refugee camps in Beirut were slaughtered by the Christian Phalangist militia as revenge for the assassination of Lebanese president Bashir Gemayel. The Israeli army which had invaded south Lebanon was in control of these camps, but they were allied with the Phalangists and did nothing to prevent the massacre. That is the historical backdrop to what is, for me, the most extraordinary film of 2008.

Waltz With Bashir, the favourite to win Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards, is a brilliant animated film in the tradition of Richard Linklater’s Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, two of my favourite films of the past decade. The stunning animation turns out to be the perfect medium for telling the true story of an Israeli documentary filmmaker (Ari Folman, the film’s writer and director) trying to remember his participation (as a young soldier) in the horrific massacre described above. Unfolding like a detective story, the film follows Folman as he tracks down leads and interviews his fellow soldiers to find clues to his buried memories. By telling the story in this way, Folman is able to focus on the varied experiences of Israeli soldiers during and after the Lebanon War, delivering profound psychological insights and a strong anti-war message in the process.

Folman is careful not to get into the politics of the Israeli invasion, which is probably wise in that it was made with Israeli government support and will get a much more sympathetic viewing in Israel as a result. But what the film does do is humanize the Palestinian victims of the massacre in such a way that it must give the Israeli people pause as their army attacks Gaza and oppresses the Palestinians living in the West Bank. This oppression has gone on for decades and is one of the key factors in the violence that has plagued the Middle East during the past forty years.

For those of us who have been appalled by the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, Waltz With Bashir is particularly important for the way it also humanizes the Israeli soldiers, putting us in their shoes in a way that only an animated documentary could do. The psychological journey on which Folman leads us is as painful to watch as it is acute in its observations and I was kept absolutely riveted to the screen throughout.

By concentrating on the psychological tragedy and humanisation, Waltz With Bashir delivers a clear anti-war message. It also asks about the guilt of those who allow genocide and oppression to happen, whether it is the Germans in World War Two or the Israelis in the last forty years. Bringing the Nazis into this kind of film was a bold move, for it invites thought/comparison about how the Jews who suffered so much at the hand of the Nazis could now inflict so much suffering on the Palestinians.

Late in the film, when questions arise about the guilt of those who stood by and watched (could the Israeli soldiers have prevented the massacre?), we get an ambiguous answer that was slightly disappointing for me. Nevertheless, I think the film’s perfect final scene asks us all to reflect on our culpability in the slaughters and genocides of our time. Whether we remember Rwanda in 1994 or the recent attacks in Gaza or what is happening in parts of Africa (like Sudan and the Congo) today, it is a question each of us faces. What are we (and the countries we live in) doing to prevent violence against innocents around the world? Are we too standing by silently and watching as if it doesn’t concern us?

Waltz With Bashir’s unique graphic-novel style presents shocking images that will haunt you for a long time. That’s what a film like this should do and I recommend it without reservation. Nevertheless, I must add a warning that the film contains graphic images of violence and of a sexual nature that many will find a little too shocking.