--- title: "Waltz with Bashir" year: 2008 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/waltz-with-bashir" fi1m_id: "waltz-with-bashir" imdb_id: "tt1185616" tmdb_id: 8885 wikidata_id: "Q160793" fi1m_score: 83 critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:31.831707+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Waltz with Bashir (2008) Directed by Ari Folman · 1h 30m · MPA R · Animation, Documentary, Drama, War ## Identity Waltz with Bashir - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/waltz-with-bashir - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** waltz-with-bashir - **IMDb ID:** tt1185616 - **TMDB ID:** 8885 - **Wikidata ID:** Q160793 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185616/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/8885, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q160793 **Fi1m score: 83** · Critics 75 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* The drawings make war easier to look at, and that is an uncomfortable thing to discover > Ari Folman’s animated documentary is a powerful account of trying to remember a war. Some interviews repeat what we already understand, but the drawn recollections make the search absorbing and deeply uncomfortable. ## Synopsis Ari Folman cannot fully recall his service in the 1982 Lebanon War and sets out to recover the missing memories. He interviews others and uses animation to recreate their recollections, bringing dreams and accounts of combat into the same film. The search raises questions about trauma, guilt and what the mind allows a person to remember. Folman directs and voices himself, with Ori Sivan, Ronny Dayag and Shmuel Frenkel also voicing themselves. Mickey Leon voices Boaz Rein-Buskila, while Yehezkel Lazarov supplies the voice of Carmi Cna’an. ## Review *Waltz with Bashir* is a war documentary built around a troubling admission: Ari Folman cannot fully remember his own service. His search takes him through interviews and animated recreations of the 1982 Lebanon War, with dreams entering the account alongside recollections. We recommend it warmly, though its explanations sometimes continue after we have understood them. Folman, who writes and directs, makes the uncertainty worth attending to. We have to consider how much confidence to place in an image when the person recalling it cannot be certain either. The animation’s vivid yellows and greens give combat a look far removed from ordinary life. Conversations can open into dreams, and Folman lets us see how recollection changes an experience as it tries to recover it. We were disturbed by how easily we found ourselves admiring those coloured images of battle. Their beauty keeps us looking at experiences the people speaking struggle to recall. Folman uses that attraction well, keeping the combat frightening even when its colours invite our attention. Nili Feller’s editing has the difficult job of keeping a search moving when its subject is uncertain memory. The passage between interviews and imagined or remembered events is generally persuasive; we can follow the enquiry without expecting each image to count as proof. At 90 minutes, though, the film still has stretches where another conversation seems to establish a point already made. Once we understand that recollection can protect, distort and omit, further explanation does less for us than the animated scenes. Richter’s music gives the recollections an appropriate sadness, and does not have to supply all the feeling. Much of that comes from listening to people try to account for what they remember. Folman voices himself, with participants including Ori Sivan and Ronny Dayag also providing their own voices. The interview animation is sometimes stiff enough to distract from them, but keeping these conversations in the film makes us aware of the speakers behind the pictures. Folman’s involvement also puts a useful limit on his authority. He is asking others to help him remember, so the film cannot easily pretend to offer a complete account of the war. Its concern with guilt is persuasive because remembering becomes an uncomfortable task for the person making it. There is a danger that such close attention to a soldier’s damaged memory could crowd out larger questions of responsibility, but we think the film gives us reason to keep asking those questions. War films often put confused experiences into an order we can follow, explaining who went where and why. Folman gives us less certainty, and the animation allows him to show the confusion without suggesting that a camera was there to record it. That makes the film especially rewarding for anyone interested in how documentary can represent experiences its subjects cannot fully explain. Give it an evening when there is no need to be sociable immediately afterwards. *Fi1m score 83, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics respond warmly to Waltz with Bashir, with praise centred on its animation and its treatment of memory, trauma and guilt. The reviews describe dreamlike images that turn interviews and recollections of the 1982 Lebanon War into something more unsettling than straightforward testimony. Many find that the personal search for clarity gives the film moral force, while the blending of combat, dreams and remembered experience makes its documentary approach persuasive. The spread of opinion is wide, however, particularly over whether the stylisation brings the experiences closer or keeps them at a distance. The AV Club admires the subjective intensity but finds the approach less convincing as direct journalism. Slant Magazine offers the sharpest dissent, arguing that the film establishes its point early and then repeats it to wearying effect. The Hollywood Reporter also questions the narrative momentum and finds the animated interviews uneven. ## Straight answers **Is Waltz with Bashir worth watching?