Waltz with Bashir and Z32 are two recent Israeli films (2008) that represent a new genre, one that could be called "documentary horror comedy."[i] Both deal with IDF soldiers' memories of war atrocities, the madness of violence, the banality of state commands, and the impotence of veteran soldiers and of the filmmakers – in short, the impotence of Israeli civil society vis-vis the arbitrariness of the state.

To make the soldiers' testimonies less gruesome and to get some distance from the violent descriptions, the directors borrowed techniques from other genres: Waltz with Bashir became an "animated documentary" and Z32 became a "documentary musical" in which even the director sings in an ironic, cabaret style. These movies well exemplify the lack of hope and inability to even imagine a non-violent reality in Israel since 2000, a situation that became evident to most Israelis as a result of the second Lebanon War in August 2006. At the end of the most consensual war since 1967, Israeli public debate became completely apolitical with only military options discussed. The Winograd Commission of Inquiry, established by public pressure to investigate the failure of the war, did not even ask whether there could have been a nonviolent option following the abduction of two soldiers by the Hezbollah. The commission only discussed the decision-making process and "managerial" mistakes of the political and military echelons, suggesting how to manage a more efficient and successful war in the future. Indeed the military and politicians prepared themselves to re-construct the deterrence power of Israel in a more effective war. After three weeks of "Operation Cast Lead", and 1300 Palestinians killed in January 2009, military and political leaders declared: that the lessons of Lebanon II where internalized and that Israel's deterrent force was restored.

Palestinian filmmakers discovered the hopeless political reality before the Israelis, apparently after 11 September 2001 and the re-occupation of the West Bank. The films Paradise Now (2005) and Divine Intervention (2002) reflect the impossible Palestinian situation without documentary testimonies, using a peculiar genre that can be called "realistic tragicomic fiction." Both films present the trap of Palestinians under the dual regime of military-democratic rule, the controlled borders, and the attempts to cross them, which create an explosive situation leading to violent fantasies and very concrete suicide bombings. The suicide bomb is an act of despair, used in the absence of any viable option or tangible activity that can eliminate the political trap. Expectations for divine intervention and the search for paradise appear to be more realistic options than the chance that human political efforts will put an end to the sophisticated regime of Israeli domination. Palestinian filmmakers, like their aforementioned Israeli counterparts, view violence as a destructive power that cannot lead to a better future.

These Israeli and Palestinian films present individuals trapped in a violent reality that has been imposed on them, unable to escape. In other words, they represent the absence of political space since October 2000 and the derailment of the "peace process". In spite of the apparent good intentions of the actors to work towards a negotiated peaceful coexistence, this tragic process deteriorated into escalating repression and violence. The Israeli elections in February 2009 reflect the unilateral strategy imposed by Israel, the total non-recognition of Palestinian rights, and the closure of political space by IDF violence in January 2009. The warm and enthusiastic reactions to the film Waltz with Bashir, cannot hide the US and EU support of Israeli violence, and the impotence of the international community to protect the Palestinians. Israeli and Palestinian artists and peaceful citizens still remain alone with their nightmares and dreams.

[i] Uri Klein compared the two movies and suggested that they represent a new genre reflecting the present political situation ("Avi Mograbi Horror Show" HA, 22 August 2008).

* This is and excerpt from "No Paradise Now" Chapter 11 of Politics and Violence in Israel/Palestine – Democracy vs. Military Rule (Routledge, July 2009)

Ben Gurion University

Ben Gurion University – Lev Grinberg (Dept of Sociology) laments the use of “horror comedy” in recent Israeli films; chalks it up to “impotence of Israeli civil society”

http://www.hagada.org.il/eng/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=263

Waltz Without a Partner

By: Lev Luis Grinberg February 20, 2009

By: Lev Luis Grinberg
February 20, 2009