IMAGE ANALYSIS
The film “Waltz with Bashir” is an animated documentary of war and the effects of war on the human mind. Folman, the main character of the film is a war veteran who has lost his memories and is struggling to remember what happened to him. He is visibly shaken by the nightmares and dreams he continuously has and so, decided to seek answers to get back his memories. He visits three friends and colleagues who help him remember by telling him the events of the war. He begins to get recollections and flashbacks to the events during the war. In the picture below, he had gone to visit his friends and they told him of the Lebanon war and his part in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, he gets a flashback where he recalls the war.
The picture is a close reflection of the emotions Folman had on getting back his memories. The open door of the car shows the urgency with which Folman got out of the car, it shows how conflicted he feels, the way his posture is little hunched shows the emotions he feels. The image has an array of dark colors, which show exactly how Folman feels at that particular moment, the red skies show an incoming storm and probably thunder. The image was used in the film to depict the perfect array of emotions by Folman and in doing so, it relayed the same emotions to the viewers.
The image with Folman hunched over after getting back his memories shows that some part of him wished he should not have searched for the missing pieces of his past because he knows that what he has remembered will haunt him for years to come. He was quoted saying that recalling those memories was like scratching at an old wound. Folman portrays the sky as red to show the utter rage he felt at the profound effects of war, the pain and trauma he underwent during the war, and he got this point across to the viewers to show them the effects of war.
Through the film, Folman was able to depict the detrimental effects war had on people, especially soldiers who are at the frontlines. The trauma he underwent was enough to make him get amnesia, and his friends relieving the war again induced trauma in that, now he knew, he did not have an idea on how to use the information. In the position he is in, it shows that he has taken a blow and requires a few minutes to breathe and take in the flurry of memories going through his mind.
The image is a bit blurred showing that it was raining. This is another way of showing Folman’s pain; he is standing in the rain and does not seem to mind it as he seems to be lost in thought. The image calls out to the viewer to sympathize and empathize with Folman as he feels the burden of his renewed memories, the viewers can feel the raw emotions spilling out from the image, and even without knowing the full story of the film, one can say, the man in the image is torn.
To sum it up, using the film “Waltz with Bashir”, Folman can reach out to many viewers and audiences. The effects of war are devastating and the results can be seen in the trauma undergone by the victims. The film was used to help people understand the mental health problems associated with war, and how to deal with them. Folman shows that trauma associated with war can be remedied and the victims of such trauma should seek help.