Live Action Shorts

The Live Action shorts are consistently good when it comes to Oscar nominees.  Most years there is one that I don't love, but as a category represents the best of filmmaking.  This year is an exception - every single short this year was very good, well crafted, gut wrenching, and utterly important.  Let's walk through each.

ALA KACHUU - TAKE AND RUN

Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger

The setting is Kyrgyzstan, a country not particularly known for valuing its women and girls.  Sezim dreams of studying at the University but while she is in the city taking the exam for a scholarship, she is kidnapped by rural townspeople who force her immediately into marriage.  The women of the family have experienced the same thing, and they provide her no sympathy.  Even when her family eventually discovers her dilemma, they refuse to help her escape.  Here is a woman with no recourse, no ability to escape, and no choices.  But Sezim is strong of mind and will, and she is not quite ready to give up yet.

Ala Kachuu is not yet available on any streaming platforms.

THE DRESS

Tadeusz Łysiak and Maciej Ślesicki

Julka is a hotel cleaner with dwarfism who has few to no prospects for changing her life.  She smokes hour after hour, day after day, and dreams of a loving relationship.  She seems to have a little flirtation going with one of the truckers who comes through her town and hotel, and when he asks her out on a date the next time he rolls through, her heart soars.  She finds some hope that her life can be different, and she pins those hopes squarely on this one potentially life changing event.  

You can watch The Dress on Vimeo.

THE LONG GOODBYE

Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed

With fascist, far right extremists marching and gaining traction all over the world, The Long Goodbye envisions a potential future where non-white British citizens are rounded up, killed, carted away while their neighbors stand idly by looking through the windows of their homes, watching it all happen.  That could never happen in our town, right?  This film is horrifying and absolutely possible.

You can watch The Long Goodbye on Amazon Prime.

ON MY MIND

Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson

This beautiful little film features Henrik, a loving and devastated husband whose wife is about to come off of life support.  As a final gesture, he goes to a karaoke bar in the middle of the morning and begs the proprietor to allow him to sing his wife's favorite Elvis (and Willie Nelson) song, Always on My Mind.  The grumpy bar owner is the key obstacle, but Henrik isn't leaving without a video of him singing her song.

You can watch On My Mind on Amazon Prime.

PLEASE HOLD

K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse

It's a dystopian future and Mateo has been arrested by a drone officer on his way to work.  As he is ushered into the prison facility without talking to a single person, he is unable to ascertain what exactly he is being arrested for, and moreover, if he wants to make a call, he must pay for it.  In fact, he must pay for every tiny thing in this for profit prison including meals, blankets, calls, and without even knowing what he is being charged with, he must decide whether to take a plea deal (for 5-7 years in prison) or to plead not guilty with a potential 47 years in prison.  The sense of injustice has the viewer screaming and squirming and should scare the crap out of everyone who supports a privatized justice system.

Please Hold is not yet available on streaming platforms, but please see it the moment it is.