Among all the other Oscars® given out, are three categories of short films. Those films can be seen in the weeks leading up to the awards at select theaters. (Check here for tickets near you.) One of those categories is Live Action Shorts. Each year this category shows the wide range of styles, moods, and themes that animation presents to viewers. Here is a look at this year’s nominees.
A Lien (15 minutes, USA, directed by Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz). It is a frantic morning for the Gomez family. The father has an appointment for an interview at the immigration offices to move his green card application along. But while he is having his interview, his name is called out elsewhere in the building, making his wife frantic. After the interview ICE is waiting to arrest him for deportation. But his daughter, a citizen, is with him and also taken into custody.
Yes, ICE does take people into custody as they try to follow the rules. In this case, after the wife barely manages to rescue her daughter from this chaos, it means that the family is being torn apart.
Anuja (22 minutes, India and the USA, directed by Adam J. Graves). Anuja is a gifted nine year old girl who lives with her older sister in an Indian slum. They work in a sweatshop (Anuja illegally, but the boss doesn’t care). She has a chance to get a scholarship to a boarding school. But that would take her away from the only family she has. It might also make things even harder for her sister.
For outsiders looking at this life, it might seem obvious what choice Anuja should make. She should follow her sister’s advice and do well on the test and get a chance at a better life. But we also know that making such a choice is not that simple. This short can be screened on Netflix.
I’m Not a Robot (22 minutes, Belgium and the Netherlands, directed by Victoria Warmerdam). Anyone who has failed a CAPTCHA test will identify with this film. When a woman comes across one in her daily work, she fails it—repeatedly. After several tries, she is connected to another test. The test says that there is an 87% chance she is a robot. She calls her husband, who claims the connection is bad and hangs up. Soon, he shows up with a strange woman, who tells her that she is indeed a robot that her husband had purchased.
This is not an easy idea for her to accept. Just how is life supposed to go on as usual, after such a revelation. On top of that, she finds out that she won’t die until after her husband, because he didn’t want to mourn her. Well, she’ll show him. Or will she?
The Last Ranger (28 minutes, South Africa, directed by Cindy Lee). Young Litha is given the chance to accompany a ranger in a game preserve. While they are there, one of the rhinos is attacked by poachers. As the ranger tries to save the animal, the poachers turn on her. One of the poachers is Litha’s father. The ranger teaches Litha that the rhino’s horn doesn’t make anyone strong, only what is in one’s heart.
This is based on the story of a rhino who survived such an attack—and went on to become a mother. We are told that there have been many rhinos and rangers killed in such attacks.
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (13 minutes, Croatia, directed by Nebojša Slijpčević). Set in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993, a man is traveling by train with his daughters. There are three other men in their compartment. The train is stopped by a paramilitary group who begins asking everyone for papers. One of the men in the compartment has none. Who are these soldiers, and what authority do they have for such actions? Most on the train submit, but one of the men in the compartment stands up to them.
While it reflects a given historical situation, this is really a story that confronts everyone from time to time. Who will stand up to those misusing their authority? Who will tell them they are wrong—even if it means becoming the target yourself? This film won the Palme d’Or for best short film at Cannes.
My top two in this category are I’m Not a Robot because it is a nicely told story and has great humor. It also asks us to consider what it means to be (or not be) human. My other top film is The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent because it seems that such actions are becoming increasingly needed. It would have been good to have such a person in the story of A Lien. The ranger who tried to save the rhino was such a person. We have to wonder if we will rise to the occasion when bullying (even if by the government) happens in our presence.
Photos courtesy of ShortsTV.
