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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2009)
movies movie clips BY JASON BLAIR WALTZ WITH BASHIR (VALS IM BASHIR): Written and directed by Ari Folman. Illustrated by David Polonsky. Music, Max Richter. Sony Pictures Classics, 2008. 90 minutes. 44442 Y ou won’t fi nd much dancing in Waltz with Bashir. Nor will you learn a great deal about Bashir Gemayel, the president of Lebanon who was assassinated during the 1982 war with Israel. The real Bashir belongs to history; Waltz with Bashir is about how memory suppresses history when we’re exposed to deeply traumatic events. Waltz with Bashir is an extraordinary fi lm experience, one that, while improved by an awareness of history, is both deeply personal and universal in its attempt to reconstruct the past. A highly unusual, highly decorated fi lm, Waltz with Bashir is an animated war documentary about the attempt to recover lost memories by a group of friends who were soldiers in the 1982 war — a war that, with bottomless irony, the Israeli government called “Operation Peace.” Writer and director Ari Folman, an Israeli soldier who invaded Beruit, is particularly interested in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, in which Israeli soldiers allowed the slaughter of Palestinian refugees by a Lebanese militia avenging the death of Bashir. Waltz with Bashir has so many aspects to it — aspects that work successfully, even spectacularly, together — that it’s nearly impossible to synthesize them all. At the outset, Ari is visited by Boaz, a friend from the war who’s experiencing recurring nightmares. During their meeting, Ari realizes he can’t recall the details of his war service. His one memory, which recurs throughout the fi lm, becomes the most paralyzingly beautiful scene of 2008: Ari and two friends are bathing in the sea at night as fl ares rain down like fi reballs over Beirut. With that image, which may or may not be authentic, as a sort of divining rod, Ari attempts to discover the hidden wells of memory within him, primarily by visiting and interviewing his old friends. Carmi, a haunted man who remembers less than Ari, seems to have died years ago. Ronny is alert but plagued by survivor’s guilt. Frenkel, their captain, is keenly aware of the war’s details, but his focus suggests a childlike fear of the unknown. As you watch Ari’s memories expand with repetition, you realize not only what you’re watching, but why Folman chose to tell his story this way. The fi lm’s richly animated comic-book style approximates the elusiveness and fl uidity of our memories, which in Waltz with Bashir run like spilled mercury and are sometimes as hard to follow. Winner of the 2008 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, Waltz with Bashir is the only animated fi lm ever nominated for a Best Foreign Language Oscar. It is also, oddly, one of only two Israeli animated features ever released, the other being last year’s $9.99. In a year without WALL-E, Bashir would be the best animated fi lm of the year. In a year without Man on Wire, it would be the year’s best documentary. Instead, by combining these disparate elements, it’s an entirely new way to tell a story, making Bashir, for my money, one of the best fi lms of this or any other year. The fi nal scene, which I found gratuitous, doesn’t diminish what comes before it, which is essentially a journey to a place in which Folman can fi nally exclaim, “The memories are coming back.” ew Waltz with Bashir opens Friday, Feb. 27, at the Bijou. Largest Selection of Asian Groceries Seaweed, rice, noodles, frozen products, deli, snacks, drinks, sauces, spices, produce, housewares, and more. We carry groceries from Holland, India, Pakistan and Polynesia Sushi & Asian deli take-out Woodfi eld Station SHOPPING CENTER 29TH AVENUE 5 Sunrise OAK STREET Ready or not, here comes the past Asian Food Market WILLAMETTE STREET Flashback OPENING OR RETURNING: Academy Award-Winning Short Films: This year’s Oscar- nominated short fi lms, both animated and live-action, in their only local screening. The winners were “La Maison en Petits Cubes” (animated) and “Spielzeugland” (live action), but all the nominees should be worth watching. Live shorts: 5:15 pm and 7:10 pm March 5. Animated shorts: 9 pm March 5. Screenings continue March 6, 7, 13 & 14 (times vary). DIVA. $6 per screening. diva.proscenia.net Directed by Steven Spielberg: Film series continues with Jurassic Park (Feb. 26) and fi nishes with Schindler’s List (March 5), both of which will be preceded by a brief talk from a UO grad student. 