2 - Past Events Living Forever in the Images they Left

Past Events Living Forever in the Images they Left

By Joseph, Samantha and Karen

The Relation between Documentaries and Real Past War Events

Documentaries have taken an important place in our current society since it allows the diffusion of true experience or events in an educating, as well as entertaining way. This week’s main topic was realism: how knowledge about the world can be transmitted through films. We got to view two different, as well as similar, movies focusing on past war events, which have led to changes throughout many countries and affected individuals.

Seeking a Personal Memory 

Waltz with Bashir is a film on the lost memories of Ari Folman. Ari Folman is the director as well as the main character the story the movie is based on. Released in Israel in 2008, this 90 minutes film focuses on reality and memory as the biggest issues and topics.

Memory, reality, fantasy and truth are the big themes in this documentary. Memory is what you chose to remember in your life, but what if what you remember is not the truth? Two people find themselves at the exact same place, at the exact same time and they both have a different memory; how do you know which one is the true memory and why do they have different memories of the exact same thing? Is your memory trustworthy? Memory is what makes us who we are today. Our memory is not always reliable but we put so much weight on out memory leading it to be reliable.  Ari, the main character of the movie, has a post-traumatic stress disorder after fighting as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces during the Lebanese War, which  led him to start fantasying different things and can’t remember big events of his journey in the army. For example, characters dreams of dogs barking through the city, dancing in an intersection of a war zone, shooting in every direction, of a big naked blue women coming to save him on a boat and then seeing the boat exploding from a far distance and lastly he dreams of him and two other soldiers coming out of dark waters along the shore to an orange sky at the view of a buildings naked to the bone. These are all the fantasy aspects and dreams Ari has throughout the movie. Why is he having these fantasies and dreams? This is the ultimate quest of what he is looking for during the movie in order to reconstruct his life.

There are a lot of aspects of realism in this film that making it captivating. The interviews that Ari has with his former fellow soldiers are actual recordings he did which he then included into the movie: the characters’ voices are actually the actual voices of people Ari talked with. You can tell this because when he has these interviews, the names and appear on the screen. In order to understand his memory loss, Ari interviewed his former fellow soldiers concerning the events he doesn’t remember after the war, hoping to put all the pieces together with these interviews in order to fill in the gaps that he is missing from his past. With all these memories that he has and all the memories he got back after the interviews allowed him to put all the pieces together and build a picture of those missing gasps. The more points of view he assembled on certain situations, the more truth and realism appeared to him. The war that is happening in this movie took place in Lebanon between 1982- 1983. Furthermore, in the movie the music and the weapons dated from that time period, which adds an extra element of reality for the viewer. He travels and meets with his friends to discuss his nightmares connected to his time in the Lebanon War. When Ari Folman goes home that night he dreams of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, a reality he can’t recall.  Why doesn’t he remember this? Reality isn’t always what we remember. Folman goes to look for other people living in Beirut in order to remember and understand what happened. He also met  with a a psychologist and a Israeli TV reporter who covered Beirut at the time, in order to help him remember what he forgot.

Waltz with Bashir is an animated documentary. There are a lot of advantages in making an animated movie. Producing a drawn movie is considered a lot cheaper than a movie with famous actors, and it was easier to reproduce many s manm  cenes. Also when making a movie about war you can’t get all the scenes straight from a war zone, therefore with an animated film you can reproduce any complicated scenes while choosing particular colors to include, which can lead to a change in the mood of the scenes, by adding more depth and emotion in a scene. This gives the director a creative license in all his scenes. Since Waltz with Bashir is a war movie some scenes can get bloody, that goes with any war movie. Being an animated war film it is a lot easier for the viewer to watch because it is all animated and most people that can’t sit through war movies because of all the gory. Scenes usually seen can sit through the documentary because it is animated and a lot less gory because of this. The director can show exactly what he was seeing at that exact moment of that scene since he has a control on what the viewer will be seeing while he is recreating all the scenes he remembered living through. He can play with the real and fantasy aspect of the movie because he can create any scene he was dreaming that can’t be done in reality. The end of the film was a shock for all viewers: the entire movie was in an animated form, until the last scene. It shifted from drawn imagine to real life footage. A woman was seen walking through her destroyed village screaming out of anger and disbelief with dead bodies everywhere. This scene had an objective to  shock the viewers which is indeed how we felt. It showed panic, horror and sticks in your head as real and horrifying, which made the film so special. 

This documentary's goal was to show us the real side of war so that we can learn from their mistakes in order not to repeat them. The documentary Waltz with Bashir is telling us that before starting any other conflicts that could lead to another war, we should consider the consequences that could follow for each individual and the whole country: it has something to say for everyone. For the victims, the documentary doesn't apologize for what they did but makes people aware of what happened during war and also to speak out for them. For the soldiers it allowed them remember what they did and maybe it isn't the best way to remember, but it’s a way of showing their pride on what they did for their country. Lastly it offers information for the viewers; they can learn and see what actually happens during a war without any propaganda, because unless you were there you will never know what actually happened. During the creation of this documentary the director also discovers a lot of what he lost. He gained access to his own truth through the making the documentary. 

