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Oscar Spotlight

The Pit – Assumptions and secrets

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How often do we try to judge based on assumptions that may not be true? In The Pit, Latvia’s submission for Best International Feature consideration, there are many assumptions that lead the characters to make judgements that may or may not be justified.

Markuss, a ten year old boy who’s been sent to live with his grandmother after his father’s death, is quiet and sullen. He doesn’t want to be here. He’d rather draw than be with people. As the film opens, he’s left a playmate in a pit. She isn’t found until later that night. This immediately turns the community against Markuss and his grandmother. The girl’s mother is pushing for the boy to be deemed dangerous, based on the pictures he draws. Much of the community’s ideas are based on what they know about Markuss’s father, although we don’t really know much backstory until later—including the backstory of the girl being left in the pit.

In avoiding the judgement of the community (and trying to avoid a beat down from the girl’s brother), Markuss discovers the reclusive Sailor, who lives a bit out of town. Sailor was a friend of Markuss’s grandmother in their youth. It turns out that Sailor makes stained glass windows—or at least is working on one. Markuss’s father was Sailor’s assistant at one point, so Markuss feels a connection, and is soon learning about stained glass. But then Markuss is shocked to discover Sailor’s secret.

Various other secrets are revealed as the story works its way to an ending that may be redemptive for Markuss and the community. Each secret reveals the dark sides of the community that is struggling with its vision of itself in the wake of Markuss’s actions.

The film is a combination of three stories by Latvian author Jana Egles. While we may easily separate out the three stories, the combination of the three create a broader picture of the life of this community. The darkness that seems to define the town is not really based in Markuss, but he seems to be carrying the blame for it. Rather, we learn that Markuss may be the one character who will bring something good to the community.

The Pit is available on Film Movement Plus.

Photos courtesy of Film Movement.

Sanremo – Filling Emptiness

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“Each day is a new day. We get up each morning and start again.”

That is especially true for the characters in Sanremo from director Miroslav Mandić. As dementia removes memories, it can make each day a horror, a challenge, or a wonder. Sanremo is Slovenia’s entry for Best International Film Oscar consideration.

Bruno and Duša live in the same senior home. At times they connect for breakfast, on in the arts room, or doing exercises. They enjoy each other, but each time it is as if they are meeting for the first time.

Bruno is a wanderer. When alone his mind goes back to his home, his wife, and his dog. He often escapes the facility and goes off to feed his long-gone dog. Duša is a bit more in a fog. She goes along with whatever activities are available. Bur she revels in the lawn sprinklers, standing in them looking up in wonder. Later, she does the same in a snowfall.

There is a poignancy to this story. It’s not quite a romance, but these two people with empty lives manage to find each other and enjoy one another, but cannot create an ongoing relationship. Yet, we sense that when they are apart, they feel the absence of the other, even if they don’t know what it is they miss.

There is great loss for these characters, to be sure. But as we watch Duša, we sense that there is a blessing in being able to be astonished by such simple things as water and snow. The world around us can indeed be hard and challenging. But sometimes, amidst those trials, we may be able to find something that will kindle wonder within our souls.

Sanremo is available on Film Movement Plus.

Photos courtesy of Film Movement.

Blanco en Blanco: Cold Dark World

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Blanco en Blanco, Chile’s submission for Best Foreign Film Oscar consideration, takes us into the cold, dark, empty environment of Tierra del Fuego at the turn of the 20th century. Director Théo Court creates a world in which the land and the people share a soul-numbing desolation.

The film centers on Pedro, a photographer, who has been hired to come to this remote area to take a wedding photo of the landowner’s soon to be child bride, Miss Sara. Strangely, the land owner, Mr. Porter, is absent throughout the movie, always busy on other business. This area, at the southern tip of South America is very much the end of the earth. As Pedro must wait for the wedding to take place, he is caught up in seeing the world around him. He discovers it is filled with people who are just as cold, dark, and empty as the land around them. He also discovers, and in time participates in, the genocide against the indigenous people of the area.

