From: The Scene Blog
Movie Review: Short film Oscar nominations
Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films
#1 “World of Tomorrow” (2015)
Director: Don Hertzfeldt
This film takes motion pictures in a new direction by embracing basic images and portraying the characters and objects as stick figures. The plot follows
two Emily’s — one from the future and onefrom the present-- on a journey of a woman's desire to recount and relive her past through stored memories. Emily, the protagonist, was cloned in order to store her memories, but when Emily finds that the world is on the brink of ending, cloned-Emily talks to the computerized future-Emily to see where her life will go. Touching on the emotions of the viewers and centering of the theme of memory, “World of Tomorrow” creates nostalgic scenes that will make people reminiscence their past. Director Don Hertzfeldt cleverly strings his characters together in a film that deserves its nominations because of its intriguing animation and real-life storyline.
#2 “Sanjay’s Super Team” (2015)
Director: Sanjay Patel
This animated short tells the story of a young Indian boy whose father forced him to meditate and learn about Hinduism. During his prayer and meditation breathing practices, Sanjay unknowingly becomes transported to a world of superhero Hindu gods as superheroes. The movie beautifully captures the animation of Sanjay’s fantasy world and presents the story in an almost comical way.
#3 Bear Story (2014)
Director: Gabriel Osorio
Osorio’s animated short film features a lonely, old bear that describes his life through a mechanical, three-dimensional model, built to help him remember characters and scenes from his life. Throughout the short film, we see figures of family, especially little cubs, on the screen, and throughout the movie, the plot reveals that the bear was taken from his wife and son by a circus.. Through animation and crisp color, the film portrays the horrific feelings that one feels when taken away from their family, and bear’s melancholiness becomes a central point of the film..
#4 Prologue (2015)
Director: Richard Williams
This short film depicts a battle between Spartan and Athenian warriors, witnessed by a young girl. Created through the use of “moving” drawings, all designed with the director’s pencil, “the scenes from “Prologue” . came straight from the drawing board and help the movie stand out as one of the best of the year.
#5 We Can’t Live Without Cosmos (2015)
Director: Konstantin Bronzit
This animated short film follows two friends who embark on a journey of vigorous training to achieve their dream of becoming cosmonauts together. It takes us on the journey of their vigorous training in order to achieve their dreams.The wonderful animation in the film employs, with its simple colors and white-based color to create a space-like feel. Although the plot remains simple, “We Can’t Live Without Cosmos,” beautifully expresses the importance of chasing dreams.
Additional Animated Films
#1 If I Was God (2014)
Director: Cordell Barker
“If I Was God” is short film that describes the hard transition between childhood and adolescence by taking viewers back to the scenes of seventh grade to highlight the struggles of young love. This light film portrays the desire for a child to stand up for himself and connect with his crush. Using the narration of an older voice, the film helps the audience understand his transition to becoming an adult and desire for more power.
#2 Catch It (2015)
Director:
This animated short follows a group of animals that try to catch a piece of fruit from a tree. Before they can retrieve their treat, a hawk flies by and grabs the food right off the tree. Soon, the six animals work together to retrieve the fruit, but conflict emerges as they battle over who deserves sole possession of the prized item. This film is a light-hearted, comical short that will make you laugh and wonder which animal will catch the fruit. The well-chosen music fits the mood and story very well, creating an enjoyable viewing experience.
#3 The Loneliest Stoplight (2015)
Director: Bill Plympton
This short film cleverly tells the story of a stoplight using a first person narrative of the stoplight itself. The stoplight reminisces about events that occurred by its intersection through its life. . When a freeway is built nearby, traffic patterns near the spotlight’s intersection, and the spotlight experiences a roller coaster of emotions as it comes to terms of the dynamic reality. \
#4 The Short Story of a Fox and a Mouse (2015)
Director: Camille Chaix, Hugo Jean
This animated short tells the story of a fox hunting a mouse, but the chase ends up being interfered by two owls, and a relationship evolves between the different animals in the film. Although the plot comes across as oversimplified, the film does convey an interesting building of a relationship between the animals.
Oscar Nominated Live Action Short Films
#1 Ave Marie (2015)
Director: Basil Khalil
Taking place in the West Bank, “Ave Marie” follows an Israeli family that crashes its car outside a nunnery with five nuns while trying to get home for Sabbath quickly. Due to religious restrictions, the Israelis could not use telephones or machinery, and the nuns took vows of silence. Using some humor to lighten the unpleasant interactions, this film explores the nuns and the family’s ability to find a solution, even though the immediate interactions between the two groups were full of hesitation and distrust. “Ave Maria,” a real-life film captured the heated relationship between two groups that is still ongoing today.
#2 Allen Wird Gut (Everything Will Be Okay) (2015)
Director: Patrick Vollrath
“Everything Will Be Okay” follows a divorced father whose daughter Lea visits him every weekend for At first, Lea is excited to see her father, and everything seems like an average visit. After going to get her a passport and leaving the car behind, Lea begins to realize that something is wrong. The suspense of the film keeps viewers wondering what plot twist may emerge, and despite only lasting 30 minutes, the film feels like a complete, full-length movie.
#3 Day One (2015)
Director: Henry Hughes
In “One Day,” a translator (Feda) travels to Afghanistan to help the U.S. Army, but the plot takes a turn when she ends up in an enemy’s home while searching for a bomb-maker . His wife begins to go into labor, and Feda is forced to deliver the woman’s child. This film follows Feda’s first day as a translator in Afghanistan, and she realizes the difficulties and brutal sites she will over the course of job. “One Day” will grip audience members until the final credits as viewers gain insight into the life of troops in Afghanistan.
#4 Shok (2015)
Director: Jamie Donoughue
Two friends living during the Kosovo War turn to illicit activities during this horrible period of time. While one boy is involved in these activities, his friend is constantly shaken up and their friendship hits its limit. This film is based upon true events during the war. It is powerful and portrays the daunting choices that these boys make, desperate to survive the war. The story is upsetting and difficult to watch since it explicitly shows the gruesome conditions and choices the boys had to endure.The best part about the movie is the fact that it captured so much about those affected by the war..
#5 Stutterer (2015)
Director: Benjamin Cleary
This short film features a lonely man with a serious speech impediment who has been trying to face his biggest fear, speaking. Specifically, the man finally has an opportunity to meet the girl he has had an online relationship with, but is of course hesitant because he cannot communicate well with others. Hearing his articulate and expressive words that are being spoken inside his own head adds to the film, and makes the audience almost desire him to speak aloud like he does in his head. The music and acting make you feel sorry for the character, but almost delighted when you see the ending. Even though it was well-done, it was not as powerful as the other nominated films.
