Yes, I said it. I liked this movie more then "Slumdog Millionaire".
ALSO: DING DING: Based on a true story..ka ching. Ari Folman (director and writer) documents the Sabra and Shatila massacre he witnessed when he was only 19 years old.
Do not disregard this movie because it is animated. If anything, the cinematography enhances the story. It is a memoir, told in non-linear fashion, only to capture the series of personal narratives about the Israel/Lebanon war of 1982.
The main theme of this movie is memory, and the how/what/why our brain "chooses" to remember details. Ari plays himself, and he cannot remember the period of his life when he was a soldier, and is searching for the truth. He consults other soldiers and a therapist to discover and separate reality from illusion. What DO we remember? Do we tell ourselves lies to compensate or cover up certain memories? The way this movie is executes these ideas is not remotely trite or overtly calculated. The portrayal of the mental standing of a post-war soldier is more "raw" then any RECENT movie I have seen within the genre . While this is a "war" movie, it focuses on the psychology behind a group and an individual. In interview format, the characters recall events and hallucinations they had which reveal how one instance can be remembered in numerous ways.
The opening scene and ending scene both left me shaky. The music paired with the immense symbolism and details opened and ended the movie with a powerful tone. The first scene is a pack of dogs running through the streets, baring their teeth, knocking over chairs, frightening bystanders because they CAN. There is a quick shot of the dogs running over a shadow on the street of a person holding the hand of a child. Coincidence? I think not. The theme of power and the "why" behind it is also carried out through the movie.
There were some "trippy" parts as well. One scene that really stuck with me was when the soldiers are on the beach after a night of gunfire, and one soldier starts playing his gun like a guitar, and the beach turns into a Venice Beach style surf-and-lounge. The artistic quality of the movie is just unreal! The way the animation moves and the focus of the camera is just truly fascinating and intriguing. I found it interesting that despite being an animated film, the sincerity of the characters and events was intensified.
Many scenes are repeated, and the audience remains unsure which scenes actually occurred, and which scenes are incorrectly recalled. I personally felt there was an intentional irony to this movie because WHO remembers the Israel Lebanon war? Do we discuss the number of innocent people who were killed? Do we remember what happened? What do we pick and choose to remember?
AMAZING MOVIE...I would see it again.
