Every year I go out of my way to check out the short films that get the privilege of being nominated for an Academy Award, but this year I wanted to go further. With the sheer amount of shorts available online after the shortlists were announced I decided to try and see as much as possible and am grateful to bring you these reviews which I will be updating as the weeks pass and I can see more of the live action short films considering I already have seen all 10 from the animated and documentary shortlists. So enjoy my reviews for all the Oscar Short Films from the official shortlists!
Animated-
Age of Sail - John Kahrs - 12 mins
Being the first short film I saw when I sat down to review these all I was truly blown away by this movie, originally a google spotlight VR film (very similar to the short Pearl which got nominated a few years back) this short tells the story of a girl who meets a sailor who is dealing with the major changes effecting the sailing industry which he has dedicated his life to. His way of life and everything he knew is changing and he is having a really hard time dealing with it.
And its easily the emotions in this short that makes it stand out so much, the way they explore the character of the sailor as he tackles what feels to be a reasonable depression due to his way of life being drastically altered and hurt is just fantastic. You can't help but feel for this character as you see just how dark his mind is going due to this, it is a fascinating look at one of the more negative aspects of change and growth that is rarely seen. If there was one weaker area of the film it would have to be the animation which can be really rough, but due to the fact that they were trying something new I am willing to be a bit more forgiving here than normal. It's not like they failed at an already established and well explored style of animation, they took a risk and I would rather people continue to try to push and fail than just stick with the status quo all the time.
And its easily the emotions in this short that makes it stand out so much, the way they explore the character of the sailor as he tackles what feels to be a reasonable depression due to his way of life being drastically altered and hurt is just fantastic. You can't help but feel for this character as you see just how dark his mind is going due to this, it is a fascinating look at one of the more negative aspects of change and growth that is rarely seen. If there was one weaker area of the film it would have to be the animation which can be really rough, but due to the fact that they were trying something new I am willing to be a bit more forgiving here than normal. It's not like they failed at an already established and well explored style of animation, they took a risk and I would rather people continue to try to push and fail than just stick with the status quo all the time.
Animal Behaviour - Alison Snowden and David Fine - 14 mins
I always find it difficult to talk about a film like this (specifically when picking a grade) because it does accomplish what it is trying to do. This is trying to be a more simple comedic film and it really works as one. Not only is this short really clever in how it plays around with the ideas of animals in therapy but it is legitimately funny, to the point where I laughed out loud multiple times while watching it. Yet at the same time it doesn't have the level of depth to it that a short such as Age of Sail does. There is no specific thing I can fault this short for, the animation is of great quality and as I mentioned the humor is excellent and effective. Yet when comparing it to other shorts that has depth it just doesn't add up, where I wouldn't give this short an A grade it wouldn't get anything less due to a lack of quality, but instead more of a lack of depth and purpose that naturally occurring with something of its subject matter and genre.
Bao - Domee Shi - 8 mins
Easily the most popular short from any of these shortlists (due to it playing in theaters before Incredibles 2) Bao starts off very similar to Animal Behaviour. It is very clever and funny with it's ideas and plot and how they play around with the concept being portrayed on screen (A dumpling brought to life). But then towards the end there is a complete shift of tone and momentum that left my entire audience floored and silent the 3 times I saw this short in theaters. It has one of the most emotional payoffs of any short film this year and how they wrap up this weird plot and make it a touching grounded moment is truly spectacular.
Of course the actual technical quality of this short is top level and really can't be matched. With the resources and quality that Pixar provided this short the animation would never be anything but stellar. The score is also really unique and is one of the best elements of this short that not a lot of people mention. Everything really comes together to make a not only memorable but all around great short film.
Of course the actual technical quality of this short is top level and really can't be matched. With the resources and quality that Pixar provided this short the animation would never be anything but stellar. The score is also really unique and is one of the best elements of this short that not a lot of people mention. Everything really comes together to make a not only memorable but all around great short film.
