All five of this year’s Oscar-nominated shorts are available to watch legally. Only one of them I had to pay for (it wasn’t much). Here they are:
The Singers (Dir. Sam A. Davis) - Based on Ivan Gugenev’s short story, we see a bunch of guys in a bar drinking away. One guy (Will Harrington) keeps pestering the other barflies for change. So, the bartender (Mike Young) offers him a free beer and 100 bucks if he out-sings one of his other regulars - an old man (Chris Smither). The same goes for everyone else. A few surprising challengers emerge. That’s basically it.
Nobody here has a name, so I had to look up the cast to put names to faces. It’s still easy to like these guys even without the luxury of exposition. They not only have a way with playful insults but a way with music as well. The Bartender’s mournful rendition of Unchained Melody moves his barflies to embrace him; he might just move you too. One other contender bows out before anyone can hear him, which is kind of a bummer. The film ending on another contender joining in might just be its best joke (second best is a cameo by Billy the Bass). You’ll just have to see it for yourself.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Jane Austen’s Period Drama (Dir. Julia Aks and Sam Pinder) - At the climax of an Austen-pastiche, the dashing Mr. Dickley (Ta'imua) proposes to Ms. Essie Talbot (Aks). There’s just one thing standing in their way - it’s her time of the month. Unfamiliar with this matter, Dickley assumes the worst, and rushes her home to her family for treatment. Her sisters (Samantha Start & Nicole Alyse Nelson) encourage her to play up her injuries for sympathy. Essie tries another approach - communication. It’s super-effective!
You’d be surprised how enjoyable this seemingly one-joke film is. Its farcical plot, which includes Essie and her sisters arguing over whether to kill a chicken, is hysterical. The side characters, like their father (Hugo Armstrong), are all enjoyable. Mr. Dickley is a handsome dunce, but he’s sweet-natured and eager to learn. But it’s also quite insightful - everything clears up easily once Essie explains this truth nobody wants to universally acknowledge. It’s a good way to keep the joke from going too long, but it’s also a great way to promote proper communication between couples.
I had my eye on this short once I saw it on December’s shortlist. If, for no other reason, than a relatively recent Documentary Short Winner - 2018’s Period. End of Sentence. They were willing to award a film on this topic before, and with this one’s unique premise, I figured they might do so again. I was right they’d nominate it. Let’s see if they’ll go all the way.
Where to Watch: Aks’ Youtube
A Friend of Dorothy (Dir. Lee Knight) - One day, 87-year-old Dorothy (Miriam Margolyes) meets 17-year-old J.J. (Alistair Nwachukwu) when he kicks his football (the UK kind, so Soccer) into her garden. Realizing that he’s an aspiring actor, Dorothy lets J.J. read from her play collection. He soon becomes her good friend until the very end. When the short opens, J.J. and Dorothy’s grandson Scott (Oscar Lloyd) attend the reading of her will, where both get a few surprises.
This is a relatively simple feel-good short. Margoyles is quite the character as Dorothy, while newcomer Nwachukwu is quite likable as J.J. It’s so nice to see their inter-generational friendship play out. Them bonding over plays was especially appealing to me since I also collect published plays. I’d probably feel right at home there. That aside, it seems narratively incomplete, with it bypassing anything close to Dorothy’s last day. Still, what I saw was enough to interest me in a possible feature adaptation. I’m sure you might feel the same. Buckle up, because the next shorts aren’t that crowd-pleasing.
Where to Watch: Attitude Magazine on Youtube
Butcher’s Stain (Dir. Meyer Levinson-Blount) - Shortly into the recent Israel-Hamas war, Samir (Omar Sameer), a supermarket butcher, is summoned to the manager’s office. It seems somebody keeps knocking down the posters featuring the Israeli hostages in the break room. Everyone suspects the Arab Israeli Samir as that somebody. He decides to get to the bottom of this mystery.
This topically relevant short might seem like the obvious winner. Then again, that mindset was why I underestimated the last two winners’ chances. Still, it’s a pretty suspenseful short as we’re left wondering if Samir will find the culprit, or if he’ll fly off the handle before he can. We’re given a few suspects, such as a smug co-worker (Levinson-Blount), but we ultimately learn there’s a tragically simple explanation. While one could wish for an easy resolution here, to do so might just be a cop-out. It probably ends a bit happier than the next short.
Where to Watch: Vimeo; rental via distributor Premium Films
Two People Exchanging Saliva (Dir. Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh) - In a world where kissing is a capital crime, toothpaste is a banned substance, and people barter by letting themselves be slapped, we find Malaise (Luàna Bajrami), a newbie concierge at a Parisian department store. On the cusp of turning twenty-five, she meets Angine (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), an older housewife. This business relationship soon turns personal, with a bit of romantic thrown in. They’ll have to keep things discreet to avoid being found out.
This is basically Carol if either Wes Anderson or the Coen Brothers directed it. It’s bleakly absurd, stylistically shot in black-and-white and it even comes with narration (by Vicky Krieps). Probably the best joke here is its blunt character names - Malaise’s jealous boss being Pétulante (Aurélie Boquien), for example. It also showcases a decently compelling relationship between Malaise and Angine, which is sadly over too quickly. And it’s the longest short here at 36 minutes! Still, I could see this winning based on its presentation alone.
Where to Watch: The New Yorker on Youtube.
You can expect reviews of the nominated Documentary and Animated Shorts very soon. I’ll check them out in the theatrical packages starting Saturday. Look forward to them.
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