A Look at Every Oscar-Nominated Short This Year

Last year, I wrote that the independent spirit in these Oscar Shorts categories felt absent and perhaps would be for the unforeseeable future, as Netflix, The New Yorker and other such services and publications started making big gains in the short film market and leaving true independent artists in the dust, at least in terms of the short films being nominated for Oscars (the indie spirit is alive and well on the festival circuit’s shorts programs, that I know). This year, though, is an improvement over last year. The live action shorts seem focused on telling vital, in-the-moment stories that have a new urgency to them now. The documentary category still has its safety nets (two heartwarming films about being in an orchestra) but it also has at least three films that will stay with you long after they’ve ended. Finally, the animation category is a solid 90-minute block that has just enough pathos, whimsy, visual beauty and charm to satisfy anyone in love with the artform. This year’s crop is celebrity-free, allowing new directors to take home the gold and making it that much challenging to predict the outcome. 

For more information on where to view the Shorts Programs, please visit here.

DOCUMENTARY

“Death By Numbers” – From the journals of Sam Fuentes, one of the Parkland massacre survivors, who now, along with several others, must live with the weight of that survival as she battles depression, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. The film takes place during the sentencing trial of the Parkland shooter as the jury must decide between life in prison or the death penalty. Director Kim A. Snyder veers between Fuentes’ journal entries as well as interviews where Fuentes candidly expresses her unwillingness to give in to fear, anger and hatred for the killer, but it’s not about forgiveness either. Fuentes doesn’t want him to be killed, so much as to be haunted forever. Snyder’s film is a powerful account of the trial, the aftermath of the massacre and one person’s struggle to not give in to another’s need to be feared and hated. My second favorite of the five, but I certainly won’t complain if it wins. (37 min.)

“I Am Ready, Warden” – This one pairs well with “Death By Numbers,” since they share an obvious theme (the death penalty, among other things), but while there’s only one victim here, the loss and the complex emotions feel just as immense to those who must live in the wake of the tragic events. Prison inmate, John Henry Ramirez, has 6 days until his execution. Ramirez was convicted in 2004 for stabbing a convenience store worker named Pablo Castro. Ramirez fled the country and was captured in 2008. Pablo’s son, Aaron, was 14 when it happened. “I Am Ready, Warden” gives voice to both Ramirez and Aaron Castro, now in his forties, who knows that executing Ramirez for murdering his father is the only means toward finally living in peace, but is it? We all have our opinions on the death penalty and this documentary might not change anyone’s mind, but the movie works as a personal story of redemption and the will it takes to forgive. Directed by Smriti Mundhra. (32 min)

“Incident” – The film takes place on July 14th, 2018, at 5:30pm at East 71st street in Chicago, a couple months before the trial of the murrder of Laquan McDonald. Tensions are obviously high in this neighborhood that saw an increased police presence on every street. “Incident” shows us, through surveillance and police body cam footage, in a continuous, uninterrupted  timeline, a group of police officers stopping a citizen on the street who they believed was armed. The man, a well-liked barber in the community. was killed within seconds. The film opens without sound, followed by a cacophony of multiple screens depicting the officers fleeing the scene, citizens protesting the tragic outcome, the arrival of the ambulance and the dispatch trying to get the story straight. No commentary is necessary here. The footage does all the explaining and the viewer is left feeling helpless and angry. It’s a stunning achievement in editing and reporting. My favorite of the five. Directed by Bill Morrison. (30 min;)

“Instruments of a Beating Heart” – It seems like every year this category nominates a film about an orchestra and at least one New York Times Doc. This one takes place at an elementary school in Tokyo in 2022, with kids still masked and going through their day with pandemic-level procedures still in place. The film focuses on a class of first graders who will be playing “Ode to Joy” at their graduation, but they have to audition for their instrument and endure hours of practicing with a strict teacher. The filmmakers zero in on little Ayame, an adorable and determined child who learns harsh lessons in heartbreak and resilience. I’ll be the first to agree this represents the kind of benign, safe and pandering material one would expect from today’s version of the New York Times and it’s the kind of film that Oscar voters in this category love more than anything, but I’ve spent many years in the elementary school world and the movie nails many crucial moments in the long artistic process of this type. I grew attached to Ayame’s story and recognized what she was going through. We only see her eyes, but we feel the pressure, fear and sadness of not living up to the teacher’s demands. Definitely the crowd-pleaser of the bunch. Directed by Ema Ryan Yamazaki. (23 min.) 