Bilby - JP Sans, Liron Topaz, and Pierre Perifel - 8 mins
I am not going to try and echo what I said about Animal Behaviour here too much but honestly I feel very similar about both films. This one following a Bibly as he tries to protect a little fluffy bird from all the dangers that can be found in the wild of Australia. Again this is a short that is trying to be funny and cute, two things it totally succeeds at. Just like with Animal Behaviour this is actually funny, again there was audible laughter as I watched this which is honestly rare from me. This short has a quick enough pace that it never gets stale with its concept and I was able to just enjoy the hell out of it.
The big advantage this short has over Animal Behaviour is the animation itself. Not only is it just really high quality but the actual designs for the characters are just great. You can't help but fall in love with the little bird floof ball and get sucked in by the beautiful environments this film builds. Sure I can't say there is anything must see about this short but if you do have a free 8 minutes this short would for sure not be a waste of your time.
The big advantage this short has over Animal Behaviour is the animation itself. Not only is it just really high quality but the actual designs for the characters are just great. You can't help but fall in love with the little bird floof ball and get sucked in by the beautiful environments this film builds. Sure I can't say there is anything must see about this short but if you do have a free 8 minutes this short would for sure not be a waste of your time.
Bird Karma - William Salazar - 5 mins
This short only exists as a technical showcase, this 5 minute short literally just follows a bird who is chasing after a beautiful golden fish, there is nothing more to this film story wise. Yet the visuals are honestly strong enough to carry this film through at least a single watch, their use of color and what seems to be hand drawn animation is a stellar combo creating some of the most beautiful animation of the entire year. The plot also does have moments of creativity and humor, sure it is pretty much as basic as it gets but it is far from lazy or dull. I can't see any reason to come back to this short but as a quick 5 minute showcase of some amazing animation it more than succeeds.
Late Afternoon - Louise Bagnall - 9 mins
I don't think anyone can argue against how sweet and touching this movie is. Telling the story of an elderly woman who is reflecting on her life and her limited memories this movie provides an emotional touch that will reach the general audience. The visuals also help back this short up with some amazing uses of color and unique transitions between scenes. Unfortunately the quality of this film could of been so much more, the voice acting in particular feels really low budget and it always sounded like someone talking into a mic, I never was able to suspend my disbelief and hear the voice from the character. It still is a really sweet short but I would of liked to see a higher level of quality to really make this short connect with its fullest potential.
One Small Step - Bobby Pontillas and Andrew Chesworth - 8 mins
Talk about a fantastic short! This is all around one of the more solid shorts from the shortlist, its really awesome to see a short like this where just everything comes together and works. Telling the story of a young girl and her journey of growing up and trying to reach her dream of working in space this short has something for everyone. Of course there is the whole drama big and reach for the stars story but at the core of this film it is about a relationship between a father and daughter. This film does a great job at showing this relationship and showing how impactful and important parents can be on their children.
The animation is also really impressive, not just for the amazing use of color and visuals but also for how smooth this short is. I don't know what this short did but the animation never feels choppy or fake, it is always so crisp and clear, something i only really expect from a major company like Pixar.
The animation is also really impressive, not just for the amazing use of color and visuals but also for how smooth this short is. I don't know what this short did but the animation never feels choppy or fake, it is always so crisp and clear, something i only really expect from a major company like Pixar.
Pépé Le Morse (Grandpa Walrus) - Lucrèce Andreae - 15 mins
This is a short that floored me the first time I watched it. I think its how simple this short is that really shocks me, it is just following a family to goes to the beach so the grandma can pay her respects to her recently deceased partner in a place that was special for him. Sure it has some unique and weird moments but for the most part this film is simple (and I don't mean that in a bad way at all). It has characters who are easy to understand with emotions that are so raw they are also easy to digest and understand, yet understanding these things doesn't take away any of the punch. As these characters grieve you can relate and feel for them on a deep level that uses your own emotions and pain against yourself. It is sorrow and painful but it is also extremely well done and is very smart.
