Countdown to Oscar Night: The Shorts

I freely admit that I am not quite as excited for this year's installment of "Countdown to Oscar Night". Maybe I'm getting old. Maybe I'm upset with the Academy's insistence on fixing the things that are right about their show (number of awards, speeches, and length of the show) and leaving the things that are wrong about their show (too many "popular" movies nominated because of $$ and ratings?). Or maybe it's just that this year's crop of nominees has to be the most underwhelming in years and completely shut out some of the most inventive and original works of 2018. Who knows? Soldiering on...

For the first time since I have been seeking them out I was able to watch every nominee in 2/3 of the short film categories. The Live Action shorts are still nearly impossible to track down so I'll tackle them first:

Live Action Short
Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin

I don't know anything about any of these except that Detainment was in the news for pretty horrific reasons that I wish I hadn't read about (google at your own risk). With that in mind, I don't really have any personal opinion so I will just pick the expert's favorite to win:

My Pick to Win:
Marguerite


Documentary Short
Black Sheep (available on youtube here)
Endgame (available on Netflix)
Lifeboat (available on youtube here)
A Night at the Garden (available on vimeo here)
Period. End of Sentence  (available on Netflix)

Documentaries are always tough to judge critically because often the subject outshines the film-making. For some reason, the "short" format transcends this trend and allows for closer appreciation of the work of the folks behind the camera. This is especially evident in Lifeboat and Endgame. Both subjects (Mediterranean immigrant boat rescue and end-of-life care respectfully) are worthy of their due attention, but the documentarians' deft skill is evident as the viewer is guided through these strange and heartbreaking worlds. Both films educate without patronizing and leave the viewer moved to action and yearning to learn more. Period is fine. It's subjects take center stage and they deserve a more fleshed out portrayal. Black Sheep is the critical favorite to win and is certainly the most cinematic, but just seems trite to me. One guys story told through reenactment with no impact or real stakes beyond what is personal to him. A Night at the Garden is a piece that feels more like an interesting History Channel segment than a film.

My Ballot:
Endgame
Lifeboat
Period. End of Sentence
Black Sheep
A Night at the Garden

My Pick to Win:
Black Sheep


Animated Short
Animal Behavior (available on youtube here)
Bao
Late Afternoon
One Small Step (available on youtube here)
Weekends

I was lucky enough to catch all ten of the shortlisted animated shorts one sleepy morning during Christmas break. A couple (including the best one) are still available on youtube above. Weekends is actually the critical darling but I just did not get it. Maybe because I don't connect with the subject (a kid being shuttled between divorced parents), but I just felt that it was incoherent and a jumbled mess. Animal Behavior is also getting plenty of love, but not from me. I really dug Pixar's Bao when I saw it in the theater, but it lost a bit on repeat viewings for me and is maybe a bit too saccharin (even for Pixar). That leaves me with my two favorites. Both of these films are about love and loss between a parent and a child and both left me completely wrecked. I don't want to spoil either so I strongly urge you to seek them out. You can watch my favorite at the link above. Do it!

My Ballot:
One Small Step
Late Afternoon
Bao
Animal Behavior
Weekends

My Pick to Win:
Bao

Shamefully Snubbed:
Lost & Found (How on Earth did this not get nominated???  Watch it here, but be warned it is crushingly beautiful)