This languidly paced film is more than anything an example of excellence in cinematography. Whether inside the big house, or in the surrounding countryside, earth tones or stark white and grays fill the screen to show us the emptiness that defines the land and the people. This is a world that even in its violence, lacks any sense of passion. Pedro, especially seems to be nearly emotionless. He just exists. His only real concern is how to stage a photo perfectly (not unlike the centrality of cinematography in this film). Some of the most interesting shots are those that we see through his camera.

Of course, the social commentary of the film is about the colonialism that destroys those who have lived in this land for so many generations. When Pedro is asked to document the work being done, he is told that they are making history here by creating a homeland. (Obviously, a homeland for Europeans. It is already a homeland, but by those not recognized as true people.) Just as Pedro poses Miss Sara to make the young girl look sexually appealing, he later poses the corpses of the murdered people and their hunters to make the scene look noble. It reminds us that there is often much more behind the images we see than we know.

Blanco en Blanco is in limited release.

Photos courtesy of Outsider Pictures.

Academy Awards 2021: Boseman Loss Shows Why We Still Do (and Don’t) Need the Oscars

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It wasn’t supposed to go like that.

After unexpectedly re-arranging the schedule to push Best Picture up and let the acting categories shine, the Academy clearly wanted to send a message. With the foregone conclusion that Chadwick Boseman would posthumously take Best Actor for his work in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, it was going to definitively celebrate a young man who was taken from us far too soon after losing his battle with cancer last year. 

An African-American man. 

Black Panther.

The significance of the moment was going to be a victory to end that night that would be both emotional and satisfying. After all, at a moment when Black culture is looking for heroes, a Chadwick victory would have been a symbolic statement in honour of a young man who had become a beacon of hope for many, sending viewers home with a truly feel-good moment.

Well, we all know how that went.

After Phoenix announced Anthony Hopkins as Best Actor to close out the show, the shock was palpable. The room was fairly quiet. Phoenix had to fumble through an awkward acceptance on Hopkins behalf as he was the only nominee not available. Of course, Twitter erupted. (In some ways, you almost feel bad for Hopkins. At home in Wales, even HE didn’t think he was going to win. If I were him, I likely would have slept through the ceremony as well.)

In a moment that felt like the reverse of the La La Land/Moonlight fiasco of a few years ago, the ‘feel-good’ finale completely backfired.

Within seconds, people took to their social media and responded accordingly. Outrage! Fury! Cancel! The response was completely understandable—and expected. After all, around this time, it’s almost tradition for people to take to the inter-webs to complain about the Oscars and the choices that they proclaim are ‘Best’. People decry from the rooftops that the films the Academy selects show their irrelevancy (and, sometimes, that’s a totally fair complaint). Comments like ‘this is why I don’t care about the Oscars’ flood social media with tsunami-like force.

But the irony is that same blow-up on the Twitter-verse shows that people still do care.

While people may either be happy or furious, the fact that the reactions to these awards are so strong suggests that there’s still an interest in the results. For over 90 years, the Academy Awards have been the ‘standard’ by which success in the industry has been measured. To win an Oscar is considered one of the highest honours in the industry and, even though culture has changed a lot in recent years (and continues to do so), there remains a respect for that golden statue that continues to endure. To win an Oscar still says something. 

They matter because they matter to us.

The reason people were upset about Chadwick losing the award is not because Hopkins didn’t deserve it but rather that it meant something to them. Hopkins turned in the performance of the lifetime in the role but a Chadwick victory would have felt not only poignant but powerful. With his career still reaching his potential before his death, Chadwick still felt like someone that people could relate to, especially amongst the Black community. A win for him seemed like it would have felt like another win for them.

And it might have.

But, if the awards truly didn’t matter to anyone outside the industry, no one would have cared. There would have been no outcry or frustration. It would have simply passed on from the cultural zeitgeist and landed on the entertainment pages… not the front page… 

The problem may be that we’ve given too much credibility to the Academy. Though filled with over 1000 industry professionals, with this responsibility comes the expectation that it will represent the values of the people and the time. The truth is that they don’t always. Yes, they strive for representation and want to speak the voice of a culture. That’s why these films matter as much as Marvel films or alien invasions. They connect with a heartbeat that speaks the cries of our world.

