I saw the Oscar nominated animated and live-action shorts this afternoon. Anyone else seen them?
Live-action is a grim group. The lightest one still opens with an attempted suicide.
Two are focused on children coming of age amidst social unease and violence (one is set in Afghanistan, the other on the coast of Somalia). Another almost unfolds as a capsule version of Amour, with an aging pianist moving in and out of the fog of dementia. Each is very strong, though. My favorite is either Asad, a social realist drama focused on a Somalian child's first solo fishing adventure, or Death of a Shadow, a gothic and melancholy period romantic fantasy with a visual vocabulary reminiscent of vintage Tim Burton.From best to "worst" (least greatest), in my opinion:
1. Death of a Shadow
2. Asad
3. Curfew
4. Henry
5. Buzkashi Boys
The animated group (which also includes bonus shorts not nominated, including a 30-minute one featuring vocal contributions from Helena Bonham Carter and John Hurt) is a tad more uneven, but still satisfying. Interesting to note not one of the actual five nominees features a significant amount of dialogue. The group includes an elegant short by Disney's in-house animation studio and also an amusing dispatch from the world of the Simpsons, but my favorite is either Head over Heels, a British produced clay short which finds a novel science-fiction metaphor for a long-term relationship gone cold, or the hilarious and left-field Fresh Guacamole, a beyond psychedelic two-minute feat of visual invention which is almost out of place among longer, character and/or story focused fare, but is a serious delight.
1. Fresh Guacamole
2. Head over Heels
3. Paperman
4. Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"
5. Adam and Dog
