"Waltz With Bashir" is an animated documentary feature. Let that one sink in for a minute.
It's also an animated war film and — in its U.S. theatrical release — it features English-language subtitles, to help translate some Israeli and German dialogue for audiences.
Those, among other reasons, suggest that perhaps this film should not work at all.
Yet it does — and quite well. By using animation to tell his story, filmmaker Ari Folman is able to depict things that he would not be able to otherwise.
That includes re-creations of the Israeli occupation of Lebanon in 1982, as well as some fantasy sequences, which would be impossible to film without a staggering production budget.
As a result, the movie packs a powerful, emotional punch, and it resonates strongly, especially considering the continuing unrest in the Middle East.
"Waltz With Bashir" finds Israeli television and film writer Folman, who's now middle-aged, looking back on his experience as an army soldier.
(Folman and other Israeli teens were conscripted to fight in Lebanon during the occupation and subsequent civil war.)
What precipitates this is a meeting with an old friend, Boaz Rein-Buskila, who's having persistent nightmares in which he's attacked by a pack of wild dogs.
Both Folman and Rein-Buskila believe the nightmare may have to do with the warfare. And Folman begins questioning whether his own memories are real — and whether what he and his fellow soldiers did was justified.
The final few images of the film are live-action bits — newsreel photography taken after the massacre in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.
At first, it's a little jarring. But it also reinforces the notion that this story is real. And it ensures that this movie will not be forgotten any time soon.
As for the animation, it's a blend of seemingly static, character "cutouts" that are superimposed into computer-generated backgrounds. It looks terrific. (Kudos to art director David Polonsky and animation director Yoni Goodman for creating the film's unique look.)
Likewise, Michael Richter's subdued score includes classical music (selections from Bach, Chopin and Schubert) and is very effective.
"Waltz With Bashir" is rated R and features strong, animated violent content (warfare, including gunplay and shootings, and explosive mayhem, as well as an animal attack), some bloody and gory imagery, slurs and derogatory language based on nationality, race and religious beliefs, scattered profanity, animated nudity (male and female), and a brief sex scene (on a television screen). Running time: 90 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com