Waltz with Bashir (2008)
Israel has more than a little guilt on their hands…
Presentation:
Military documentary or animation, why not both? Israeli director Ari Folman recounts the 1982 Lebanon War from a reflective point of view. If this was propaganda, it would be lean more toward the Palestinian side because the film is surprisingly self-critical, serving as an admission of guilt due to their complicity for allowing the Lebanese forces to massacre Palestinians. The comic book style is stylish but it’s no state of the art animation. This medium allows for some surreal and otherwise expensive-to-reenact war scenes, which further detaches Israeli mea culpa from the trauma. Throughout the animation there are interviews and even real life footage to highlight Israel’s faults in the war.
Conclusion:
I’m not familiar enough with the history, but this does feel like a somewhat appropriate public apology for the war. The stylish art style makes it informal and might make some of the Palestinian suffering take a backseat, but this was created by an Israeli director and he has the right to focus on his side of the story. Though Folman rationalizes the IDF’s dissociation, what’s inconvenient is how modern events basically invalidate this subject. It’s a little troublesome to go from Israel’s complicity in just setting off flares to their direct involvement in the Gaza war today. I have my own opinions on the politics, but this film’s message that Israeli soldiers were just zombies following orders can be considered irrelevant in comparison to their direct involvement today. Nevertheless, this was a good film with rare compassion and accountability.
Recommendations
Israel has more than a little guilt on their hands…