But they don’t always speak for you and I. How could they?

With this in mind, the loss by Chadwick shows that, maybe, we don’t need the Oscars to play the same role in our culture. The truth is that, while considered the highest heights of the industry, the loss to Hopkins does not take away from his performance (or career) in any way. So many of history’s best films and performances were never recognized by the Academy. Citizen Kane, Raging Bull, Do The Right Thing, Pulp Fiction and innumerable others were robbed of ‘Oscar glory’ yet remain the most influential films of the last century. (And let’s not forget Delroy Lindo from the list of snubs this year…)

Regardless of who the Academy chooses to take home the gold, Chadwick Boseman will be remembered.

He matters. And he’s as important as he was yesterday.

I admit it. I love the Oscars. I love the pageantry, the music and the speeches. Unlike many, I love the fact that winners use the platform to speak their hearts about issues that matter to them. (I mean, they’ve been given a voice. They should use it.) I even love my Oscar pool with friends.

Ultimately though, they don’t determine which films or performances matter most. Only the ones that mattered to these people. That’s why it doesn’t really matter in the end if Boseman posthumously took home the gold. His performance in Ma Rainey’s was a thing of brilliance and it will be remembered. (In fact, it should be remembered.) This year’s Oscars may have been the most diverse in the Academy’s history. Chloe Zhao. Daniel Kaluuya. Yuh-Jung Yoon. H.E.R. Soul. Jon Batiste. All of these winners from last night show that things are changing. This was not #OscarsSoWhite, even if it did feel like #OscarsSoWrong.

The loss by Boseman doesn’t change any of this… but it’s all anyone’s talking about.

Yes, it would have made an amazing story to see him cap off his young but incredible career with a win. It would have been an emotional moment for us all. But there’s a reason that they announce the winner by saying ‘the Oscar goes to…’ They don’t want the other nominees to feel as though they are someone lesser than the others.

Because they aren’t. Not Riz Ahmed. Not Boseman. None of them, regardless of category. They all achieved something great with their cinematic achievements. And, like Chadwick’s performance, their work lives on. 

The Academy knows that. We may have forgotten it.

Message received.

Quo Vadis, Aida? – Helplessness

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“I’m doing everything within my power.”

Quo Vadis, Aida? is a fictionalized story based on true events during the Bosnian War. Directed by Jasmila Žabanić, it has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best International Feature Category. It was submitted by Bosnia and Herzegovina. It recounts the fall of the town of Srebrenica and the resulting genocide carried out by the Serbian army.

Aida Selmanagić (Jasna Đuričić) is a Srebrenica school teacher who is serving as a translator for UN peacekeeping forces. The colonel leading the Dutch military contingent has been assuring the people of the town that they are protected and that the UN is prepared to attack the Serbs if they try to take the city. But when the Serbs come, the UN fails to carry out the threats of their ultimatums. The people evacuate the city, four or five thousand get inside the Dutch compound, but several thousands more are outside the compound seeking safety within. Aida is safe as an employee of the UN, but her husband and sons are outside the walls.

As an insider to the negotiations, Aida has information that the rest of her community does not have. She manages to find a way to get the family inside, but even then, the situation continues to deteriorate as the impotence of the UN forces becomes more and more obvious.

This is a film about helplessness. We especially see it in Aida as she struggles to save her family, but it is also true for the Dutch military leaders. They have been left out to dry by NATO and UN political decisions. When the colonel in charge tries to call up the command chain, he is told no one is available. Many times throughout the film, military people and Aida are pushed to tell people things they know are not true. The colonel admits early on, “I’m just a piano player.” (I.e., he’s only a messenger.) That is often the role that Aida finds herself in as well. Bringing messages that have no real force or meaning.

Aida is stuck in the middle—between her job and her family and the wider community. The Dutch are in the middle, delivering flaccid threats, then having to follow orders and regulations rather than saving lives.

