Waltz with Bashir

[camouflage]

The film is one man's story, about him trying to come to terms with his involvement in the war. How, and more importantly why, should such a personal account give any sort of balanced view?

Spoiler

Surely the final scene made it clear whose tragedy this was?

That certainly told us cunts.

I'm not in the mood to debate this movie, it was really good and I really enjoyed it, watched in such a buzz I just wanted to note down a couple of things that struck me, don't want to get all Middle Eastern Affairs & News forum on the shizzle.

 

[STFC]

Sorry if I came across a bit aggressive. I thought the film was excellent and it's bound to provoke debate given the subject matter.

 

[mauvais]

Just seen it. Very moving, and I agree with STFC about the balance.

 

[Griff]

My local flicks is showing it at the weekend? Anyone seen it? Worth a look?

Not sure on animated war documentaries, so could be interesting.

Sorry, the title's wrong, should be 'Bashir'.

Oops, should have done a search.

 

[tangentlama]

If you can't get to see the film, the graphic novel which was developed in tandem is also available.

A pack of ravenous dogs, a nightmare, a visit from a war-haunted friend, this was how film director Ari Folman's period as an Israeli "grunt" in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon first returned to him. But when he began to search for his own memories of that war, what he found instead was a puzzling, disturbing blank. Tentatively setting off in pursuit of those missing memories, horrors buried for almost a quarter of a century, he also launched himself on a path that would lead to his award-winning, Oscar-nominated animated film, Waltz with Bashir, and an accompanying graphic memoir of the same title, developed in tandem with it.

Review and preview of several pages of the graphic novel can be found here: http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175028

Spoiler: Waltz With Bashir page 87

 

[isitme]

just watched this. one of the most affecting films i've seen for ages. really fucking sad. beautifully shot and structured

i don't think it lessens the impact telling it from the point of view of an israeli, i think it enforces the humanity of the situation and the fact that it keeps on repeating and repeating. that's what the holocaust reference said to me

really brilliant film

 

[JWH]

I disagree with the criticisms that Phalange/Palestinians/whoever weren't interviewed for this. This is not a documentary, and it's not a memoir. The purpose was not to tell the story of X, but to tell the story around the filmmaker's contact with X.

BTW, I don't think that X is much of a spolier - no-one goes into a WW2 film wondering whether Hitler's going to win or not.

 

[frogwoman]

I saw this tonight on a friends computer - i thought it was really amazing. It was really impressive in showing the fucked upness of the Israeli society, and not only that, but the horror and pointlessness of any war, through the story of one soldier. But it didn't attempt to preach or anything like that.


I don't really agree with some of the criticisms of the film, that it dehumanised the palestinians and the like - it wasn't about that so much, it was about one man's psychological journey and how he came to realise, from a state of denial that everyone around him was in, that he had been involved in something horrendous. for what it worth i don't think the film did dehumanise anyone.

And the bits like when the guy is telling him that the reason he keeps thinking about the massacre is because of his parents in the camps - that didnt seem to me like the film maker was making an excuse for it, but just another attempt to display the sort of society that Israel has become. and it it gets people there to think about what is happening, then that is a good thing.