January 27th, 2009
Waltz with Bashir: a very noteworthy animated film
Waltz with Bashir is an animated film by Ari Folman from Israel. Shot in a documentary style, it’s about how Folman was an infantry soldier back in 1982 when he was 19. He meets friends in 2006 who discuss their nightmares relating to the 1982 Lebanon war. Folman, however, does not remember anything from that time. He then has a vision of what happened back then in the Sabra and Shatila Massacre in Beirut and he then decides to find other people to discuss with them the past and to re-discover his lost memories.
A mixture of Flash and classic animation, the film was earned several accolades:
- Cannes Film Festival official selection
- Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Nomination
- Golden Globe Best Foreign Film
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Animated Feature
- National Society of Film Critics Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture
- Asia Pacific Screen Awards Best Animated Feature
- Internation Documentary Association Awards Best Picture
- Broadcast Film Critics’ Association Awards Best Foreign Language Film
- British Independent Film Awards Best Foreign Independent Film
- European Academy Awards Best Composer
- Israeli Film Critics Awards Best Israeli Picture
- Tokyo Filmex Festival Grand Prize Winner
- Palic Film Festival Golden Tower Winner
- Tallinn Film Festival Special Jury Prize
- Warsaw International Film Festival Audience Award
- and a lot more
Ok, so maybe calling it ‘noteworthy’ is an understatement.
What’s remarkable about this film, aside from being an animated documentary, is its animation style. Everything’s drawn noir comics style–a lot of shadows and moody lighting. The actions are flowing and smooth making a lot of the scenes haunting.
(Poster image from wikipedia)
