“Waltz With Bashir” (2008)

This Israeli feature about the early 80s invasion of Lebanon breaks new ground in adult animation, poetically exploring notions of guilt and memory without ever losing sight of the serious political and ideological issues at its heart.  Writer/director Ari Folman combines an autobiographical enquiry into his part in the massacre of Lebanese and Palestinian refugees with similar stories and reminiscences told by friends and comrades who served along side him.

That cell animation is an ideal medium for exploring nightmares and differing levels of consciousness comes as no surprise.  Folman’s use of it to convey and comment upon historical reality however is a revelation, one that makes the climactic use of actual footage all the more powerful.