Weekends - Trevor Jimenez - 16 mins
I really appreciate how this short uses and respects quietness. This is an emotionally rich short that follows a kid as he goes between two parents in a divorce and has to deal with the pain from that. As someone who grew up in a similar situation I could connect and relate to what this character was going through, and the fact that they didn't overdramatize this into some really cliched emotional outburst of a film helped this. It feels skilled and well thought out that has faith in the audience to feel without being told to. It is able to naturally create these clear relationships and emotions without telling us what they are trying to say. The animation does have its ups and downs, where every frame of this film is stunning the actual motions are a bit rough. Still though this short is pretty impressive and defiantly touched me, just in a year of so many solid animated shorts I can't quite call it my favorite.
Live Action-
Caroline - Celine Held and Logan George - 12 mins
Caroline is a film that feels like it is supposed to be something special, it feels like it is supposed to be an emotional gut punch that stays with you, unfortunately it just didn't land for me. I will give credit to the acting which is fantastic especially for the kid performances. I also think the set up is good and it builds a solid character in the mother, but then it just kind of ends. It doesn't push these characters or this situation in any real interesting way. The pacing is also really strange as it quickly tumbles into a hurricane of commotion and yelling which all just felt overwhelming and rushed, which granted probably was part of the point of this pacing but it doesn't go anywhere to play off of it. This film is a good start but I would of liked to have seen more from it.
Chuchotage - Barnabás Tóth - 17 mins
Chuchotage is one of those films that really benefits from its final act. The last bit of this film is such a great character study that sucks you in and makes you feel such strong emotion that you leave the short feeling amazed at its power and heart. Its only afterwords when you think about the entire film do you start to see the more negative sides of this film which really are the first 3 quarters of it. Where its nothing terrible the majority of this film just feels boring. I understand that part of the point of this film is to make the job our two main characters have seem dull and unsatisfying to make the leap of faith at the end and the hope of a bright tomorrow so much more impactful, but there was no need for this to take so much of the runtime. I got that message rather quickly and from there was stuck in a boring situation for far too long, this short feels much longer than 17 minutes and I mean that in a bad way. Sure the characters and the emotions of the end overall make it worth a watch but it can be rough getting to the special parts of this film.
Detainment - Vincent Lambe - 30 mins
I have not seen this film yet and will fill in the review when I do get to see it.
Fauve - Jeremy Comte - 17 mins
Fauve is easily one of the front runners to win the Best Live Action Short Film award at the Academy Awards and has been getting general praise everywhere it has gone. Unfortunately this is another live action short film to just miss the mark for me. I think the biggest disconnect with this film and myself would be its characters. I understand that part of the point is that they are annoying children, but damn are they unlikable! I honestly had a hard time getting through the beginning of this film because I found them to be so annoying. To be clear I blame this more on the direction they were given rather than the acting themselves considering there are points in the film (especially towards the end) that show they can be great actors. I also found that this film just dragged and dragged and I kept waiting for it to get to the point, even in the more emotionally powerful moments I just found that this film never really connected with me. I think this film just isn't my type of film, it doesn't have a style that works for me and therefore I never could really get behind it.
Icare - Nicolas Boucart - 27 mins
This might be the most intriguing short film from this entire list. This is a movie that slowly allows you to understand the world you are seeing as a man and two boys are trying to learn how to make humans fly. I love the way that this film doesn't let you know everything right off the bat, you get to naturally learn about these characters and what exactly is going on as the movie progresses with a pace that feels natural and intriguing, it never feels too slow or boring. This film also has some really touching relationships and characters that you grow a true connection with. This all comes together to create an ending I will not forget for a long time. This short film is truly a masterpiece in my mind and it is criminal that it somehow missed getting an Oscar nomination. I hope that this doesn't stop people from checking out this movie as it deserves to be seen by so many.
Marguerite - Marianne Farley - 19 mins
Just like with Icare I really appreciate the pacing of this film as it lets us know the characters and lets us in our there lives. This is a movie with some fantastic characters that you grow to love over the course of the runtime and begin to feel their pain as you learn more and more about them. It is a movie that is subtle and sweet in a genuine way that so many other movies fail at. I am not going to say that this movie has an incredible depth to it, the revelations made about the characters are smaller than some others. Still though this film is such a sweet time with sweet characters, sure it has some pain but it all has a sense of genuine love that helps make this movie stand out.
