Trying to Remember

www.waltzwithbashir.com

             Memory is a tricky thing. Not all the events that happen in our lives are retained in our memory. Those that manage to grad hold are vulnerable to manipulation, especially to the point where the memory no longer resembles the original. Then, there is the peculiar case of lost memories – events that we chose to forget, whether consciously or unconsciously, due to fear that we might discover something faulty within ourselves. Waltz with Bashir, a compelling film by Israeli director Ari Folman, explores the subject of memory and the complex journey of trying to remember.

            Waltz with Bashir follows the personal journey of Ari Folman – the man who wrote, directed, and produced this film as a form of therapeutic treatment for the consequences of remembering the events of his life. During a dinner with an old friend by the name of Boaz Rein Buskila, Folman is told about Buskila’s recurring nightmare in which twenty-six bloodthirsty canines chase after him. Folman discovers that these dreams are related to Buskila’s experiences in the First Lebanon War, which took place in the 1980’s. He is surprised when he cannot recall any of his own memories from the war. Soon after this meeting, he has a vivid dream in which he emerges from the sea with two other men into the burning city of Beirut, where he is confronted by thousands of bewailing women. With this dream as his only guide to his past, Folman goes on a tremendous journey to seek out and interview old friends and comrades around the world, hoping to uncover what really happened during those days in 1982 surrounding the Sabra and Shatila massacre.

            The most fascinating aspect of this film is its format. Recognized as the first feature-length animated documentary, Waltz with Bashir utilizes a rare genre of film to tell a story, which Folman asserts could only be told in this manner. Evidence to support Folman’s assertion is obvious throughout the film. In order to transform Waltz with Bashir into a real-life movie, the production team would need an obscene budget to replicate all of the war scenes that are depicted. Furthermore, the dream and trance sequences would be impossible to replicate – they would have to either be minimized or cut from the movie altogether. However, these sequences are crucial to the essence of the documentary. Without Buskila’s dream, Folman would never have decided to go on his journey, and without his own dream, Folman would never have known where to start searching.

            The peculiar structure of the film consists of dream and hallucinatory war sequences interrupted by scenes depicting Folman’s search for his interviewees. The scenes in the movie are presented in a staccato manner, which reflects the scattered elements of Folman’s memory that he is trying to piece together. As a result of the movie’s rhythm, many of the scenes stand alone in the film. The opening sequence in which the twenty-six dogs are chasing after Buskila is a striking beginning, but it is brilliantly placed because it prepares the audience for what is to come. There is also a porn scene in the film which, like the opening sequence, stands apart from the rest of the movie. However, unlike the opening sequence, it does not seem to serve any useful purpose.

            The music of the documentary further adds to the hypnotic nature of the film. It is used in two ways in the movie – it is either used to supplement the strange dream sequences or it is used to bestow a sense of irony upon the war scenes. This second use of music is most evident when the happy, upbeat song “Beirut” is played along with terrifying images of tanks exploding and people being killed in masses. The dark and ironic emotion that this combination evokes is one that is felt throughout the film and which makes this movie so enticing.

            Waltz with Bashir is a remarkable documentary about the First Lebanon War and on a more intimate level, it is a documentary of Ari Folman’s quest to rediscover his lost memories of the war. As Folman often states this film is a personal journey, but it can easily be generalized to anyone because we have all struggled with out memory.  Thus, the allure of the film lies in assurance that everyone strives to cope with the consequence of their memories.