The power of WALTZ WITH BASHIR lies in the way its message reinforces a notion articulated even better years ago by Tim O'Brien in his novel/memoir, The Things They Carried. In the story "How to Tell a True War Story," O'Brien proposes that whatever a soldier who saw combat SAYS happened while fighting is TRUE. You don't question the validity of it because war is so horrible and beyond comprehension that its truth is as a soldier remembers it, period. I was always fascinated by that concept, and WALTZ WITH BASHIR picks up with that discussion and explores it further. This was my favorite thing about the film.
The reason, I think, that WALTZ is getting so much attention is that in many respects, there's never been anything like it. Yes, it is an animated film, and yes, the animation is breathtaking, though not nearly as much so as the animation in a Pixar film. Rather, this animation veers closer to the rotoscoping technique used by Richard Linklater and in the AIG commercials. You feel like you are watching "cartoonized actors," though in this case, the people are not known celebrities -- this is a foreign film.
The color palate of grey, gold and brown dominates the film, and it's very interesting to look at.
But that's not where it ends. Because WALTZ WITH BASHIR is ALSO a documentary film. AND it has elements of fictional narrative. It is such a unique mashup of genres in styles that the success of it all working together is striking. Here is a film that, in theory, could be nominated at the Oscars for Best Animated Feature (most likely), Best Foreign Film (most definitely) and Best Documentary Feature (least likely...I don't believe it's on the short list for this one). But that says a lot in itself. It's like no documentary you have ever seen. No cartoon, either.
And yet, despite all of this praise, it didn't blow me away the way it worked on so many critics. I was left more with a strong sense of admiration than anything else. Much of this, I'm afraid, is probably war film fatigue on my part. I think there have been too many war-themed movies this past year, and I'm burning out a little. I wonder if my stock in this film will rise somewhere down the road when I watch it again and don't feel the weight of the like-minded films I've seen this year.
I will say this, though: the ending is as powerful as anything I've seen this year. I want to talk about what director Folman does to end the film but can't bring myself to spoil it. Thematically, it's probably an expected ending, but visually, it is not. It sort of knocked the wind out of me. It was very effective.
WALTZ WITH BAHSIR is stunning, cross-genre filmmaking. But with the exception of the ending, I was only fascinated, not really moved.
3.0 out of 4
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