When in school and learning to identify themes in literature, one of those overall themes that frequently recur is “Man’s inhumanity to man”. That phrase seems inadequate to describe genocide. We watch it play out, seeing the faces of so many we know to be doomed, and discovering that even those who care about what is happening are helpless to stop it. The film really doesn’t look at the geopolitical background. That would just be a diversion. The reality is that the world, like Aida, seems to be powerless in the face of the evil of such strife.

Quo Vadis, Aida? is playing in theaters, through virtual cinema, and on Hulu.

Hope – The Possibility of Light in the Darkness

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“You don’t have to love me just because I’m dying. But I need to know that you’ll help me.”

A diagnosis of terminal cancer inevitably brings upheaval and stress into any family. Hope, Norway’s official Oscar Submission for Best International Feature Film (it made the shortlist, but wasn’t nominated), is an intimate and intense look at the dynamics within a family, and especially between spouses in such a troubling time.

Anja (Andrea Bræin Hovig) and Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård) have been together for many years. They have three children together as well as three from Tomas’s first marriage. They have built very separate lives through the years, but have managed to stay together (although not married). A few days before Christmas, Anja learns that she has a brain tumor, likely a metastasis from her earlier lung cancer. Such tumors are invariably fatal.

The film follows Anja and her family through a very difficult eleven day period. They try to keep the diagnosis secret through the holiday, but with Anja’s reaction to the steroids she’s been put on, it becomes necessary to reveal the truth. She is struggling with thoughts of mortality, but also with concern for her children, especially her teenage daughter. Tomas and Anja also must deal with questions within their relationship and how their lives have evolved over the years. All the while they must deal with holidays with friends and with various medical appointments to determine any steps to be taken if there is to be any hope of survival.

At the very beginning of the film is a note that says. “This is my story as I remember it.” The film is based on director Maria Sødahl’s experience of getting such a diagnosis. (Obviously, she recovered.) That is what makes the film such an intimate portrayal of a very trying time in her life. As Anja struggles through such tumultuous times, trying to deal with holidays, family, drugs side effects, and the frustrations of even a good medical system, we can see something of the reality Sødahl lived.

The setting of the Christmas/New Year holidays is interesting because those are days we associate with hope—whether it involves Christmas presents or the dawning of a new year. But for Anja and Tomas, much of what they are seeing is hopelessness. Doctor after doctor tells them there is no hope—only short-term remedies.

That makes the film’s title stand out. This is a film in which hope, while it seems so elusive, is central to the characters’ lives. Hope, as it plays out in the film, is not just about a possible medical outcome. It applies to the future of Tomas’s and Anja’s children. But the real focus of hope that we see here is on healing the rift in the relationship between Tomas and Anja that has grown through years of distraction and routine. If they have only a little time left together, will it be a time of love or only struggle?

The film leaves all its questions unresolved, and in so doing it challenges us to consider our own level of hope.

Hope is available in theaters and through virtual cinema.

Photos courtesy of KimStim Films.

A Look at the Oscar® Nominated Animated Shorts.

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When it is time to award the best in films each year, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences include three categories of short films in their Oscar® presentations. Most people don’t get to see many shorts. They play at festivals, and occasionally in front of a feature film. But short films are an art form worth attention. Many (probably most) feature filmmakers started out making short films. To tell a story in such a brief format takes skill. All the Oscar®-nominated short films will be playing in theaters and on virtual cinema in special programs.

Let’s take a look at the Oscar®-nominated animated shorts.

Burrow (6 minutes, directed by Madeline Sharafian). This Disney/Pixar entry features a young rabbit who wants to build the home of her dreams, but really doesn’t know what she’s doing. The more she digs, the more trouble she gets into until her neighbors step in to lend a hand. It’s fun. It has the cuteness one associates with Disney, but it doesn’t quite have the heart.