6 pm Thursdays, 180 PLC, UO. Free. Ed’s Co-ed: Silent fi lm shot at the UO in 1929 tells the story of a freshman named Ed. 2 pm Sunday, March 1, Downtown Library. Free. Heckler’s Night: Mock freely as the Goat screens Thunderball. 7 pm Wednesday, March 4, Wandering Goat. Free. Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience: I think this is pretty self-explanatory. G. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. Milk: Gus Van Sant’s biopic about Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), the country’s fi rst openly gay elected offi cial, is earning glowing reviews; “Milk is a marvel,” says The New York Times, while The Village Voice says, “Milk is so immediate that it’s impossible to separate the movie’s moment from this one.” With Josh Brolin, James Franco and Diego Luna. R. 128 min. VRC Stadium 15. A CADEMY A WARDS : S EAN P ENN , B EST A CTOR ; D USTIN L ANCE B LACK , B EST O RIGINAL S CREENPLAY . 44442 (12/11/08) Queer Film Festival: Annual festival features a Feb. 27 double feature of Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Story, about the hate crime that killed 15-year-old Gunn and the lack of coverage that followed, and Ask Not, which looks at the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy; and a March 4 double feature of La Leon, an Argentine drama about a fi sherman who is an outsider in his small village, and Sissyboy, about the Portland gender performance troupe of the same name. All showings start at 7 pm, 115 Lawrence, UO. Free. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li: The classic videogame is brought to cinematic life with Michael Clark Duncan, Kristin Kreuk (Smallville’s Lana Lang) and, oh, hey, Chris Klein! Who hasn’t made the best choices since Election, you might say. PG13. VRC Stadium 15. Swedish Film Series: Series fi nishes with Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg, the story of a man who moved to Budapest in 1944 to help protect Jews in the ghetto. Directed by Kjell Grede. 90 min. 7 pm Friday, Feb. 27, 177 Lawrence, UO. Valkyrie: Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects) directs this WWII fl ick about Claus von Stoffenberg (Tom Cruise) and a plot to murder Adolf Hitler. With Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Eddie Izzard and Terence Stamp. PG13. Movies 12. 44211 (12/31/08) Waltz with Bashir: Striking animated documentary follows director Ari Folman’s attempts to uncover his memories of participating in the 1982 Lebanon War. An unusual and unforgettable fi lm, extremely personal, beautifully created and with one of the year’s best soundtracks. “A movie so unusual that it overfl ows any box in which you try to contain it,” said The New Yorker. R. 90 min. Bijou. See review this issue. Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival: The Cascadia Wildlands Project and the UO Outdoor Program present a collection of outdoor fi lms, including “A River’s Last Breath” and “Run, Rogue, Run.” 7 pm Thursday, Feb. 26, 177 Lawrence, UO. $7. www.sunriseasianfood.com M-Th 9am-7pm•F 9am-8pm•Sa 9am-7pm•Su 10am-6pm 70 W. 29th Ave. Eugene • 541-343-3295 David Lindsay-Abaire’s Films open the Friday following EW publication date unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www. eugeneweekly.com 2007 Pulitzer Prize Winner February 27 - March 21 w play, Th is poignant ne ged and emotionally char y, nn unexpectedly fu ibility of ss po explores the in the finding hope even Special Event BENEFIT for SPONSORS, Inc. in memory of Barbara Nicholls Pay-what-you-can Performance of Rabbit Hole Thursday, February 26 8pm (suggested $10 donation) SPRING BREAK Theatre Camps March 23-27 Playshop for ages 8-12 Creative Drama & Acting meets 9 -12 am Teen Acting Intensive meets 1- 4pm Classes only $75 Limited Class Size - Register Early! Registration Opens March 2 call 684-6988 WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM EUGENE WEEKLY FEBRUARY 26, 2009 21
