Last week, I watched the film Waltz with Bashir, which I highly recommend because it is truly an outstanding film combined with the fact that it raises so many issues related to memory. The film deals explicitly with how memories change, are suppressed, and at times even fabricated, whilst also touching upon the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Written, produced and directed by Ari Folman, an Israeli filmmaker, this film documents Folman’s struggle to recall his own experiences as a teenage soldier during Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. A friend’s confession of a recurring nightmare sprung from these times, leads Folman to realize that he has absolutely no recollection of what must have been a very emotional and disturbing period in his life. He knows, for a fact, that he must have been present during the massacre at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, but he finds that he cannot remember anything regarding these events. Folman then sets about gathering testimonials from friends and former colleagues to relive his own memory.
Folman chooses to present his story with animation, a characteristic which makes the film so unique. It is not about the use of animation per se but the freedom that this affords and how Folman deals with it. In brief, I think that the use of the animation is the medium for Folman to transfer his own experience to us, without it losing its authenticity.
I will not expand more on this issue or on other issues because I do not want my text to contain spoilers. In the meantime, if you would like to watch the film or if you have already watched it and you would like to discuss it, I would be really grateful to share more of my thoughts with you.
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