Waltz with Bashir

An animated documentary written and directed by Ari Folman. Folman delivers this autobiographical look at the Israeli invasion into Lebanon in the early 80's from the perspective of a young Israeli soldier. Some 30 years after the events of that war, Folman is discovering that he has no memory of certain portions of the war, namely anything containing violence. A strange recurring dream pushes him to investigate his memory and therefore his participation in the war. Folman seeks to piece together his own memory by talking with friends and colleagues, mining their often reluctant memories for triggers that will spark his own recollection. The choice to animate the story is brilliant since we as viewers are able to see the action of dreams and memories instead of only listen to talking heads being interviewed (see Persepolis for an equally good - but totally different - use of animated documentary). The result is a story of self discovery and an investigation into the trauma of war. We are not pummeled with a point of view about the right or wrong of the Israeli forces entering Lebanon. Instead, we are given a first person look at how our brains work to protect our psyche from traumatic events that would crush us emotionally and spiritually. Perhaps one of the most profound statements comes when Folman is questioning whether any good can come from his opening up of this emotional Pandora's box. A friend/therapist states "We only ask the questions that need to be asked", implying ... "that we are ready to have answered". In the end, there is nothing settling about the memories that return and nothing pretty about war.
4 stars (out of 5)