Oscar Nominated Live-Action Short Films
Every year, the Oscar-nominated shorts get special releases in theaters. Many years ago, I could see all of them (animated, live-action, and documentary) at these special screenings. Considering I was in college, I had the time to spend all afternoon in a theater. This year, I was able to go see the live-action short nominees. This is the order in which they were shown, not a ranking.
The After (8/10)
David Oyelowo stars as a man who leaves his job and becomes a ride-share driver after experiencing a horrific tragedy. This was quite the one to start with. The inciting incident was devastating because it came completely out of nowhere. Oyelowo delivers such a powerful performance in this 19-minute story. It is on Netflix and is worth watching; just be prepared.
Red, White, and Blue (8/10)
This one is tough to write about, and not because it is about a woman having to go out of state for an abortion. There is a lot more going on, and when you come to the end of the 23 minutes and see everything in context, this becomes one of the most powerful films I have ever seen.
Knight of Fortune (8/10)
After seeing the first two movies, this one was a welcome respite. Karl (Leif Andrée) cannot bring himself to face the loss of his wife. Karl meets a man named Torben (Jens Jørn Spottag), and the two men form a weird friendship, which is what Karl needs to help him. I know that makes it sound as emotionally devastating as the first two. Still, this one has a lot of humor, and much of that comes from the interactions between the two men.
Invincible (6/10)
This is the only one I didn't really like. It recounts the last 48 hours in the life of Marc (Léokim Beaumier-Lépine), a 14-year-old in juvenile detention. My issue with the movie is that we are given very little reason to root for Marc. We see him with his family on a weekend visit; everything else is Marc self-sabotaging his future, which is not interesting to watch.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (8/10)
Wes Anderson is one of my go-to directors. He has such a distinctive style in his movies that I love. He and Netflix teamed up to make short films based on some of Roald Dahl's short stories. "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular Henry. It is weird, it is fun, and it is heart-warming. I don't even want to tell you more than that. There are four on Netflix, and if they are all as good as this one, I hope they do more. This was the perfect movie to end on.
