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 Documentary Shorts. Usually there are many topics included in this category. It seems strange that this year’s nominations really fit into two categories: Murder and music.
Death by Numbers (33 minutes, USA, directed by Kim A Snyder). Samantha Fuentes was wounded in a school shooting that left many dead. As the killer is facing a trial to determine punishment (he has pled guilty), Samantha is a witness of what happened that day. The film includes courtroom testimony, thoughts from her journal, and her victim’s statement to the killer. Samantha must struggle with questions of anger and forgiveness.
This is a personal story of what has become an American plague. Samantha begins with some of the numbers from that day (not all of them statistics), but there are other numbers throughout the film—all personal to her. We learn that regardless of what sentence the killer receives, there is pain that Samantha will always struggle to deal with.
I Am Ready, Warden (37 minutes, USA, directed by Smriti Mundhra). As John Henry Ramirez approaches his execution for murder in Texas, we hear his story of a changed life. He is no longer fighting execution. We meet the son of his victim, who is still filled with anger. We meet his “godmother”, a Bible school teacher who has visited him. We meet his son. We meet the District Attorney who no longer believes in the death penalty and wants to stop the execution.
This is not so much an examination of capital punishment as it is a look at lives that are tied up in the act Ramirez did. Certainly, he has insights into his life as a result of those actions. So too does his victim’s son. Can another death bring justice, or closure, or peace for anyone?
Incident (30 minutes, USA, directed by Bill Morrison). This film is made up of security footage and body cam footage of an incident in Chicago when the police shot and killed a man. The film masterfully gives various perspectives of what’s happening as the scene develops after the shooting. For some of the officers, there is fear or confusion. We hear the radio traffic of the police radios. We hear the anger of the local people who are already on edge over the trial of a policeman who killed a black man.
By showing us various concurrent cameras in a split screen, this gives us a sense of the potential chaos and of the attempt to bring things under control. Is the killing justified? We will probably have our own idea by the end of the film.
Instruments of a Beating Heart (23 minutes, Japan, directed by Ema Ryan Yamazaki). First graders in a Tokyo elementary school have a challenging task: form an orchestra to perform Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” to welcome next year’s students. Our focus is a young girl, Ayame, who has been chosen to play the cymbal. As practice goes on, Ayame struggles to keep up with the others in learning her part. Her teachers are sometimes strict, but they also offer comfort and encouragement.
What could be more engaging that watching young children making music? But there is also a lot of pressure on the children to perform well. There are tears, but we also see confidence building.
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (35 minutes, USA, directed by Molly O’Brien). In 1966, double bassist Orin O’Brien was hired as the first female musician in the New York Philharmonic. Being the first attracted lots of attention, but she really didn’t want it. She did not see herself as a star, just as one of many who were working together. In fact, as she told her students at one point, the double bass was the foundation that hold up all the other music. She tells us that the secret of happiness is that “you don’t mind playing second fiddle”. The film is available on Netflix.
This film is an act of love and honor made by O’Brien’s niece. While there may have been sexist barriers at the time she was hired, this is a film about a fulfilling life. To be sure, Orin O’Brien is a talented and skilled musician and wonderful teacher of other musicians. But what we get from this film is that life need not be lived in the spotlight. What matters is that we find happiness in what we do.
My favorite of this category is Instruments of the Beating Heart. Watching these young children in their struggles and successes is as joyful as the music they create (even if it may not be quite the best performance of Beethoven’s beloved piece). The other top film for me is Death by Numbers. The glimpse into the soul of this survivor offers some wonderful insights into the struggle that society has with violence in our midst.
Photos courtesy of ShortsTV.
