I was excited after hearing about this film and after watching it in the cinema a month ago was not disappointed...Its a docu-animation (the first of its kind as far as I'm aware of) about the involvement of young Israeli soldiers in two massacres of Palestinians during the 1982 war with Lebanon. Stories of the war are told by the ex-soldiers and their memories are painted vividly for us in animation, showing us what they recall as we hear them speak.
The idea of the film came about when Ari Folman, the director, was told by a friend that he had a reocurring nightmare of being chased through the streets by 26 dogs. It turns out, during the war he could not bring himself to kill men so it was his job to shoot the dogs as the soldiers entered a town so as not to wake up the enemy. After hearing his friend mention the war Ari Folman realises he can remember very little of the conflict. So in an attempt to remember he tracks down old comrades and hears their stories. Slowly he realises that guilt has been blocking his memory. We find out at the end of the film why he feels so guilty. Its an incredible journey. The animated scenes depict the horror of war perfectly and, unexpectedly, are very realistic. You quickly forget you are watching an animated film and become engrossed in the dreams and memories of war. A must see film. Watch it!
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