May Day - Fedrik De Beul and Olivier Magis - 22 mins
May Day has all the elements to be a great short film. It has some fantastic actors with some interesting characters that explore some interesting ideas. This feels like a film with a lot to say and it is effective at saying them. It has an interesting plot and the filmmaking behind it is solid enough. Still for some reason it just kinda failed to hit me how it wanted to, not to say it is bad but it never becomes anything above just being "good". It's message connected with me but failed to hit me, it's characters were present but didn't leave an impact. This film's impact on me ended with the credits. For whatever reason despite seemingly having all the elements this misses that "it" factor to truly stand out as a great short film. I wish it was easy to find what was wrong with this film, some element that clearly lacked. But even after seeing it two times to make sure I wasn't missing something the only thing I could find is that the conclusion isn't really satisfying. But that is not nearly enough to be the full blame for this film missing.
Mother - Rodrigo Sorogoyen - 19 mins
I have not seen this film yet and will fill in the review when I do get to see it.
Skin - Guy Nattiv - 20 mins
Being adapted into a feature length film being distributed by A24 the short film version of Skin had be excited, unfortunately it just didn't live up to the hype I had for it. This really feels like a one scene movie, like the director had the final scene in mind and had to write a film to get there. Not that the rest of the movie is bad, the acting overall is impressive and the ending is shocking yet deep enough to really connect. But it feels like the rest of this movie is just too basic to be anything really important or special. Hopefully the feature film can expand on the ideas this film sets up and give a more well rounded experience.
Wale - Barnaby Blackburn - 20 mins
I have not seen this film yet and will fill in the review when I do get to see it.
Documentary- |
Black Sheep - Ed Perkins - 26 mins
This movie does what only a documentary film can do, it holds a weight only a film like this can hold. The thing that makes documentary films stand out is the realness to them, no matter how great a live action short is nothing hits quite as hard as staring into a persons (not characters) eyes and having them tell there story. That is exactly what this film does, we have a young man sit down, look us right in the eyes, and tell his story. He tells his story of discrimination and pain and it is extremely effective. The fact that this also takes place in England gives us a new interesting setting as most discrimination stories seem to take place and be focused in America.
End Game - Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman - 40 mins
A few years back Netflix released Extremis to critical acclaim, even scoring an Oscar nomination. I liked Extremis fine but thought it lacked the thesis and conclusion to be overly special. This film fixes all of that. The subject matter of course brings raw strong emotions with it naturally considering this follows people literally on their death beds, but it doesn't stop there. It forces you to have a conversation with death yourself and the impact it leaves on you is almost unsettling. It also provides a conclusion to the people we meet that doesn't feel exploitive or insensitive. This is truly something special and I hope more check it out on Netflix.
Lifeboat - Skye Fitzgerald - 40 mins
Lifeboat is a film that holds nothing back, it doesn't try to hide or sugarcoat anything about the situation. It takes the audience into the center of the situation and does a great job showing the size and lethalness of it. You see just how large of an issue these people face and how serious it is. This isn't just a few people going through a hard time, its hundreds upon hundreds of people every week with death around every corner. The brave people out there trying to make a difference is not even close to enough to solve this issue and make a huge impact, this documentary does a great job at showing these issues to the audience and making them want to jump through the screen and help. Still though I can't help but feel like this is slightly hurt by the fact that there are other Oscar nominated documentary shorts out there that are very similar which makes this feel less unique, but still this is overall solid and worth a watch.
Los Comandos - Joshua Bennett and Juliana Schatz - 28 mins
This film works because of the human elements involved. Where we don't see much of the actual issue involved we spend a lot of time with the people fighting it. We see the struggle they are going through which is obviously huge considering they are putting their lives literally on the line volunteering to fight against the gang issues plaguing the youth of El Salvador. We see the ups and downs and see how it affects these young people, yet the fire inside of them never runs out and I found that deeply inspiring and motivating. The only issue I have with this is that it gives you nowhere to go with the fire it goes inside of you. It makes you care about the issue only to just end and leave you to exist with this knowledge. Its a good story but it gives you no real reason to justify its existence.