** *Waltz with Bashir* is worth watching for anyone interested in how a documentary can show what its subjects cannot fully remember, and we scored it 83. Ari Folman’s animated search for his own missing memories of the 1982 Lebanon War is absorbing and uncomfortable. Some interviews restate points already made, and it suits an evening with no need to be sociable afterwards. **How long is Waltz with Bashir, and what is it rated?** *Waltz with Bashir* runs 1h 30m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is an animation and documentary film. **Where can I watch Waltz with Bashir in the US?** *Waltz with Bashir* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Waltz with Bashir, and is it suitable for children?** *Waltz with Bashir* carries an 18 certificate in the UK and is not suitable for children. It is an animated documentary about the 1982 Lebanon War, and the combat stays frightening even when the vivid yellows and greens make it easy to look at. The subject matter, trauma and guilt in a soldier’s memory, is adult throughout; older teenagers with a serious interest in war and how it is remembered are the youngest audience we would suggest. **How does Waltz with Bashir compare to Flee?** *Waltz with Bashir* is the harder and more troubling of the two, while [*Flee*](https://film.one/film/flee) is warmer, funnier and more intimate. Both use animation to draw memories nobody filmed, but Folman is a soldier interrogating his own guilt and Rasmussen is a friend listening to a refugee describe where home is. We recommend both; choose Folman for an enquiry into war and Rasmussen for a single life told patiently. **What should I watch after Waltz with Bashir?** After *Waltz with Bashir*, try [*Flee*](https://film.one/film/flee) (2021, Fi1m 83): Animation makes a refugee’s account intimate without pretending memory is straightforward. Then [*Hiroshima mon amour*](https://film.one/film/hiroshima-mon-amour) (1959, Fi1m 87): War and private grief intrude upon a romance through fractured recollection; and [*The Ascent*](https://film.one/film/the-ascent) (1977, Fi1m 88): A harsher wartime ordeal, with equal concern for conscience and responsibility. ### Reviews we read (14) - **Screen Daily** (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it one of the most powerful statements at Cannes, a potent anti-war movie and moral indictment of Israeli conduct during the 1982 Lebanon War and Sabra and Shatila massacre. The unique animated style and personal perspective deliver a strong impact. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/animation/waltz-with-bashir/4038809.article) - **The AV Club**, Tasha Robinson (B): The film expands dialogues into dreamy animated visions that comment on the elusive nature of memory and consciousness, with striking subjective intensity in its depictions of combat chaos. Its extreme stylization can feel distancing and lacks the realism of live footage, resulting in an impressionistic portrait rather than a direct journalistic inquiry. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/waltz-with-bashir-1798205429) - **Slant Magazine**, Nick Schager (40/100, inferred): The director understands how the psyche denies and embellishes trauma, and the animation lends a striking surreal beauty while serving as a thematic distancing device. The film makes its point early and restates it repeatedly in a drearily redundant way, creating an enervating sense of remoteness that is structurally logical but ultimately schematic. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/waltz-with-bashir/) - **Empire**, Dan Jolin: The critic praises the film's innovative animated approach to exploring the director's repressed memories of the 1982 Lebanon War and its personal and political impact. The stark animation effectively blends recollection, dreams, and experience, culminating in a powerful use of real footage. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/waltz-bashir-review/) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic praises the film's hypnotic animation style and its powerful exploration of memory, guilt and the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacres. The shift to real newsreel footage at the end is singled out as devastating. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/23/waltz-with-bashir-review) - **The Hollywood Reporter**: The critic finds mixed results in this self-styled animated documentary about a director recovering repressed memories of his service in the 1982 Lebanon War through interviews and recreations. Some scenes have visceral poetic power, but the monochromatic palette, choppy animation of interviews, lack of narrative thrust, and delayed mention of key events like the Sabra and Shatila massacres limit its impact. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/waltz-bashir-126488/) - **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane: The critic praises the film’s unusual adult psycho-documentary combat cartoon style, fluid imagery, and its honest confrontation of trauma and guilt without easy resolution. He notes the powerful effect on the viewer but calls the switch to real news footage at the end a mistake. