2008 (Ari Folman) 18A, 90 min
Starring: Ari Folman, Ron Ben-Yishai, Ronny Dayag

This deeply personal film from the director/ screenwriter creates through the animated medium one of the boldest documentaries of our time on the long-term effects of war. Opening with a surreal sequence of wild dogs that run through a town only to stop and howl under a window, we learn that this recurring nightmare is what propels Folman to seek out other ex-soldiers who shared his past during Israel’s controversial involvement in the 1982 Sabra and Shatila refugee camp massacres. As he interviews his old comrades about the mission, his suppressed memories and feelings begin to surface, and a very unsettling parallel begins to emerge between that incident and the Holocaust. By animating live footage and coupling it with an exceptional score, Folman is able to elevate and broaden his scope to levels that would not have been possible by using more traditional documentary styles. This film is a rare and poetic glimpse into the elastic power of memory and its hold over us, a warning from the past to the future. Not to be missed. First animated film to be Oscar nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.