Not a film for international audiences

"not entertainment" "niche film"

What were you expecting when you went into this?? Surely its main point at an international level was to raise awareness and perhaps open the eyes of those who aren't familiar with the events.

Next time for the so-called "American" audience you claimed to be part of, they should dumb down such a film and just make it more entertaining with guns bombs etc should they?

How come some people think a movie HAS to "entertain"? Of course Waltz with Bashir is not "entertaining". That would almost be an insult.
I pretty much agree with joelski and I also think if you're not to familiar with the actual events of the film you could still see how it shows certain atrocities commited by people during times of war and such wich is something the whole world knows and should start thinking about.

it´s hard for american´s to watch movies with subtitles, wright?
I think the movie has a huge international audience. I´m from Argentina and it was a very popular movie in the last film festival.
What kind of cultural reference didn´t make sense for you?
I can understand americans like you find this boring.. but well, thank god you have Hollywood! And americans do love to remake every good foreign film so may be they´ll do the same with this eventually

To the OP.

I believe what you mean to say instead of "Not a film for international audiences" because of that stated reasons being not entertaining and too many cultural and historical references that make no sense to you as an American; you instead mean to say "Not a film for people who don't link learning (either just a different viewpoint or history in general) with entertainment, or those who don't have, or wish to have much historical knowledge on a scale that reaches past their own country's". That seems to be more accurately what you're saying.


How did *I* identify with the film then, you may ask. I thought it was a very interesting portrayal of the effects of war on soldiers/men involved. And bloody well told! As a country, we are at war(s). And as a human, I am a man. Two for two there. I am also interested in stories and other humans, which this film contained.

Seems you are accustomed to watch only mindless "entertaining" flicks, but you gotta understand that there are films that haven't "only" the purpose to "entertain" YOU but that also tries to make you think about a number of things and to open your eyes about some event in particular.
Movies 'per se' aren't for any audience in particular. Obviously 'certain' groups would feel more attracted by 'certain' kind of movies that are closer to their life-experience and concerns. BUT that doesn't rule out that people (many or just a few ones) outside of that group could find those movies appealing. I am not israelite, yet I found this movie quite interesting, just like millions around the world.

This movie is for anyone who could be interested on human behavior during war-time. On why such things like massacres happens. What starts them. How irrational they are. Why those who could stop them usually does nothing to do it. It makes you think about the level of responsibility of the people involved in such despicable acts: Who's more to blame, those who pulled the trigger? the ones who ordered to pull the triggers? those who could have stopped the massacre but didn't move a finger to stop it? Who? Why? How?

Well, my friend keep watching only "entertaining" films (Whatever that means to you) but stop generalizing, please. Perhaps this film wasn't YOUR cup of tea, but that's all u can say about it.

You may have had trouble relating, but you're just a civilian, arent you?
For myself and a handful of Iraq War Veterans, it was often like going back in time.

It really gave us alot of insight into how we had changed when we were there , and when we got back. For example, the combat and RPG scenes were very real to us (granted we placed more emphasis on well placed shots than the Israelis in 1982), as were the hallucination scenes. ( recall seeing the female form of death smiling at me, walking past us before our vehicle was blown up) All those things are very very very real. You see stuff like that, especially after periods of time. You know the tank scene , where they are singing? I was never in a tank, but i definitely remember the singing. Going home on leave, feeling completely alienated. Felt that one big time. What hit me the hardest was the little girl with the curly hair. I had somehow forgotten an incident where I came across a similar little girl who was the victim of an insurgent rocket attack. I remember after watching the film, how I had felt. Maybe for an international audience of civilians, it would be hard to understand. Hell, I cannot relate to people back home anymore. They have no idea what I am talking about or how I feel, regardless of how articulate I am. I think this one was although intended to be some anti-war Bulls***, came out as a "for the soldiers, by the soldiers" film that has definitely reached out and touched alot of troops of all nationalities.

This film I began to recommend to my Wounded Warrior Unit and Social Workers as a healing device. They have accepted a copy of it with open arms. It also gave my own family a little insight into the sense of war, from a young man's view. My mother no longer has to ask questions. She has a pretty good idea.

This movie came out in several countries, of course it had an international appeal.

I'd love to know what you mean by a 'film for international audiences'; I presume you mean superficial movies that have stereotyped depictions of events, and that are neutral in their intentions, so they don't offend anyone, so as many possible people will watch them and get nothing new out of them.

This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.

Not a film for international audiences?

I'm from New Zealand. A long, long way from any of this.

I had tears in my eyes at the end of this film.