“The Only Girl In the Orchestra” – Orin O’Brien, a double-bassist and the first female musician hired full-time by the New York Philharmonic, admired greatly by Leonard Bernstein, is the subject of this profile doc made by her niece, Molly. Time Magazine named O’Brien “the best bassist in the world,” but a lot of chauvinist press out there during her rise highlighted her gender and tried to belittle her success. Now, we see her enjoying retirement as a teacher and with more free time. Standard profile doc fare that aims solely to elevate its subject, who is an interesting person, but the film works best when it focuses on her past, her showbiz parents and what she had to fight through to get to where she is today. The present-day material isn’t quite as compelling and the viewer can’t help but nod in agreement when Orin tells her niece “you’re trying to make me seem more important and I don’t like it.” Available on Netflix, which gives it an edge in this category as a likely winner. Directed by Molly O’Brien. (35 min)

LIVE ACTION

“A Lien” – The directors of this film, Sam and David Cutler-Kreutz, really know how to craft tight, urgent little thrillers that keep you watching and hoping for the best possible outcome (they made a terrific short this year called “Trapped” that is equally deserving of a nomination). Here, a family goes to the immigration office for a green card interview for the husband (William Martinez), only to have the interview disrupted by ICE agents. The mom (Victoria Ratermanis) must try and save her family in the flurry of wrongful activity. Similar in theme to a short I reviewed here called “I Have No Tears and I Must Cry,” these two films expertly get at the heart of the immigration matter, with different outcomes, but with an eye toward the unforgiving process too many citizens have to endure. The film will likely hit lots of nerves in light of recent events. It’s also a likely winner. (14 min.)

“Anuja” – In New Delhi, nine-year-old Anuja (Sajda Pathan) is told she qualifies to take an exam that will get her into a prestigious boarding school. She works in a factory with her fourteen-year-old sister, Palak (Ananya Shanbhag), who encourages her to take the exam. She must choose to either stay in an oppressive environment for a steady payday and life with her sister or take the first step in making a better life for herself. The film is surprisingly lively and spirited, especially when the two sisters scheme to raise the money so Anuja can take the exam. You get a sense of their bond, even within the film’s time constraints. There are all kinds of ways this could have ended, especially given the Academy’s strong taste for misery-porn, but “Anuja” gives the audience something to hope for, while directly raising awareness of the issue of child labor. The final coda will make this one hard to resist for voters, provided they aren’t put off by the subtitles (the English-language film in this category always wins. Always). Directed by Adam J. Graves. (22 min)

“I’m Not A Robot” – I’ve never watched “Black Mirror,” but I’ll take everyone’s word on it that this feels like an episode of that show. Here, a woman tries to pass through the “prove you’re not a robot by clicking on any picture that has a car in it” authentication on her computer, only to find that she can’t pass through. So, is she a robot? She calls her boyfriend in a panic. He may, in fact, be dating a bot. The intriguing premise is used to explore existential dilemmas that many people face from time to time, of feeling programmed and having no will power to make decisions on one’s own. What if that were true? The terrific lead performance by Ellen Parren keeps us wondering what the outcome will be. The questions the film raises will make viewers wish the film were longer and more could be explored. As such, it works well as a compact, fully-formed short that has confidence in its destination. Directed by Victoria Warnerdam. (22 min.) 

“The Last Ranger” – This year’s “Kid(s) In Peril” selection for the Live Action category (every year, there’s at least one). Here, the kid is Litha (Liyabona Mroqoza), in Africa, who gets her first look at a field of rhinos, who are being watched over by Khuselwa (Avumile Qongqo), the last of the rangers who protect the rhinos from poachers. On this fateful day, she’s a little too late and tragedy after tragedy ensues. The film, which starts strong, makes the most of its wondrous landscape that will no doubt look beautiful on the big screen. The performances are also quite good, particularly Qongqo. The latter half of the film veers into melodramatic territory that almost sinks it, as the score works overtime to underline the sadness of it all. The film means well, with a message about the dangers and horrors of poaching, but as with most “important” shorts in this category over the years, the message is laid on a little too thick to make a real impact. That always seems to be the way the Academy likes it. Directed by Cindy Lee. (29 min)

