Oscar Nominations 2019: Part 6 of 11

Part 1: Roma, The Favourite, Vice, A Star Is Born.
Part 2: Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody.
Part 3: Mary Poppins Returns, First Man, Cold War.
Part 4: Can You Ever Forgive Me?, If Beale Street Could Talk, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Part 5: Never Look Away, Mary Queen of Scots, Isle of Dogs, The Wife.
Part 6:  

Detainment

1 Nomination

• Live-action Short Film

Director: Vincent Lambe

Cast: Ely Solan, Leon Hughes, Will O'Connell, David Ryan, Tara Breathnach, Killian Sheridan, Morgan C. Jones, Brian Fortune, Kathy Monahan, Caleb Mason

There are no comedies in this crop of short films. There are also no uplifting stories about the triumph of the human spirit. Even more surprising, there are no films about cross-cultural communication or about white saviors making life better for small brown children. It is, in fact, rather a surprising group of films, and I (even more surprisingly) liked most of these movies. The one that I think will win, however, is based on a true story and also features an absolutely stunning performance by child-actor Ely Solan. Detainment is about two ten-year old boys who possibly were responsible for the death of a much younger boy – he looks about 2 or 3 to me – which means that this is a pretty horrifying little film. It's a hard (short) movie to watch, but I have a feeling that among this group, Detainment is going to come out on top.
Will Win: Live-action Short Film
Could Win: N/A
My Rating: #4 of 5

Marguerite

1 Nomination

• Live-action Short Film

Director: Marianne Farley

Cast: Béatrice Picard, Sandrine Bisson

Marguerite is the exception this year. This is a sad, lovely little tale about a very old woman and her caretaker, who washes her, puts lotion on her legs and feet, and reminds her to take her medicine. I really liked this little movie, and I wouldn't be surprised if it won on Oscar night. It is the only of the year's films that doesn't involve violent or violated children, which is sort of stunning.
Will Win: N/A
Could Win: Live-action Short Film
My Rating: #3 of 5

Skin

1 Nomination

• Live-action Short Film

Director: Guy Nattiv

Cast: Jonathan Tucker, Jackson Robert Scott, Danielle Macdonald, Lonnie Chavis, Shelley Francisco

Fuck this movie. I hated this film so much. In the first place, it's one of those movies that pretends it's about race or interracial relationships but actually only focuses on white people. Worse yet, Skin also holds the white people who are the subject of its gaze in utter contempt. They behave in perfectly stereotypical hateful ways, and they are completely lacking in humanity, so that one cannot at all sympathize with them or taken them seriously. They become cartoon villains in a preposterous universe. The final "twist" of the film is an unbelievably stupid reversal that makes absolutely no sense according either to American culture or to the laws of physics. It's something a film student would dream up and think is clever before someone came along to tell him how absurd it is. But the really hateful thing about Skin is how much it celebrates violence. The final (purportedly tragic) violent sequence got appreciative laughs from the audience with which I saw the movie. As if violence is hilarious. And the film's climax involves a bunch of racist white thugs beating up an unarmed black man, kicking him in the face and body and almost killing him. It's a very difficult sequence to watch, but not one that is really interested in black anguish. Instead the film is busy paying attention to the white men committing the violence while we watch the man's wife cry out in anguish. It's a kind of disgusting spectacularization of black pain that is really troubling. The whole thing made me really angry. Which means, of course, that it has a real shot at winning.
Will Win: N/A
Could Win: Live-action short film
My Rating: #5 of 5

Madre (Mother)

1 Nomination

• Live-action Short Film

Director: Rodrigo Sorogoyen

Cast: Marta Nieto, Blanca Apilánez, Álvaro Balas

So good! This short film takes place almost entirely in an apartment, but the movie is shot so well that it ends up being dynamic, visually interesting, and filled with energy. The plot of this movie is straightforward and gripping. It's superb storytelling without an easy ending, storytelling that explores a character very deeply simply by putting her into an extreme situation. We come to know this central character very, very well. It's just an excellent film.
Will Win: N/A
Could Win: N/A
My Rating: #2 of 5

Fauve

1 Nomination

• Live-action Short Film

Director: Jérémy Comte

Cast: Félix Grenier, Alexandre Perreault, Louise Bombardier

This was my favorite of the year's live-action shorts. It's gorgeously shot, it's story is really compelling, and the themes with which it deals have stayed with me long after the film. It's a fascinating portrait, and it's very, very bleak. Just my style! This is – as are most of the movies this year – a film about a child who is in danger, but the care and empathy with which Jérémy Comte has made this movie place Fauve into a class all by itself. This is excellent movie making.
Will Win: N/A
Could Win: N/A
My Rating: #1 of 5