Genius Loci (16 minutes, directed by Adrien Mérigeau). Waiting for a sign, a young loner experience the urban chaos around her. Will it lead her to joy or destruction? The key thing in this piece is the artwork, that brings in elements of surrealism, cubism, and abstract expressionism. The narrative nature is a bit slow and disjointed.

If Anything Happens I Love You (13 minutes, directed by Michael Govier and Will McCormack). We see two grieving parents as they struggle to cope after the loss of a child. They drift apart. They comfort each other. They have pain together and separately. They have memories that fill them with joy and pain at the same time. The film comes to a very powerful ending that finally gives us a context for all this grief.

Opera (9 minutes, directed by Erick Oh). A mesmerizing world of tiny people in a pyramidal hierarchy. Each little section is busy with its own activity. It portrays history and society with all its beauty and absurdity. There’s working, worship, war, and rebirth. What a pleasure to explore!

Yes-People (9 minutes, directed by Gísli Darri Halldórson). A day in the life of three families in an apartment building. Each in their own way are trying to deal with the mundane nature of life. It is somewhat difficult to make the mundane interesting.

BONUS: Because the nominated films are so brief, the program is filled out with a few of the “highly recommended” films that were shortlisted, but not nominated:

Kapaemahu (9 minutes, directed by Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu). A Hawaiian legend of god-like visitors from Tahiti who brought healing gifts and left them is special boulders, only to have the legend forgotten—until now. A very engaging retelling.

The Snail and the Whale (26 minutes, directed by Max Lang and Daniel Snaddon). A snail that is dissatisfied with life on its rock in the harbor, hitches a ride with a friendly humpback whale that allows it to see the wonders of the world. But in time, the whale needs the snail’s help. A wonderful feel good story based on a children’s picture book.

To: Gerard (7 minutes, directed by Taylor Meacham). An postal worker spends his day sorting letters, but dreams of being a magician. As a child he was fascinated by a magician who gave him a magic coin. He has tried to master the craft, but never really found an audience. But one day a little girl wanders into his work area and finds his magic coin. After some slight of hand, he gives her the coin. Many years later he gets an invitation to a magic show…

Of the nominated films, my favorite by far is Opera. When I first saw it as part of the Slamdance festival this year, I had to watch it more than once just to get a start at all the things it is showing us about who we are. I’ll give an Honorable Mention to If Anything Happens I Love You because it is such a great touchstone for the emotions of grief and has such a powerful (if difficult) ending.

Of the bonus films, I really liked The Snail and the Whale for the way it took us on a spectacular journey just as it does the snail.

To see trailers or to find where you can see these shorts, go to https://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/

A Look at the Oscar® Nominated Live Action Shorts

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When it is time to award the best in films each year, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences include three categories of short films in their Oscar ® presentations. Most people don’t get to see many shorts. They play at festivals, and occasionally in front of a feature film. But short films are an art form worth attention. Many (probably most) feature filmmakers started out making short films. To tell a story in such a brief format takes skill. All the Oscar-nominated short films will be playing in theaters and on virtual cinema in special programs.

Let’s take a look at the Oscar ® nominated live action shorts.

Feeling Through (19 minutes, directed by Doug Roland). Tereek, a homeless teen helps Walter, a blind-deaf man (played by a deaf-blind actor), find his bus to get home. He learns to see the man as more than a problem, and also gets perspective on his own trials.  This is a very moving story. In just a few minutes of screen time, we see tremendous growth in Tereek’s character. For him this is truly a life changing experience.

The Letter Room (33 minutes, directed by Elvira Lind). When a sensitive prison guard gets transferred to the mail room, his job is to read all the incoming and outgoing mail. He is enthralled with the very personal letters sent to a death row inmate. But perhaps the reality is less than he imagines. Nice performance from Oscar Isaac as a man who strives to be kind, even in an unkind environment.

The Present (25 minutes, directed by Farah Nabulsi). This Palestinian film is the story of a man who sets off with his daughter to go into town to buy an anniversary gift for his wife. The way is complicated by checkpoints, hostile Israeli soldiers, and segregated highways. It becomes a trial by humiliation. Can the man get the gift home and still maintain his stature in the eyes of his daughter? This look at life within the occupied Palestinian territories shows some of the injustice that people must face, with no real rights or power. The Present is currently streaming on Netflix.

