2021 Oscar Nominated Short Films - Live Action
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
Always a great presentation and fantastic trip to the movies, you have to look fast because the short films are only in theaters for a few weeks, prior to the Oscars.
Oscar pools and Oscar party contests can be won and lost with the Short Film categories. Experiencing these nominees achieves both a better chance at victory and the opportunity to see some terrific and original films.
NO
Casual movie watchers tend to watch high profile, big name star movies and convincing people to watch short films is a challenge. No matter how good these films are, a large number of people are not going to care much.
You are not a fan of a wide range of genres and themes. You never know what you are going to get with these short film presentations and that mix of styles can throw people off.
OUR REVIEW
Every year, the ballot busters for Oscar pools and Oscar parties often prove to be the short film categories. Some advocate for their removal from the televised ceremony. Others seek them out every year in theaters, celebrating the creativity that lies within each slate of nominees. I, for one, love uncovering these each year, as well as other short films which gain traction within the industry and hope to make it to the highest stage possible – the Academy Awards.
Each year, ShortsTV and Shorts International secure the rights to the 15 short film nominees in the Animation, Live Action, and Documentary Short Subject categories and release them as individual screening packages in theaters. The week before the Oscars, they shift them to digital platforms for people to buy and watch at home.
The Short Film packages have proven wildly popular. Each year, the box office numbers have grown and the mini-film festival idea has really caught hold with Oscarwatchers, and those genuinely curious about the potential next wave of storytellers and filmmakers out in the world.
Before these nominees received theatrical distribution in 2005, the short film nominees were nearly impossible to find. Now, even as we slowly emerge from a global pandemic, these short films packages are playing in theaters and in virtual VOD presentations which support independent theaters trying to stay afloat.
And so, without any further ado, let's dive into this year’s nominees for Best Live Action Short Film.
Feeling Through | 18 Minutes
Directed by Doug Roland
★★★★
A young Black teenager (Steven Prescod) is struggling to find a place to stay for a night. As his efforts to land on a couch seem increasingly less likely, he wanders to a bench at a bus stop in the middle of the night only to find a DeafBlind man (Robert Tarango) sitting peacefully. Notable as the first film to feature a DeafBlind performer in a leading role, Feeling Through is a story of overcoming obstacles and finding ways to communicate with one another at a time when we probably need to be reminded of this more than ever.
At a brisk 18 minutes, writer/director Doug Roland’s film is a tightly constructed drama that may seem slight once it reaches its apex, but finds a way to share with viewers that even the most simplest of kind gestures can leave a lasting impact.
The Letter Room | 33 Minutes
Directed by Elvira Lind
★★★★1/2
Subtle but satisfying, Elvira Lind’s The Letter Room features the highest profile actor found in the slate, her husband Oscar Isaac. Isaac portrays Richard, an affable, lonely corrections officer working on death row, who finds himself reassigned to the communications office where he is tasked with opening, reading and scanning the mail sent to prisoners.
All is well and good, but Richard is a curious person and he becomes interested in a series of letters sent to an inmate from his girlfriend (Alia Shawkat). When he becomes concerned at the words being shared, he ventures out into the world to learn more about a connection he cannot help but be curious about. Lind’s pacing is wonderful - developing a slow build around Isaac, who is perfectly suited to play this role. The Letter Room feels like the start of something bigger, but for these 33 minutes Lind has crafted a wonderful film.
The Present | 23 Minutes
Directed by Farah Nabulsi
★★★★1/2
Palestinian import The Present is a powerful, moving story of a father and daughter venturing out to secure a gift for his wife on their anniversary. The main obstacle becomes a security checkpoint at the West Bank with young, puffed-out chest security guards seeming to enjoy making life difficult for passers-by on a whim.
The present in question is a new refrigerator for the family and Yusef (Saleh Bakri) and young daughter Yasmine (Mariam Kanj) set out to pick up some groceries and bring back the new appliance. After an unnecessary delay, Yusef and Yasmine navigate the day together. As Yusef battles a bad back, his efforts to transport his present back home becomes less a battle of physicality and something of a battle of wills, as he re-encounters those puffed-up chests at the security checkpoint on his way back home. And in the end, resilience and naïve defiance, from the most unlikely of sources, ultimately saves the day.
Two Distant Strangers | 32 Minutes
Directed by Trayvon Free and Martin Desmond Roe
★★★★1/2
The time-loop movie is en vogue this year, with a number of films using the technique to convey a wide array of science-fiction, comedy, and horror stories. You get a little bit of all of that and more in Two Distant Strangers, an impressive, brilliantly written, and rather sly story of a Black man named Carter (hip-hop star Joey Bada$$), who wakes up again and again after being murdered by a white police officer (Andrew Howard). As grim and bleak as that sounds, and it is in many ways, writer/directors Trayvon Free and Martin Desmond Roe take viewers on a rollercoaster ride of emotions through the tragedy, absurdity, and regretful expectations that stories like the protagonist experiences are deeply rooted into the fabric of American life.
Inspired, in part by the killing of George Floyd, the main inspiration really stems from Free and Roe hearing these same stories over and over again in the media. The killing of Black people at the hands of law enforcement can feel like a time-loop in the Black community and Two Distant Strangers does a remarkable job of reminding us of this horror and indefensible reality, while also finding a way to make us angry, laugh a little bit, and root for Clark to find a way out of this most impossible loop.
White Eye | 20 Minutes
Directed by Tomer Sushan
★★★★
Shot in one continuous 20-minute take, White Eye is another engrossing entry in this stellar field of nominees. Tomer Sushan’s film opens with Omer (Daniel Gad) walking up to a locked bicycle in front of a meat packing plant. Quickly he recognizes the bicycle as his - it was stolen approximately one month ago. Determined to retrieve his property and somewhat aloof that there could be any other solution possible than to simply take back the bicycle, things get complicated rather quickly.
As we move from one discussion to another and follow Omer around as he tries to get police support and find out who stole his bike, he meets a factory worker (Dawit Tekelaeb) who insists that he paid money for the bike legitimately, and it is his only mode of transportation to and from work. When the police return and Omer walks into the facility to talk with the factory manager, he uncovers some truths he never anticipated about the realities surrounding a simple bicycle, locked down on the street corner.
Overall Thoughts:
In a recent chat with a fellow film critic, I mentioned that a case could easily be made for any of these films to win the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film this year. Each one of these films will leave a lasting impression on voters and viewers. Thoughtful, compelling, and memorable, four of these five films focus on policing or the reliance on law enforcement to make a proper and just decision. That the films hang on the crux of this common theme is a unique element to this year’s nominees, almost making these films feel episodic in the ways they are bound together. Feeling Through may not depend on this, but it does speak to understanding how we are more similar than different, yet one more defining trait among all of these films.
This year’s nomination slate for Live Action Short Film is the strongest this category has seen in years. If I were to guess? Two Distant Strangers may have a wider appeal with the use of the time-loop element and its connection to police brutality resonating across all audiences. Truth be told, any of this films could find themselves cemented in Oscar history when the winner is announced on April 25.
CAST & CREW
Directors: Doug Roland (Feeling Through), Trayvon Free and Martin Desmond Roe (Two Distant Strangers), Elvira Lind (The Letter Room), Farah Nabulsi (The Present), Tomer Sushan (White Eye)
Release Date: April 2, 2021 (theatrical); April 20, 2021 (VOD)
ShortsTV/Shorts International