Waltz With Bashir
War might be hell, but it's also totally awesome, right? That's the message embedded in most war movies. François Truffaut even claimed it's impossible to make an anti-war film, as the big screen automatically turns bodies and bullets into fodder for spectacular cinematic ka-boom.
Ari Folman's animated kinda-documentary Waltz With Bashir makes a convincing case that Truffaut was wrong. Ari's wondering about the first Lebanon War in the '80s. He was there; he fought and probably killed for Israel; but he can't actually remember the details, so he interviews his old friends and comrades to see what's what.
And okay, Truffaut, okay - the war flashbacks absolutely pop. The stylised animation makes everything hyper-real, drenched in colour, moving dream-like to pop and punk from the 1980s. What makes Waltz With Bashir different from the rising tide of well-meaning war films is how its visuals lead up to a specific - and shattering - conclusion.
If we make sense of war by seeing it as a music video, or a Hollywood montage, or a first-person shooter... well, what happens when the comforting screen we're watching finally falls apart?
Format: Cinema
Mood: Make a therapy appointment now
Keywords: Animation, Documentary, War
Random Entries:
Search our guide to Melbourne
Browse our guide to Melbourne by interest
Browse our guide to Melbourne by keyword
Melbourne Events Calendar
Select a date to see what's on in Melbourne
Browse our guide to Melbourne by weekly issue
Working