Two Distant Strangers (29 minutes, directed by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe). When a man wakes up in his girlfriend’s apartment, he sets off home to take care of his dog. But when he runs into trouble with a racist policeman, it ends tragically. Then he wakes up again…. This is something of a Black Lives Matter version of Groundhog Day. There are lots of different scenarios, but it always ends in the police killing of a black man.

White Eye (20 minutes, directed by Tomer Shushan). In Israel, a man finds his bike stolen weeks ago. It now belongs to a Somalian immigrant who bought it at bus station. When the police get involved it becomes far more complicated than the man wanted. The film moves from being about what rights a person might have to what is the right thing to do in a difficult setting.

My favorites among these are Feeling Through,because it brings hope out of darkness in a touchingly human way; and Two Distant Strangers, for the way it uses the time loop trope to emphasize the way the killing of black people seems be something we wake up to anew each day.

To see where you can see these shorts, go to https://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/

A Look at Oscar® Nominated Short Documentaries

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When it is time to award the best in films each year, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences include three categories of short films in their Oscar® presentations. Most people don’t get to see many shorts. They play at festivals, and occasionally in front of a feature film. But short films are an art form worth attention. Many (probably most) feature filmmakers started out making short films. To tell a story in such a brief format takes skill. All the Oscar®-nominated short films will be playing in theaters and on virtual cinema in special programs.

Let’s take a look at the Oscar®-nominated short documentaries

Colette (25 minutes, directed by Anthony Giacchino). At 90 years old, Colette is one of the last remaining veterans of the French Resistance. She has never, in the years since the war, stepped foot in Germany. Now, with a young researcher, she is going to the Concentration Camp where her brother died. It is an emotional trip for both women. It makes the story of the Resistance and of her brother very personal.

A Concerto Is a Conversation (13 minutes, directed by Kris Bowers and Ben Proudfoot). Kris Bowers is a rising star among Hollywood composers. But he sometimes wonders, as an African American if he is “supposed to be in the spaces that I’m in.” As he talks with his grandfather, he hears of growing up in the Jim Crow south, and finding a way to a better life in Los Angeles, which shaped the family Bowers was born into. This is a bit of a celebration of family, and especially the bond between Bowers and his grandfather.

Do Not Split (35 minutes, directed by Anders Hammer). In the spring of 2019, when the Chinese government proposed extraditing Hong Kong people to China, protests began. By September (when the documentary joins the protests) these protests had gotten very large and filled with violence, by both protesters and police. This film takes us into those protests. It shows us the passion of the young people involved. But we really don’t get a lot of context to fully understand all the issues that come into play.

Hunger Ward (40 Minutes, directed by Skye Fitzgerald). In Yemen, war and famine have resulted in large numbers of children starving. This is a look into two clinics and the doctors who are trying to save the lives of these children. The film is a brutal experience—not because of violence, but because of the near hopelessness of the situation. Viewers should know they have to steal themselves for some of these scenes, which include children dying. It’s also important to note that the US is a key supporter and supplier of the Saudis who have blocked aid from reaching Yemen.

A Love Song for Latasha (19 minutes, directed by Sophia Nahli Allison). “Say her name” has become an important phrase in our culture as we remember the deaths of African Americans needlessly killed. Fifteen year old Latasha Harlins, was killed trying to buy Orange Juice. That event became a focal point in the 1992 Los Angeles uprising. This film, related by a cousin and a friend of Latasha does more than say her name. It tells of a life. It is not about a victim, but about what has been lost.

My favorite among these is A Concerto Is a Conversation. It points to the struggle people have endured, but also shows a bit of hope that we can do better. I hesitated to call Hunger Ward a “favorite”, because it is very difficult to watch. But it is a powerful and important story that much of the world is overlooking.

