It’s February, which means we’re in the thick of Oscar season — which means we’re in the thick of entertainment sites and publications bickering over who got snubbed and which major-category actors and films deserve this or that. They are, at the very least, definitely arguing over the snubs.
Right now, we’re concerned with this year’s Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, a category featuring films that run fewer than 40 minutes. We’ve watched each of the nominees and ranked them from worst to best. All five are currently screening together at Madison’s AMC Movie Hole. One is a comedy; none are funny.
The Eleven O’Clock
13 minutes, Australia
It’s a hectic and traffic-impacted morning at a psychiatrist’s office, where the first appointment involves a patient who also believes himself to be a psychiatrist. I assume the intention here was to make a wordplay-based comedy akin to “Who’s on First?” or a handful of Monty Python sketches. But The Eleven O’Clock is fueled by stale jokes, and it hinges on a twist you can sense is coming within the first couple of minutes.
My Nephew Emmett
20 minutes, United States
My Nephew Emmett centers on the 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till as shown through his uncle’s perspective, with whom Till was spending the summer in Mississippi. Though the short does feel foreboding, it’s entirely because we already know the story’s gruesome ending; I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something about the pacing wipes out any potential suspense. The no-nonsense Uncle Mose (played by the late L.B. Williams) is, however, first-rate.
The Silent Child
20 minutes, United Kingdom
The Silent Child is the only short of the bunch that ends too soon. It tells the story of Libby, a deaf girl and youngest child in a bustling family full of talkers. Libby’s been learning sign language with Joanne, a social worker bent on doing what’s best for the child even if the family has other plans. Is it syrupy? Of course. Does it work, though? You betcha.
Watu Wote: All of Us
22 minutes, Germany/Kenya
Watu Wote offers a stirring snapshot of a centuries-old conflict. In the tense short, which is based on actual events, a Christian woman hesitantly rides through Kenya on a mostly Muslim-filled bus. When the bus is stopped by al-Shabaab soldiers looking to kill Christians, the passengers must decide if they will point their fellow riders out or be shot themselves.
DeKalb Elementary
21 minutes, United States
Though all art is manipulative, watching a film in 2018 about an unstable shooter in an elementary school feels, well, manipulative. That said, DeKalb Elementary is easily the most powerful nominee in this category. I wanted it to be over the second I saw the gun. It shook me. It was hard to come down from. I’m still thinking about it.
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