Oscar Nominated Shorts (2021)

Short films are a joy, they allow a different sort of film making than most features ever are able to explore. They can offer us something a bit unique, more original than we are used to seeing in longer films. This year, as a fan of animation, I am very disappointed in the crop of animated films nominated in this category. I know there were way better short animated films released this year. because I have seen them. But the Academy nominated a better crop of live action and documentary films, even if the latter are on the depressing side as they confront much of our inhumanity... and those who have the strength to stand up to it. Here are my thoughts on this year's picks. 

Live Action

Feeling Through

This is the story of a young man confronted with a connection he wasn't expecting at a time he didn't need it, when we encounters a deaf blind man in the middle of the night. Simple in its presentation but powerful in its execution, this lovely story of humanness is the most inspiring of this bunch, but not in a cheap way, in an honest feeling way.

The Letter Room

Funny and poignant, this is the only of the nominated short dramatic films which features Hollywood stars (Oscar Isaac, Alia Shawkat), and its story moves from humorous to emotional very effectively in its short run time, beautifully taking us on a complicated journey in the way only short films can. A reminder of just how wonderful this genre can be. 

The Present

There are many places in the world where arbitrary systems interfere with the day to day lives of regular people. This Palestinian example is powerful in the way it slowly builds the microagressions into a moment of terror which will make your heart pound. 

Two Distant Strangers

Who would have thought you could mash up Groundhog Day and Queen and Slim into what ends up being a prescient examination of the trauma of being a young Black man in America. It never quite ends up being what you expect and keeps challenging your expectations of where it's going to take us. It is my favourite of the group. 

White Eye

This unassuming little film about a moment in time, about a man finding his stolen bike, and how that expands into consequences he didn't anticipate, is beautiful in its simplicity reminding us that sometimes the simple things have big impacts in our lives and the lives of others. 

Animation

Burrow

This little story about a bunny trying to build a home in a busy corner of the underground is cute and all, but when you look at all the other Pixar Sparkshorts which were released last year you have to wonder why the academy nominated this rather unremarkable film. However I do love that Pixar, a studio created to make CGI animated films, is producing these hand drawn shorts when few other major studios are working in that medium any longer. 

Genius Loci

Speaking of hand drawn animation, this French film is a self-consciously a series of hand drawn images. Its story is almost as abstract as its visuals. It presents a difficult narrative to get into, one that feels purposefully opaque which keeps some of it from resonating. But what one can crack from this is powerful in its way. 

If Anything Happens I Love You

The most tragic and powerful of the group, this bleak tale is about finding hope after the worst that can happen, and perhaps not letting it get worse. The film is stark with its colourless palette and mood. Still, perhaps more than the other films in this category it stirs up emotions, difficult ones. 

Opera

While striking for all that is going on at once, all the little pieces moving, the film drags on a bit and feels more like it's trying to make a point than tell us a story. I appreciated how different it looked from most other animated films we see in its dedication to its form, but it didn't have enough to grab us to sustain its runtime. 

Yes People

The only CGI animation in the bunch and it's cleverly designed to look like old school CGI. The film is the least of the group, being sweet and cute but with little substance, or even compelling story. 

Documentary

Colette

This story of a French resistance member going to visit the site of a concentration camp where her brother was killed challenges a lot of our contemporary assumptions about WWII and those who were caught up in it. It also gets us to see how recent these events and their legacy remain. I appreciated how it avoided being 'inspiration porn" and perhaps touched on something deeper. 

A Concerto is a Conversation

The happiest film of this group, this film is a celebration of a musician's success and the sharing of that with his grandfather, a man who overcame so much to create the world his grandson can be be a success in. My favourite of the nominees, the film is beautifully shot and lovingly made. It is a short love letter to being all you can be and recognizing where you come from. 

Do Not Split

This observational style doc about protestors in Hong Kong willing to use violent tactics to advance their cause is tense and riveting. The film doesn't comment directly so we are just witnesses to the clashes between protestors and the state forces. In the west we often turn a blind eye to what's happening in Hong Kong and this film forces us to take a hard look. 

Hunger Ward

This is one of those films that is so difficult to watch. The idea of watching children starve is appropriately horrendous, but how do we ever bring about an end to this completely man made horror until we look it in the face? Hunger Ward forces us to face the worst of ourselves yet perhaps some of the best of ourselves too, in how it focuses on women doing everything they can in the worst situations. Longer than is almost tolerable, but also powerful in the way it forces us to confront a horror that we want to turn away from. 

A Love Song For Latasha

This is the story of Latasha Harlins, who was murdered in a convenience store, as told, not through the circumstances of her death, but in the memories of her life by those who love her. It's a gorgeous film and the power of it comes from the joy it celebrates even while contemplating the terrible loss of life that happens each day in the USA.