Let's look at four of this year's contenders for the Live-Action Short Oscar. I don't have time to see this year's package film in theaters, which is the only feasible way to see the last short, The Last Ranger. If it does become available online, I'll review it with a few runners-up from the other short categories. As for this one:
I'm Not a Robot (Dir. Victoria Warmerdan): One day, music producer Lara Vermeulen's (Ellen Parren) laptop suddenly needs to update. Confronted with a series of CAPTCHA tests, Lara inexplicably fails them all, and even an online Turing test tells her she could be a robot. Maybe the internet wants to prank her or maybe the internet is on to something ...
This easily the funniest of the shorts, at least initially. Lara's frustrations with modern technology are relatable; the last question of her Turing test is a particularly cold joke. As the short goes on, we empathize with her as she grapples with her identity. Its eventual twist concerning her identity had me thinking of the recent Companion, a film that I would have seen if I wasn't too lazy. Its twists wouldn't work without Parren's compelling performance, especially its final shot. You can see what the fuss is about when you stream it on The New Yorker's YouTube page.
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (Dir. Nebojša Slijepčević): On February 27, 1993, a passenger train is stopped at Štrpci railway station by the White Eagles paramilitary group. The White Eagles start inspecting IDs and they even take a few people with them. In one berth, Milan (Silvio Mumelaš) confesses to his fellow passengers that he is undocumented. When the White Eagles show up, it looks like Milan will be next, until another passenger, Tomo Buzov (Dragan Mićanović) tells off the soldiers ...
The short mostly centers on Dragan (Goran Bogdan), whom we're led to believe is the titular man. After all, he's the first person we see, and is the one who talks to Milan the most. He even contemplates helping Milan when the White Eagles show up. It's only near the end before we realize that the old man in the corner is the titular man. Dragan is alone in thought, perhaps reflecting on his failure to act, while we're left wondering what we'd do in a similar situation.
It doesn't take much to recognize the gravity of the situation. We're mostly kept inside the berth, which is made tighter by cinematographer Gregor Bozic, while a fantastic sound design keeps us on edge as the White Eagles march around. What makes it especially unsettling is the knowledge of the actual Štrpci Massacre, in which Buzov and 18 others were killed. The crime itself isn't depicted at all, so there's some levity. Keyword: Some. I won't blame you if you skip this one. But for those who don't want to, it's available to rent on Vimeo via its French Distributor, Manifest. Its subject matter alone could help it win, but I prefer the next short.
A Lien (Dir. David & Sam Cutler-Kreutz): It's a big day for the Gomez family. Oscar (William Martinez), an undocumented immigrant, is about to be interviewed for his Green Card. Oscar, his wife Sophia (Victoria Ratermanis), and their daughter Nina (Koralyn Rivera) rush through traffic to get to the Immigration Office. Unfortunately, as Oscar's interview proceeds, Sophia witnesses ICE officers arresting people in the lobby. And they're looking for Oscar ...
This is the one I'd go with if I was an Academy Member. If this was a feature, then editor Caitlin Carr should be in contention for the Academy Award. It may be fourteen minutes, but Carr keeps us on edge up until the last few seconds. Of particular note is the actual interview, in which Sophia frantically tries to get ahold of Oscar, who tragically - yet understandably - ignores her. The Gomezes are likable, and we're all for Oscar getting his Green Card, which makes it tragic when the rug is pulled from under them. It's made even worse when the epilogue says that this rug pulling is a common ICE practice. It still ends bittersweetly, but you'll have to see it for yourself on the short's website.
We now go with a Netflix short, and something lighter ...
Anuja (Dir. Adam J. Graves): In Delhi, Anuja (Sajda Pathan) and her sister Palak (Ananya Shanbhag) are employed in a sweatshop by Mr. Verma (Nagesh Bhonsle). Anuja is a young math whiz, which gets her scouted by Mr. Mishra (Gulshan Walia) for an entrance exam at a renowned boarding school. The sisters earn the entrance fee by selling bags Palak smuggled out of the shop. Unfortunately, Verma doesn't want Anuja to leave, and if she goes to the exam, Palak will be out of work ...
Of these four shorts, this is the biggest crowd-pleaser of them all. Its heavy-subject matter is somewhat softened by Anuja and Palak’s endearing sisterhood. Their bond is palpable from the first scene onwards, where Palak tells Anuja a morbid story. They hit the town as soon as they earn more than enough from their bags, and while they don't actually become millionaires, they feel like it. You'll feel like a millionaire watching them have fun, as well as how Palak made her bags in the first place. Anuja's escape from a mall security guard reminded me of the opening chase in Slumdog Millionaire; both scenes are impressively scored and edited. Not even its ambiguous ending nullifies the fun of its entire 22 minutes.
That's it for this year's bunch of accessible Live-Action Shorts. Next up is a feature film.
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