Waltz with Bashir

The nightmare of war haunts the soldiers: some are eternally plagued by the horrifying images and some just lose their memories as they struggle to return to their normal lives. Directed by Ari Folman, the animated documentary “Waltz with Bashir” is a story of a soldier who lost his wartime memories-memories of Mr. Folman himself. As Ari strive to regain his memory through the memories of other Israeli soldiers, the audience witnesses what actually happens during war: tanks smash houses and cars, towns are destroyed, and civilians are murdered. He also blames the followers of Bashir Gemayel, the Christian militia leader whose assassination resulted the massacre at Palestinian refugee camps. The highlight of this movie is a shocking ending that shows the actual wartime footage. The movie might be too depressing for the American society; however, the value of “Waltz with Bashir” cannot be underrated. This movie brings reality into our superficial Hollywood based entertainment-a wake up call to our ignorance to past and current tragedies.