“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” – This takes place in Bosnia-Herzagovia in 1993 during the ethnic cleansing. A train is stopped by an unnamed army, who demand every passenger show their proper documentation. In a car, a young man claims he has no documentation. Another protests the entire ordeal. A family man sits and witnesses the exchanges and we can see and feel his powerlessness to stop it. Which one gets taken off the train to be sent to the authorities? Like the equally lean, suspenseful and well-acted “A Lien,” the viewer will be thinking of the current situation here in the U.S. with people being unfairly persecuted and hauled off from their families in the name of “immigration reform.” This one is about being in the moment of intimidation by someone who has been given way too much power, but who has no actual position of authority granted to him. How do you react? Directed by Nebojsa Slijepcevic. (14 min.)

ANIMATED

“Beautiful Men” – In Istanbul, 2021, three brothers check into a hair transplant clinic where they stay overnight. The appointment is the following day, but the one who made the appointment for the three of them has to bear the bad news that there is only one slot open. Turns out, there are bigger problems that have to be dealt with that have to do with mortality and a divide in their relationship. This is one of those animated shorts where one takes pleasure in the performances we see on screen from animated subjects, being brought to life with careful attention to expressive emotions from the team of animators who put matters of the heart over stylized visuals. We get drawn into the story of all three characters and we forget that it’s all animated. Some may wonder, why bother animating it when it could easily be live action? Fair enough question, but I doubt I would have enjoyed it as much. Directed by Nicolas Keppens. (18 min.)

“In the Shadow of the Cypress” – In this wordless fable from Iran, a former sea captain lives on a remote beach with his daughter and suffers through PTSD as flashbacks of his days at sea haunt him. A whale lays beached nearby and he and his daughter try to save it. The appearance of the father is quite striking as his trauma has eaten away at him so much, he is left with a body so thin and frail, it’s a wonder he has any strength to start a boat engine, let alone tie a rope around a giant sea mammal. The whale is, of course, symbolic, but the story is compelling enough on a surface level that one can enjoy it without trying to extract layers of meaning behind it. The simple and beautiful animation style that, yes, uses shadows quite effectively, will keep the viewer mesmerized. Directed by Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani. (20 min.)

“Magic Candies” – The magic candies refer to a seemingly harmless bag of nondescript sweets a shopkeeper sells to a lonely boy named Dong-Dong (voiced by Haruto Shima), who takes them, one by one, and soon has in-depth conversations with his couch, his dog and even a lovely exchange with his father, who constantly bosses him around, but rarely talks to him. The story isn’t so much concerned with the mischief this might create around the boy, but more so as a means for Dong-Dong to gain a deeper understanding of the world around him. It’s charmingly played out, but also perceptive to how children view the world within limited parameters, unless someone (or something, like in this case, a hallucinogenic) is there to guide them. It’s as sweet as its title implies, but also quite arresting, particularly a sequence involving leaves on a tree. That sequence alone might make this one my favorite of the bunch. Directed by Daisuke Nishio. (21 min.)

“Wander To Wonder” – What an odd one this is. It opens with VHS footage of a hilariously tacky kiddie show about an old man (a Mr. Rogers type) and his three small, furry friends and the lessons he teaches them. Fast-forward many years later and the show is long gone, the old man is possibly dead in an apartment of squalor and the three furry friends must fend for themselves, longing for the days of being on television (or at least videotape) again. There’s a mix of tones here, between melancholia and absurdity, that won’t work for everyone, but it left a lasting impression on me. All I could think about was what Grover and the Cookie Monster were up to now that they’re out of a job. Hopefully, they’re faring better than these three. This feels like a possible proof-of-concept short, if the ending is any indication, when the adventure for them is just about to begin. Directed by Nina Gantz. (14 min.)

“Yuck!” – Kissing is gross. That’s what the kids on a campsite believe when they see their parents engaging in the activity. Still, two of those kids remain slightly curious. So much so, they act on it, but that act of curiosity comes with a price. This is, without a doubt, the crowd-pleaser of the bunch, which could result in a win. The visual gimmick exists in the form of characters having glowing, pink lips every time they think about kissing someone, even in their dreams. There’s not much more to it than that. It’s cute, slight and charming and that may be what some viewers want if they spent the day watching each and every one of these shorts programs all in a row. Directed by Loic Espuche. (13 min.)