Praise for Waltz with Bashir

Waltz with Bashir is an exceptionally well made film in many respects.

First, it is artistically unique. I would say beautiful, but that's not quite the word. It's more... rugged. Rough with intention. The first scene is shocking and a little scary to audiences with no context. A big pack of blood-thirsty dogs with yellow teeth and gold eyes runs around destroying the grey city and everything in their way. The yellow, clouded sky reflects in black puddles as claws splash through them, all heading the same direction. Eventually we see that they're surrounding the window of a man whom they threaten. The coordination here brings audience focus to the key elements of the scene: dogs being tough, people fearing/avoiding said dogs, communal attitude of uncertainty and destruction. And what I mean by "coordination" is "color scheme." We see black, grey, and a few shades of yellow. Nothing is clean or pure. Nothing about this life is desirable. And then... it's a dream.

Second, the dialog and character development are absorbing and true to form. Every conversation is very human and reflects all that I know of Israeli culture. A line that caught my attention was, "A human mechanism prevents us from entering dark places." I did not note the exact context, but I think it had something to do with choosing the right path in life.

One character describes how he did not fare well as a soldier in the war, saying that he would sleep and hallucinate when afraid. The use of flashbacks is another remarkable aspect of this work: the character flashes back to being on the water with his fellow soldiers. He finishes vomiting over the side of the ship and falls asleep on the ground. Suddenly, he sees a pleasant-looking woman doing the backstroke, seeming bigger and bigger as she nears him. She stands up in the deep water and we realize she's a gorgeous, naked giant. Blue. She cradles him like a child and backstrokes away, the soldier laying face down on her stomach. He watches an explosion on board from the water (everything is blue/grey but the explosion is ORANGE!), and soon wakes up to find that none of it ever happened; everyone is fine.

On a completely different note, one of the interviewees was leading troops in the war. As a military strategy, he constantly wears patchouli oil; this way, everyone knows where he is by smell. How brilliant is that!? Details like this make the movie truly amazing.

I'd like to point out a few artistic details I noticed, also: Persian rugs, marble bathtubs (really looked like marble), brick walls completely covered in bricks (instead of brick patches and blank space common among many art styles), reflections on water in multiple situations, labels on consumer products like wine, and the shadow of a pretty metal grate or door (that we never actually see) washing over a man as he speaks.

The ending is very powerful. Debbie and H, if you are reading this and haven't seen Waltz with Bashir, I won't include spoilers. All I'll say is, depressing as it is, this movie is masterfully constructed and anyone who hasn't seen it should see it.