WALTZ WITH BASHIR ***

Ari Folman's extraordinary film "Waltz with Bashir" is about the conflict in the Middle East; specifically it deals with the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 as director Folman delves into his own past and his memories of, and possible involvement in, the massacres at Sabra and Shatila. It is also an animated film, drawn in gorgeous colours, the cartoon figures and cartoon deaths keeping the audience at a safe distance from the horrors being portrayed. Watching this film, which more or less follows a documentary format, I kept thinking 'Were this live action it would be almost unbearable' and then, at the end, Folman pulls his coup; he switches from animation to actual footage of the aftermaths of the massacres and the result is devastating.

Of course, any film about the Israel/Palestine conflict takes its toll as this is a conflict that seems never ending. It's a war without a name, a war that the rest of the world seems to stand back from, at least in terms of military involvement. Britain and America may send Peace Envoy after Peace Envoy but so far to no real avail and, of course, we need films like "Waltz with Bashir"; we need to have our noses rubbed in it. This is one of the finest films I've ever seen to deal with the subject of war. It is also one one of the best animated films ever made.