Waltz With Bashir

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Waltz With Bashir

R

2008

1h 30m

Documentary

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

149 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman wrote, directed and starred in this autobiographical animated film. As a 19-year-old infantry soldier in the 1982 war with Lebanon, Folman witnessed the Sabra and Shatila massacre, but realizes that he has no memory of the event. In 2006, he seeks out others who were in Beirut at the time to discuss their memories, including a psychologist specializing in post-traumatic stress disorders and the first journalist to cover the massacre.

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Critics Consensus

A wholly innovative, original, and vital history lesson, with pioneering animation, Waltz With Bashir delivers its message about the Middle East in a mesmerizing fashion.

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Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Sep 14, 2010

3.5/4

Persepolis meets Full Metal Jacket in Ari Folman's powerful and original animated war film.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Jul 6, 2010

These depictions of the dementia of war have a hallucinatory power that can stand alongside those of Apocalypse Now.

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Mary Corliss

TIME Magazine

Jul 6, 2010

The message of the futility of war has rarely been painted with such bold strokes.

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

Nov 3, 2024

A stunning and unique look at war

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Kathy Fennessy

Seattle Film Blog

Oct 17, 2023

4/4

War may be hell for people of all ages, but Folman ensures that moments of grace and beauty shine through, best exemplified by Roni Dayag’s recollection of a late-night swim away from the scene of a beachfront battle.

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Alistair Lawrence

Common Sense Media

Jan 11, 2023

3/5

Waltz with Bashir's illustrated and animated interviews with fellow veterans of the 1982 Lebanon War give the events and effects discussed a dream-like quality that often represent traumatizing real-life history.

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Robert P

@Superbad Nov 3, 2026

Waltz With Bashir is a 5 star Movie...

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 26, 2026

The worldwide gross is $13,912,289.00.

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 May 12, 2025

Draws similarly across rotoscope panes for the right substantial fluid to tell an insightful angle of PTSD, branching the antiwar discourse with harrowing results from elemental pioneering between the medium and docudrama form. (B)

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Noe G

@RT06896914 Dec 28, 2024

Waltz with Bashir is a fantastic animated film from 2008 and it’s my number two best animated film of 2008 and my rating is 10/10

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Liam D

@Mediawatcher2003 Nov 23, 2024

While an uncomfortable movie today. It’s animated movie that has an unique art style and fantastic filmmaking

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Colin M

@RT35044827 Jul 23, 2024

Animated exploration of Middle East conflict.

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Ari Folman

Director

Ron Ben-Yishai

Self

Ronny Dayag

Self

Ari Folman

Self

Dror Harazi

Self

Yehezkel Lazarov

Carmi Cna'an

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Synopsis

Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman wrote, directed and starred in this autobiographical animated film. As a 19-year-old infantry soldier in the 1982 war with Lebanon, Folman witnessed the Sabra and Shatila massacre, but realizes that he has no memory of the event. In 2006, he seeks out others who were in Beirut at the time to discuss their memories, including a psychologist specializing in post-traumatic stress disorders and the first journalist to cover the massacre.

Director: Ari Folman
Producer: Serge Lalou, Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Israel Film Fund, Télévision Suisse-Romande (TSR), Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF), Razor Film Produktion GmbH, SBS, Les Films d'ici, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Arte France
Rating: R (Dist. Images of Atrocities|Brief Nudity|Graphic Sexual Violence|Strong Violence)
Genre: Documentary, Animation
Original Language: Hebrew
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.3M
Runtime: 1h 30m

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