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/01/05/private-wars) - **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott: The critic calls it an altogether amazing film that is a memoir, history lesson, combat picture, and piece of investigative journalism. He singles out its unique animated documentary approach for creating astonishing aesthetic integrity and searing moral power. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/movies/26bash.html) - **The Times**, Cosmo Landesman: The review calls the animated documentary harrowing and haunting, highlighting its unique focus on the subconscious and how young soldiers process trauma rather than conventional battle scenes. The film's critical stance on Israel and its domestic reception are also noted. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/waltz-with-bashir-the-sunday-times-review-3s0kpt2cq5z) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (4 out of 5 stars): The critic praises the film's vivid animated recreation of memories from the 1982 Lebanon War and its exploration of recollection and guilt. The animation stands out as revelatory and the film is described as beautiful and compelling despite its grim subject. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/waltz-with-bashir) - **Total Film**: The review highlights the film's exceptional animated style that turns interviews into a hallucinogenic yet reverential experience, making the history of the Sabra and Shatila massacre and the director's quest for clarity uniquely compelling. It notes the effective contrast with real photography at the end. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/waltz-with-bashir-review/) - **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (85/100, inferred): The critic praises Folman's use of animation to engage audiences with the recalled events of the 1982 Lebanon War in a way simple testimony could not. The film is described as a haunting and powerful document about the harrowing effects of war on participants, using actual documentary footage sparingly but with great impact. [Read](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/waltz-with-bashir-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) - **Paste**, Jesse Jarnow (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's powerful animation that visualizes memory and trauma from the 1982 Lebanon War. They highlight the emotional intensity and the impactful fourth-wall shattering climax. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/ari-folman/waltz-with-bashir) - **The Skinny**, Gail Tolley (★★★★): The critic praises how the film sidesteps desensitization to war imagery through its striking animated style in vivid yellows and greens, achieving a fresh perspective on the Israeli-Lebanon conflict of 1982. Folman's personal reconstruction of suppressed memories via interviews blends dreamlike animation with documentary elements, challenging viewers' interactions with fact and fiction so that the real footage lands with proper impact. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/waltz-with-bashir) ## Details - **Director:** Ari Folman - **Director:** Ari Folman - **Writer:** Ari Folman - **Editor:** Nili Feller - **Music:** Max Richter - **Producer:** Serge Lalou, Roman Paul, Yael Nahlieli - **Cast:** Ari Folman as Self (voice); Miki Leon as Boaz Rein-Buskila (voice); Ori Sivan as Self (voice); Yehezkel Lazarov as Carmi Cna'an (voice); Ronny Dayag as Self (voice); Shmuel Frenkel as Self (voice); Zahava Solomon as Self (voice); Ron Ben-Yishai as Self (voice) - **Runtime:** 1h 30m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 25 December 2008 - **Genres:** Animation, Documentary, Drama, War - **Budget:** $2 million - **Box office:** $11 million ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: AU, BE, BR, CL, CO, FR, GB, IE, MX, NL, NZ, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2009: Best International Feature Film (nominated) - International Submission to the Academy Awards 2009: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated) - Annie Award for Best Animated Feature 2008: Annie Award for Best Animated Feature (nominated) - Critics' Choice Awards 2008: Best Animated Feature (nominated) - European Film Award for Best Composer 2008: European Film Award for Best Composer (won) - European Film Award for Best Director 2008: European Film Award for Best Director (nominated) - European Film Award for Best Film 2008: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated) - European Film Award for Best Screenwriter 2008: European Film Award for Best Screenwriter (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Flee* (2021), Fi1m 83: Animation makes a refugee’s account intimate without pretending memory is straightforward. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/flee.md) - *The Missing Picture* (2013): Another personal history that uses crafted images to approach unbearable events. - *Hiroshima mon amour* (1959), Fi1m 87: War and private grief intrude upon a romance through fractured recollection. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/hiroshima-mon-amour.md) - *The Ascent* (1977), Fi1m 88: A harsher wartime ordeal, with equal concern for conscience and responsibility. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-ascent.md) - *The Thin Red Line* (1998), Fi1m 84: For another war film that refuses to keep thought separate from combat. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-thin-red-line.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/waltz-with-bashir