A Waltz for Bashir

[strangedave]

doctor_k_ and I and a few others saw this excellent film this evening, which we are glad we saw, although it was very emotionally draining. Technically, a very nice animated film, it had a lovely sense of being clearly inspired by pen and ink black and white drawings (though it was quite a colourful film in its way, mostly big vibrant slabs from a fairly

Comments

SPOILER WARNING

[ataxi]

Through the movie I was thinking of that old chestnut about fiction 'lying to get to the truth', introducing these synthetic characters (that are probably based on real people) to mediate the audience's understanding of these terrible historical events. And the animation, keeping you at a long arm's length from the type of footage one sees on the evening news, inviting you to look at what's in front of you, instead of just passing it over.

It was really noticeable how well the animation brought out the characters, through a subtle tick representing a facial line, or the small introductory sequences they afforded each of them. I suppose it was probably based on real footage as well? Don't know.

And then, just as that distancing, that mediation through twenty years, through psychoanalysis, hallucination etc. reached its peak, the chop back to exactly that type of evening news footage, out of animation and into "live action" was unbelievably effective. And also brought out a contrast between the film's ostensible subject (the echoing, attenuated trauma of Israeli soldiers half-responsible for a massacre) and its hidden subject (the real, incomprehensible suffering of those actually massacred).

Very good film.

Re: SPOILER WARNING

[strangedave]

Yes, I had very similar thoughts. The film, particularly through the animation style, and the way the animation of the scenes of memory would often completely abandon realism etc, made you very conscious that it was a work of art and artifice, and highly mediated. The chop back to news footage was so incredibly effective, with its sudden message of 'this may be art, but these people really died'.

Re: SPOILER WARNING

[ataxi]

It was a beautifully constructed film -- which made me feel slightly cynical about the opportunities afforded to Israeli filmmakers as opposed to Palestinian. Perhaps it's an unjust feeling but it still hasn't escaped me.