Waltz with Bashir
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Waltz with Bashir
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Waltz with Bashir is an animated documentary with adult themes, wartime violence -- both animated and in news footage -- sex, and nudity. The film is about writer-director Ari Folman's attempt to uncover his repressed memories about serving in the Israeli army during the 1982 war with Lebanon. The movie's mix of real-life interviews and imagined footage of recalled events are all animated. The tone is sometimes detached and journalistic, but other times more emotive when interviewees recall their experiences and traumatizing events. Wartime violence is frequent, with much discussion of killing and death. Toward the end of the movie, there is also upsetting news footage of a massacre. Sex features briefly in one animated, but graphic, pornographic sequence. Nudity also features intermittently, as people recall dreams and historical events. Although infrequent there is some use of "f--k" and "a--hole." Characters are also shown drinking and smoking what appears to be cannabis.
Community Reviews
an animated film that uses the medium to portray difficult topics
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What's the Story?
WALZ WITH BASHIR follows writer-director Ari Folman as he interviews fellow veterans who served in the Israeli army's 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
Is It Any Good?
An unusual mix of journalism, dramatization, and animation, this autobiographical documentary attempts an examination of what war does to its participants, primarily writer and director Folman. Waltz with Bashir's illustrated and animated interviews with fellow veterans of the 1982 Lebanon War give the events and effects discussed a dream-like quality that often represent traumatizing real-life history. It also helps Folman uncover repressed memories of his participation in combat.
With a slow and unwinding pace, this series of conversations sometimes struggles to stay engaging. The animated dream sequences and dramatizations of historical events that intercut many of the interviews become repetitive in places, too, meaning that anyone without a strong interest in this period of history or in psychology might experience diminishing returns. Undoubtedly a labor of love and a painstakingly personal project, Waltz with Bashir does, however, avoid ever feeling self-indulgent on the part of its creator. As its horrifying finale holds the tragic impact of war on ordinary people in the spotlight, it is uncensored and the animation certainly doesn't soften its impact.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence discussed and shown in Waltz with Bashir. How did it compare to what you would see in an action or thriller movie? Which has more impact? Why?
How did war and conflict impact the interviewees' mental health? Do you think Ari's own well-being was helped by making the documentary? If so, how?
The film discusses some difficult themes. How did the fact that the film was animated impact how you felt about the story?
How was sex portrayed in the film? Was it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
Discuss the history of the events discussed. How much did you know about the 1982 invasion of Lebanon? Did this make you want to learn more? How to talk to kids about violence, crime, and war.
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 25, 2008
- On DVD or streaming: June 23, 2009
- Cast: Ari Folman, Ori Sivan, Ron Ben-Yishai
- Director: Ari Folman
- Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: History
- Character Strengths: Communication, Curiosity
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: some disturbing images of atrocities, strong violence, brief nudity and a scene of graphic sexual content
- Award: Golden Globe
- Last updated: January 9, 2023
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