To see trailers or to find where you can see these shorts, go to https://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/

A Few of International Feature Oscar Hopefuls

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Every country (except the U.S.) can submit one film for Oscar consideration for Best International Feature Film. How a country makes that choice varies. There are certain criteria, including how much English is allowed. The Academy has a process through which the films are reviewed eventually ending up with the five films nominated for the award. In early February the short list (this year it will include 15 films) will be announced.

I have had a chance to see some of the films submitted (either at festivals or through screeners), but still it is only about 1/6 of the list of films hoping for recognition. Here is a look at the ones I’ve seen, with links to our reviews if available.

Denmark: Another Round. Directed by Thomas Vinterberg. A group of friends test a hypothesis that keeping a constant 0.05% blood alcohol level is the key to happiness. Vinterberg is a masterful director and has made this a film of humor and pathos. Screenfish review of Another Round. Since it made my year end top films list, I would obviously be happy for this to get a nomination. (On the Shortlist of possible nominees.)

France: Two of Us tells the story of Nina (Barbara Sukowa) and Madeleine (Martine Chevallier), two retired women who have been romantically involved for decades. Though they spend their daily lives together, their relationship has remained largely in secret over that time, especially to Madeleine’s family. However, when Madeleine suddenly falls ill, their relationship is turned upside down and Nina must find a way to hide their secret while also caring for the woman that she loves. Directed by Fillipo Meneghetti, Two of Us is a powerful and heartbreaking piece that puts the wildness of love on full display. Well-written and earnestly performed, Two of Us is a simple film about what it means to care for someone so deeply that you’ll do anything to support them in their time of need. 

Hong Kong: Better Days. Directed by Derek Tsang. Chen Nian is trying to prepare for a college entrance exam. She and others face bullying at the school. After an encounter with Xiao Bei, a young street thug, the boy becomes Chen Nian’s protector. Can Chen Nian escape the violence around her, or will she become part of the violence? Well made film, but not as strong as some others. (On the Shortlist of possible nominees.)

India: Jallikattu. Directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery. When a buffalo escapes from the butcher, the whole village goes into action to try to recapture it before it destroys everything. As the day moves into night, the situation devolves to the point we aren’t sure if the animal is the real beast or the people. Interestingly, the film is bookended with title cards with verses from Revelation. (20: 1-3 at the beginning, 19:17-18 at the end). It’s a dark comedy with some very interesting camera and editing work.

Ivory Coast: Night of the Kings. Directed by Philippe Lacôte. Set in an African prison, a new prisoner is named by the convict boss as the new “Roman”, storyteller. On the night of the red moon, the Roman must tell a story that takes all night. There is a sort of Greek chorus that acts out parts of the story. Meanwhile, the boss is near death and a rival faction is hoping to seize power. It has a bit of magical realism. Interesting, but not compelling storytelling. (On the Shortlist of possible nominees.)

Japan: True Mothers. Directed by Naomi Kawase. Six years after a couple adopt a baby boy, they get a phone call from a woman claiming to be his birth mother and wants him back—or money. The film spends a great deal of time on each woman’s story before we get to the conflict and resolution. It may be a little overlong, but still a worthy story. Screenfish review of True Mothers.

Kazakhstan:The Crying Steppe. Directed by Marina Kunarova. The story of the Great Famine that was the result of Soviet policies during the 1920s and 1930s. Although there are some wonderful landscapes, the story is dismal. This is very much a Kazak story that evokes national pride and animosity toward the Soviet system. I would be very surprised to see this make it to the shortlist, let alone a nomination.

Latvia: Blizzard of Souls. Directed by Dzintars Dreiberge. The story of a young Latvian (Latvia was then part of the Russian Empire) who goes off to fight in World War I.  The innocence of youth gives way to the brutality of war. We see the terrible suffering and loss. It also runs through the early stages of Communist Revolution, and the eventual independence of Latvia. It is a very patriotic film. Screenfish review of Blizzard of Souls.

