2008
And I watch this right after the Filmspot nominations are due...Well, I suppose the consolation is that my lone vote would not have determined whether or not this make the final 5 ballot.
Waltz With Bashir is a peculiar hybrid between an animation film, complete with the odd scenes one can create in animation, and a documentary. Ari Folman, after analyzing a recurring nightmare his friend has about the Lebanese war, decides to investigate his own memories about the war, mainly because he can't seem to recall all that much.
What follows is a series of animated interviews coupled with animated re-enactments of what occured during the war. This was an odd movie to watch for the simple reason that I was wrestling with the idea that the people involved were recollecting real events, even though everything is animated, which is my mind typically denotes 'fiction.' In addition, I'm never an admirer of re-enactments in documentaries (see my
review of Man On Wire for more on that), but precisely because they are all animated in Waltz With Bashir, I let that slide for once. It was strange how the movie grew on me. The decision to animate the film is a bold one. Not only does it not diminish the quality of the interviews, but it also provides very stylistic, vivid, and emotionally powerful method of sharing the memories of everyone involved in combat.
The idea of selective memories and repressed memories is also a major player in the film. The shock and horror of the Lebonese war (and massacres which transpired throughout) have been shoved to the back of Folman's mind and locked away. His obsession to retrieve those thoughts is interesting, as I wanted to discover what Folman was looking for as well. The notion of repressed memories is fascinating, and makes for great subject matter (among other things) in the film. Guilt, confusion, curiosity, the ability to come to terms with reality, fear of knowing what really happened, all these and more are at play, making Folman and the interviewees compelling people.
I won't debate whether this is a documentary or not. It's just a good film inspired by real events. It doesn't look like the movie will be released in many American markets before the Filmspot deadline (strange, as it's been playing where I live since Christmas), but I hope that won't take the wind out of its sails when it finally opens down south. I liked it a lot and it makes for a compelling, if somewhat bizzare viewing experience.