2008 / animation / Israël / status : completed / Hebrew / long feature-film / French and International catalog
One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can’t remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images …
Premiering in Competition at Cannes, WALTZ WITH BASHIR is an innovative fusion of animation and documentary, tracing the deeply personal yet universal quest of a former soldier to recover his lost memories. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film (the first animated feature to do so), among many others. Widely recognised as a major work of world cinema, the film remains powerfully relevant and is set to be restored in 4K.
Press
«An acid-trip down memory lane. Extraordinary. ★ ★ ★ ★»
The Guardian
«Astonishing, unforgettable: you have to see it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★»
EMPIRE
«A memoir, a history lesson, a combat picture, a piece of investigative journalism and an altogether amazing film. A work of astonishing aesthetic integrity and searing moral power.»
The New York Times
«Persepolis meets Full Metal Jacket in Ari Folman's powerful and original animated war film. Profound, and profoundly affective.»
The Globe and Mail
«The message of the futility of war has rarely been painted with such bold strokes.»
TIME Magazine
«An absolute stunner.»
The Wall Street Journal
«In a word, unforgettable.»
Time Out