Exclusive director Ari Folman Interview: 

Growing Up During the Iranian Revolution 

Documentaries can be used by some people to share how their personal life experiences were affected by war. Persepolis is an animated black and white movie based on the autobiography of Marjane Satrapi. Directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, this 95 minutes movie was released in France in 2007.

Persepolis tells the story of Marjane, a young Iranian girl who grew up in Teheran during the Iranian Revolution of 1979. She was surrounded by a very supportive and loving family that is described as being very involved in the political situation of her country. Her grandmother always had an important influence in Marjane’s life and she always taught Marji to never be afraid of whom she truly was. At a very young age, Marjane always found a way to contest the authority either in class or at home, which made her parents decide to send her to school in Vienna, where she wouldn't be in danger because of her rebellious attitude. Away from home and alone, she had to deal with discrimination and isolation during her teenage years because of the shocking difference in culture between Iran and Vienna until she returned to her homeland. Her return back home wasn’t joyful or a relief: Marjane fell into a deep depression because of the constant misery surrounding her in Iran. But she came out of this misery through her beliefs in God which made her realize that life doesn’t stop because of political tensions. Marji regain control of her life and continued living the way she always wanted to.

This movie can be considered special and unique because of its presentation: in animation and in black and white. Since both the book and movie Persepolis were drawn, it allowed us to clearly see and understand the truth about her difficult childhood during a critical period. By cartooning the movie it allowed the story line to be more interesting since it didn't concentrate on the actions of the characters but rather on the message that was transmitted: how this Iranian Revolution affected his citizen and especially Marjane. It also educated us, since it gave us an understanding of the war: how the governments reign on the country by giving us a brief history of Iran. For example, to explain how Iran underwent though a monarchy system, the movie portrayed a small sketch on how Iran’s leader got influenced by the Great-Britain, in a completely absurd way. The animation, the gestures were overstated to show us in a more comic then serious way how everything changed in the political system.  It allowed us to take a step back and realize what they went through.

The main issues raised were the political conflicts following the elections of the Islamic Fundamentalists party, which banished any influence from the Western world which led to many rebellions coming from the Iranian society as well as from Marjane’s family. Identity and culture were also issues discussed in this movie since Marjane struggled accepting her origin as a young girl while growing up away from her homeland Iran. Those issues are presented throughout the movie in a flashback form coming from Marjane’s memory as an adult. Starting when she was 9 years old, the movie mainly focuses on showing the beginning of the revolution against the Shah following the new laws implanted by the Islamic Republic that led to a retraining the rules in the society.

Throughout both movies we can see the connection between Ari Folman and Marjane Satrapi; they both struggled growing up in an environmental of constant war, either by being a young girl living through the Iranian Revolution or by being a teenager fighting within Israel Defense Force during the Lebanese War. Both portrayed the concept of realism in an abstract to share their childhood memories of the war in their country which let them to somehow direct an autobiography film through the memory they kept.

Through animation, Marjane got the chance to recreate her childhood as she perceived it without making it harsh for us to see the tragic events from her time. She got to diffuse representation of ideas or word said: when she was young, her mother threatened to hang her by her ears on the wall with nails because of her bad behavior. We got to see in an animated way the image her mother meant in a humoristic way. Another great animated scene was when Marji regain confidence and after her depression. We saw a representation of her getting back on track with the background song “The Eye of the Tiger”. By including this scene in a cartooned way, it brought more humor and entertainment to the movie. The most evident and useful reason of production her movie Persepolis must have been the evolution of Marji. The movie started when she was a young child, and then went through her teenage years where her body completely changed until her adulthood. It allowed us to follow Marji as she grew up and it must have been easier for the producers to conceptualize this key element as well as making it unique.

Furthermore, this week’s main topic was realism; how a movie often captures reality in a different way than the way we perceive it through our own eyes. Persepolis is a whole memoir of Majane’s life, showing us her difficult childhood and adulthood caused by the war. For example, by applying the power of illusion to the movie, Marjane often had the visit of God, who reminded her how to behave and to forgive with justice. Most of the movie is narrated by a feminine voice ex e eplaining the events that occurred at that time and how everyone participated in the revolution against the Shah and its consequences. The two main roles of documentary films are to give us certain knowledge from watching a documentary as well as entertaining us. Those two roles can be found in Persepolis since it allowed us to understand the impact of the Iranian Revolution, while making the movie captivating by being animated to offer us an acknowledge of this Iranian historical event. 

Trailer of the movie Persepolis:

A Thief in the Nights: Stealing Away your Humanity 

Often disregarded in the world of cinematography, documentary films are the reason we know the world of movie making as it is today, they are the first spark that lid up our screen still shining to this day. Although much different than their ancestors, documentary films essentially serve the same purposes as the ones that have started the evolution of cinema: they capture a specific moment that offers an education for people concerning past events. As diverse as our population, we can draw comparison to the different styles of documentaries surfacing on our present scene: while some are of short duration, others can last for a few hours. Also, some documentaries might even include an imaginary approach to a realistic event, some might use your imagination to make you understand facts.

