Live Action Shorts - 5 nominees

THE AFTER: Misan Harriman and Nicky Bentham

The shorts are rarely light hearted and this year is no exception to that rule. Having said that, this heartbreaking and excellent short follows a father and husband whose wife and daughter are killed in a most horrific way, and how he must learn to cope following their deaths. David Oyelowo gives a masterful performance and this short film shows how fragile life can be.

INVINCIBLE:Vincent René-Lortie and Samuel Caron

Apparently based on a true story, Invincible follows the last 48 hours of a Canadian child's life in a detention center for troubled youth. He is so clearly smart and loved, and even the people at the center seem to believe in him. But he can't get out of his own way and when he makes a run for it, his despair about being able to get out of his last worst decision overwhelms him beyond repair.

KNIGHT OF FORTUNE: Lasse Lyskjær Noer and Christian Norlyk

This sweet short keeps up the tradition of the Danish shorts that are full of heart and humor. Two men find each other as they come to say goodbye to their beloved wives. When they get themselves into a seriously awkward situation at the morgue, all you can do is giggle while they comfort strangers who are also mourners. They support each other through a very difficult moment in their lives as only older tough men can do.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE: Nazrin Choudhury and Sara McFarlane

This was my favorite of the shorts, depicting the devastating consequences of abortion bans in so many states. I don't want to share too much about the plot because the twist toward the end of the film is so profound that I hope you'll see it yourself. A single, poor mother must contend with the worst of options while living on the edge of poverty at every moment, and her limited choices are devastating for more than just herself, but also for her two children, especially her daughter.

THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR: Wes Anderson and Steven Rales

This delightful short from Wes Anderson has all the weirdness that only Anderson can deliver with the most terrific cast. It is told with actors who are both acting out the plot and narrating the plot at the same time.  My favorite moments are when an actor will say a line looking away and then turn directly to the camera and say, "I said." It's the story of how one man came to see without his eyes, and another became obsessed with duplicating this talent.  It's a kooky little one from author (and known anti-Semite_ Roald Dahl.

SELMA - 2 nominations

Best Picture - Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner
Best Song - "Glory"  Music and Lyric by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn

Selma is the story of the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King's vision to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to protest the laws keeping African Americans from voting.  Inherent in that struggle is the demand for equal rights across the board - working for the demise of segregation altogether.  The key challenge was not only to have institutionalized racism overturned, but also to ensure that the laws that had already passed protecting African American citizens were actively enforced.  It may have been legal for African Americans to vote, but that doesn't mean that the person working in city government was actually allowing people to register.

It's a very powerful, very moving film, with phenomenal performances, especially by David Oyelowo who embodied the spirit of MLK.  The best part of the film is that although we do follow Martin Luther King and his actions to make change, it equally lauds the people of Selma who endured humiliations, beatings, and other forms of degradation.  The victories do not rest solely on the charismatic leader, they sit in the hands of the people who made these tremendous sacrifices every day, in every possible way.  The choice to make MLK a very real person and show all sides of him (including that he was cheating on his wife), was a brave one. Ava DuVernay, as the Director of the film, did an outstanding job of personalizing the struggle and showing the realities of that time - not everyone believed that the chosen way was the correct way.  In some ways, MLK was seen in the film as a carpet bagger, picking the best towns to drop in on and do his work, which was not appreciated by everyone already working in that town.  I must admit that of all of the categories in which Selma was overlooked, Ava DuVernay not being nominated for Best Director is the most upsetting to me.  She did a brilliant job with this film.

The bottom line of what makes this film so well done is how real the portrayals are.  Now, this is a film so it would be foolish to assume that everything portrayed is accurate to the actual history of struggle.  There are those who are furious that President Johnson is portrayed as working against MLK, but we have to remember that this is a film in need of conflict.  I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle.  There are those who are unhappy that other communities who were active and supportive of the efforts were not highlighted - I do not agree with those voices.  This film is one lens of the story, and what I sincerely hope is that people are inspired by the film to learn the true history of the struggle.  That would be a real victory.

Finally, I have to mention the song that is nominated for an Oscar, "Glory."  I believe this song to be absolutely the most powerful of the category.  John Legend and Common knocked it out of the park, and I'm sharing a video here that includes the lyrics so you can really be moved by its power.