Waltz with Bashir (2008)

Genre: Documentary/War/Animation/Action/Historical Event/Biography

Starring (voice): Ari Folman, Yehekzel Lazarov, Ron-Ben Yishai, Ori Sivan

The 1982 Lebanon War saw a ruthless attack of the Israeli forces against Lebanon which eventually led to the Shabra and Shatila massacre where civilian minorities were held in a fortified camp and mercilessly killed. Ari Folman (Folman) is an Israeli film-maker who recounts his experiences of war when he was serving in the Israeli Army during the Lebanon War. In 2006, he witnesses a dream where he is in the war with a friend and realises that the war is a memory that he does not recollect anymore. In a bid to refresh his memory and remember what happened, he meets various sets of people who could potentially help him remember what he went through. From traveling to Netherlands to meet Carmi (Lazarov) and meeting the infamous journalist, Ron-Ben Yishai, Armi slowly starts recollecting his thoughts right up to the massacre. The movie follows a very unique animation style that is a blend of typical comic book illustrations, rigid animations but contemporary  that use solid colours along with special effects that are extremely contemporary and advanced. This unique style is pleasing and lifts the heaviness and bloodshed from the movie but at the same time creates a very big disconnect from the movie. It diverts the movies core idea of war, death and destruction and showcases it in a light and cheerful manner. The movie is a Cannes Palm d'Or nominee along with numerous other global victories.

Thumbs up: Unique animation style

Thumbs down: Animation style tends to shift the core focus of the movie

Rating: 7.7/10