Filmmaking is a broad window regrouping many styles; from fiction to Sci-Fi, from horror to romance and in this vast gender of movies, we can find the original style which stands out in the middle of all these: documentary films. While fiction and horror movies are manufactured for the entertainment of the mind, documentary films are created for the growth of the mind. Simple movies such as Waltz with Bashir or Persepolis have a deep meaning that teach us about the life situation during war. On one hand we see the life of the ones being persecuted and on another hand we see the life of the ones persecuting. We learn about a fear that isn't present in our everyday environment: the fear of not knowing if you might live another day, the fear of losing one you love to machine guns, a fear of sending your child to war or even a fear that you might not see the light shine upon your country the way it used to, when all happiness is stripped from you, when your voice is muted in the middle of the millions surrounding you, when your only future is to abide to rules stripping you away from your freedom. Some examples of this might include what we see in Persepolis when the little girl goes back to her neighborhood to see that it has been completely destroyed by bombs and that in the ruins that composed her world laid the body of a woman she knew well. Also, we can see in Waltz With Bashir that war stripped away all humanity from the soldiers that fought in this battle, they killed, they bombed and they disposed of bodies like machines without any sentimental attachment to these actions.  This is what the documentaries we recently watched teach us about: the fear of the unknown, the fear of time and most importantly the fear of life. 

I believe that the filmmakers of Waltz with Bashir and Persepolis communicated their ideas in a way that didn't repulse us, but rather encouraged us to follow and in a certain way to relive the events that rolled in front of their eyes. By making the characters in their movie fictional, the authors of the movies prevented the audience from being disturbed by watching scenes of massive murders and therefore allowing the diffusion of what really happened at that time, by putting away the feeling of heartbreaks that one might feel while watching a scene where someone gets shot in the head. Also, by filling their movies with various forms of emotions, such as fear, euphoria, sadness and rage instead of only focusing on facts related to the wars, allowed the audience to feel the sorrow that a war brings into families: the separation of a young girl from her family or the heartbreak you feel when a member of your family gets murdered. Or as seen in Waltz with Bashir by witnessing the sudden death of a mate when he receives a bullet through the head, or trying to escape a rain of bullets by throwing yourself in the ocean These components have helped the audience feel a connection between the story line and therefore retaining the moral information translated throughout the documentaries.

Due to our geographic placement, war isn't a constant worry present in our daily life, neither is the feeling of constant fear in our everyday routines. For example, we often get preoccupied about selfish needs or often get caught up in our daily lives, which we frequently forget to ask what is happening around the world. Since we live in an environment where we have a stable political system, a variety of rights and freedom, we often forget to think about the others, elsewhere in the world people can’t even go out in the streets without having a fear of death or threat. These documentaries challenge our understanding of the world by painting a contrast between our world and theirs: our understanding of the world is determined by the things we experience and witness in life. By introducing us to another reality of life, these documentaries have a meaning of instructing us into viewing the world in a different perspective.

As seen in Waltz with Bashir, memory can’t always be our go to resource when we are looking back on a moment in our life. The only reason why is because memory is something that can fade away, it is something that can be tempered with and most importantly memory has a mind of its own. As seen in this movie, the character started out by not recalling a thing about his war experience, his memory erased what it felt like a traumatizing experience and for his sanity and well being decided to delete these events. As the movie evolved so did his memory, constantly bringing back images from the testaments he was collecting. Yet these memories where as real as Hogwarts, he remembers a mermaid taking him on her stomach and swimming with him through the ocean. What we mean is that memory helps remembering events, yet will want to help you remembering them so that the pictures you see don’t affect you. Memory is like a friend, telling you the truth but on a lighter note and this is why it is not the best resource a man can have, because memory is changeable.  

In our present day, war is still very present in the daily life of many individuals, especially those living in various countries in the Middle East. Since the Arab Spring that started in December 18th 2010, we have been hearing more and more stories about the rise and the fall of several governments, which lead to conflicts within the country itself. Today, many societies living in a constant fear, are in the need and support of stronger nations. Something that these documentaries showed us this week is the pain and the fear that our fellow brothers have been living overseas and while these events are going on we now know how they feel. All that is left for us to do is to dig deep inside our hearts in order to find what would be the correct acts to do in order to offer a full support for those in needs and to not turn our backs on them, which is the message transmitted throughout the viewing of these documentaries.

Arab Spring Timeline:

After the Arab Spring (Article) 

Hopes for a Brighter Future 

In conclusion, the imaginary appearance of a story doesn't strip away the realism behind its message. We have witnessed two documentaries, each neglecting the usual realistic visual of documentary films yet filling us with true feelings. War has been an issue lived by many nations, each leaving sorrow and pain to the heart of at least one individual. No one would have thought that the story of a young girl would change our perspective of war. As well as the story of a young man, consumed by his dreams on a journey to piece back the bits of his memory that have faded into darkness. Destruction, a new name for war. Why you may ask? Because war destroys hope, war destroys happiness as well as memories, war destroys the person you are. Only the strong will find a way to rise from the ashes, but only the wise will learn from war. A helping hand in a pool of blood, this is the only thing they ask from us, a helping hand not a sorry glance.