My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes - Charlie Tyrell - 14 mins
Wow, this is my favorite short film of the year. Told through a visually interesting style of stop motion that does relate to the story being told itself My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes is a goodbye of sorts from the director to his late father. It is him attempting to gain closure on their relationship and it really hit me. This is such a personal film yet its themes and messages are so universal, I feel like everyone can relate to something here and that it's message is important for everyone to see. This movie explores the impact parents have on children and how that relationship can affect generations. It is touching and emotional yet also beautiful. It isn't a director looking for revenge in anger, but looking for closure in love. The only negative that this film provided is disappointment in the Oscars as somehow it missed a nomination which is such a shame. Not only is the quality of this film amazing but it would of been the perfect closure to this film, yet now that has been taken away. Truly a sad fate for such a brilliant film.
A Night At The Garden - Marshall Curry - 7 mins
I am going to try and put my anger at this getting nominated at the Oscars over My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes to the side for this review, because honestly this film fell flat for me. It is a 7 minute collection of clips from basically a nazi rally in the United States right before World War II. Sure this film has shocking visuals and the event itself is really interesting, and the quality of clips are all high quality. But this never goes above just being a collection of clips, it doesn't give any context until literally the end of the film and even then there is no reflection or message. I want to know more about this event and be able to take something away from learning about it, instead they do nothing with it which made this short close to meaningless for me.
Period. End of Sentence. - Rayka Zehtabchi - 7 mins
Where I wouldn't say this has the impact of a short like My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes it has everything I want out of a documentary short film. It is loads of fun with some really charismatic women who are fun to be around, yet also tackles a very serious global issue that isn't talked about nearly enough. It is inspiring seeing these women take control of their bodies and make moves to help raise the health and sexual education of those around them. This movement goes further than just making pads though, we see how this gives these women the confidence to try and achieve their dreams such as one women who wants to become a police officer. It is also inspiring to see how this film was made, the fact that a simple campaign of bake sales and fundraisers in California raised enough to make this film to spread the word and buy the machine to allow these women to make pads to sell is greatly inspiring, to see how much of an impact the everyday person could have on such a large group of people. This short also gives you direct ways to support the issues at hand which is what I want from so many documentary shorts that lack this like Los Comandos. All around a fantastic short film that I hope everyone gets to check out considering it has been picked up by Netflix for a wider release.
'63 Boycott - Gordon Quinn - 31 mins
This is one of the most effective short documentaries of the year when it comes to pacing and fitting in a lot of story. It takes full advantage of being a short film by being able to fully explore this subject without having to add worthless fluff like it would if it was a feature film, it is able to cover what it wants but then move on without worrying about meeting a certain runtime. It never feels rushed and feels like the perfect runtime for its story. I also greatly appreciate how high quality all the visuals for this film was, nothing will make me disconnect with a film like this than bad quality visuals yet everything looks and sounds great. The story is interesting and relevant, and all around this short just worked for me.
Women of the Gulag - Marianna Yarovskaya - 40 mins
Wow, this is a hard film to watch at times. Telling the story of the tragic gulag which led to the death of so many under the reign of Stalin. Though instead of just having a voice over go over the shocking events we hear from the women themselves which makes this film stand out and hit so much harder. Like I mentioned in my Black Sheep review when you see these people tell their own stories and see the pain on their faces as they account their struggle it hits so much harder than if you were just to hear someone say what happened. This film is also able to bring it all together with a haunting relevance that not only relates to really specific events but also to the general ignorance we can have to tragic events from previous generations. This one hits hard and I hope more get the chance to check it out.
Zion - Floyd Russ - 10 mins
Going into nomination morning Zion was my front runner to win the whole award, only to miss getting the nomination entirely (you can see my shock on my Oscar Nominations Live Reactions video). This was disappointing to me not just because it messed up my predictions but also because this is a pretty solid documentary short. This is such an inspiring story and it is short enough that you can really appreciate it without it dragging at all. Though the runtime also doesn't allow us a lot of time to get to know Zion himself which is my only disappointment. His story is great but at no point did I really feel like I got a sense of who Zion was as a person which would of elevated the story to another level. But still his story is strong enough to create an engaging 10 minutes and being easy to access on Netflix I would say it is worth checking out