Mexico: I’m No Longer Here. Directed by Fernando Frías de la Parra. Ulises, the leader of Los Terkos , a cambia dance crew in Monterrey, Mexico, must flee to the US after witnessing a drive-by shooting. In Queens, he is lost. He doesn’t know the language. He has no connection to his culture. He’s befriended by a young Asian girl who lets him squat on her grandfather’s roof. His life had been completely centered in cambia, but now there is nothing to give him direction or purpose. To be so alone in New York City is just part of the sorrow we watch in this tragic tale. (On the Shortlist of possible nominees.)

North Macedonia: Willow. Directed by Milcho Manchevski. This is a trio of stories that focus on motherhood. All three stories focus on women who had trouble conceiving. The first, set in medieval times, is a peasant woman who goes to a crone for help. When, after the child comes, the couple isn’t willing to pay the high price, tragedy waits. The second couple (in modern times) finally conceive twins, but again tragedy will bring darkness into the marriage. The third story focuses on the sister of the woman in the second story, who adopted a child after years of trying to conceive. But there may be something wrong with the child. Very well done chance to think about love, motherhood, and striving for happiness.

Peru: Song Without a Name. Directed by Melina León. A young pregnant indigenous woman learns of a clinic in the city that will provide free maternity services. When she gives birth, however, they steal her baby for foreign adoption. In her grief she works with a journalist to seek the government’s help. The film has some wonderful scenes of the indigenous cultural arts. A very moving story of people who are treated as invisible and worthless by society. A very good film. Screenfish review of Song Without a Name.

Portugal: Vitalina Verela. Directed by Pedro Costa. A very measured, slow-moving film that has extraordinary s cinematography of light and shadow and the use of a static camera. A Cape Verdean woman whose husband left her 25 years earlier to work in Portugal, arrives in Lisbon to discover he was buried three days before. She learns bits of his life as she moves around the immigrant slum. The life they had in Cape Verde seems much preferable to what she finds here. A faithless priest reflects on the darkness of life here.

Romania: Collective. Directed by Alexander Nanau. Documentary about the aftermath of a fire at a Bucharest nightclub. Many of the victims died of infections they got in the hospital. Investigative journalist began to trace the governmental corruption. An amazing part of the film is that the new health minister gave the filmmaker total access. This is a film about the importance of the press to confront governmental lies. Very good doc. It would certainly be worth consideration in both this category and in the documentary category. Screenfish review of Collective. (On the Shortlist of possible nominees.)

Slovakia: The Auschwitz Report. Directed by Peter Bebjak. The story of two prisoners who seek to escape and bring information of what is going on to the outside world. The first half of the film takes place in the concentration camp, where following their escape, the other prisoners suffer increasing punishment. The second half is their journey to get across the border and report. But even then, their reports of the horrors are met with deep scepticism.

Spain: The Endless Trench. Directed by Jon Garaño, Aitor Arregi, and Jose Mari Goenaga. Based on true events, this is the story of a man who, with his wife’s help, hides in his house for over 30 years. During the Spanish Civil War, he escaped capture by the Nationalists and found his way home where he first hid in a hole under a cabinet, and later in a narrow room created by a false wall. Even after the war, through World War II and beyond, he is considered a war criminal until an amnesty is declared in 1969. The stresses of the confinement play out in their lives. They live in constant fear, even when it is time to come out of hiding. An excellently done film about the confines we often must deal with in our lives. It’s easy to extrapolate to the COVID-19 world.

Sudan: You Will Die at Twenty. Directed by Amjad Abu Alata. When a local holy man prophesizes that a child will die when he turns twenty, he begins with a sheltered life, but even after he begins to learn the Quran, his life is geared around his impending death. The entire village believes this is God’s will—except for a photographer who has recently returned from traveling the world. Can the boy find a way to live fully? Screenfish review of You Will Die at Twenty.

Switzerland: My Little Sister. Directed by Stéphanie Chuat and Véronica Reymond. A woman tries to give her actor twin brother one more time on stage before he dies. Her efforts could well cost her a very high price. The film is really about the bond that the siblings share. Screenfish review of My Little Sister.