Best Live Action Short Film: Ranking Every 96th Academy Award Nominee
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
This article is a part of the Academy Awards Project, where Andreas Babiolakis from Films Fatale ranks every Oscar nominee from worst to best, and goes through every category once a day five days a week.
And just like that, we’re at the last of the short film categories: the group for Best Live Action Short Film. I always find this category to be hit or miss. It either has some fantastic short films that are impressionable on me, or you’ll find nominees that are quite lacklustre or mediocre. Why is that? Perhaps star power in weaker works, or the slow climb during the film festival circuits that helps certain short films gain steam. Is this year any different? Absolutely not. We have both fantastic stuff and the selection of pure mediocrity (or worse). However, I think you’ll find that the 2024 nominees are more good than weak, which is nice (it can easily be the other way around, considering the even worse films that didn’t make the final five; more on the shortlisted nominees here). Which of these short films is the best? What will wind up winning the Oscar?
Here are your nominees for Best Live Action Short Film ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: An Avocado Pit
Given the awards season steam that An Avocado Pit had, I was almost certain that it was going to be nominated. It’s a damn shame that it isn’t. It’s a magical short film about a cisgender, straight man’s time with a transgender woman in the wee hours of the morning in Lisbon. A powerful usage of twenty minutes to have character development, political revelation, and a study of difficult times, An Avocado Pit is as fully realized as a short film can — and should — be, which you’d be surprised is not the case quite often.
5. The After
This film has to easily be in last place. The only reason why this isn’t anywhere close to a zero out of five for me is because David Oyelowo is one of the finest actors of our time. He can save anything, and that’s abundantly clear in The After. It’s a short film about grief as we endure a horrific event and, well, the after: the time a man, who has lost his entire family, is cursed to spend alone. The concept is a promising one, but the film is instantly stymied once the actual event takes place: it’s an act of terror that looks like it was filmed and orchestrated by high school students. It destroys the entire film’s credibility, momentum, and promise because it is so goofy that it cannot be taken even remotely seriously (no matter how well Oyelowo tries). This isn’t exactly an isolated incident of badness, as what follows is vague writing and circumstantial convenience all in the name of encouraging you to feel something. The only reason why The After wasn’t ranked lower in my shortlist rankings is because — believe it or not — there were two short films that were actually worse than this. Regarding the final five, there’s no way anything is worse than The After: a guilt-tripping, lazy film that relies on star power and the emotions of its audience to mean anything.
Rating: 2/5
4. Knight of Fortune
A much less synthetic look at grief is Knight of Fortune: a rather calamitous tragicomedy about a man having to make decisions after the death of his wife. It won’t affect my ranking here, but I think I placed this film a little too low in my shortlist ranking. Upon a second watch, the richness of this film shines a little more: the capturing of the franticness one feels when their mind is overwhelmed by tragedy. One’s brain goes into autopilot mode to cope, and something like Knight of Fortune allows that sensation to kick into place for us viewers. As sincere as it is uncomfortable, Knight of Fortune is a good take on the fogginess of loss whilst trying to find recognizable traits in the unknown (for all of us who have ever had to grieve heavily). I feel like it could have gone on a little longer and expanded a wee bit more, but otherwise Knight of Fortune is quite solid and worthwhile.
Rating: 3.5/5
3. Invincible
One of the shorts that had a late-season push (and, in this case, these efforts worked out), Invincible is a challenging half-hour narrative that acts as a mirror and forces us to face ourselves: how do we respond to those who are so heavily burdened by mental health issues that they are posed as misfits or threats to society? There’s no black-and-white commentary here, and that’s one major reason why I have taken to Invincible so much. As we share the final forty-eight hours in an adolescent’s life, Invincible is harrowing, pummeling, exquisite cinema. My only complaint? It only doesn’t feel quite fully realized because this could have easily been a feature film that dives even deeper into these swirling thoughts and inner demons. As is, Invincible is quite great, and its word-of-mouth spread is fully warranted.
Rating: 4/5
2. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is fantastic. I also think it’s Wes Anderson’s best release since The Grand Budapest Hotel, and I think that goes without saying. The way this short film invites you to listen closely to its exquisite sound design — while the impeccable visuals make for a feast for your eyes — is pure magic. If Anderson was trying to evoke the storytelling hypnotism of Roald Dahl via this adaptation, he greatly succeeds. It’s not common for an auteur’s short film to get nominated in this category, since the Academy typically looks at newcomer filmmakers and helps them leave their mark, but The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar felt like a must to have here. I’m thrilled that the Academy made what feels like an exception to nominate this short, which can very well lead to Anderson’s first Oscar (finally).
Rating: 4.5/5
1. Red, White and Blue
While everything I said about The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is true, it’s not Red, White and Blue: the biggest surprise of the category. I remember starting this short film and expecting another star-vehicle, low-effort attempt at telling a story (this time, the star is Brittany Snow). I couldn’t have been more wrong. This powerful short film about a mother and daughter who have to cross state borders in order to have an abortion is well-established with properly built characters, clear circumstances, and a rush of emotions that hit you with each revelation, no matter how big or small (and then there’s the huge twist that will have you knocked out of your seat). Red, White and Blue wanted to get its point across, and it does so with flying colours. I cannot recommend this short film enough; it may not have as much promotional push as Henry Sugar, but it deserves just as much attention and love.
Rating: 4.5/5
Who I Want To Win: I’d be happy if any of my top three picks, Red, White and Blue, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, or Invincible, won the Oscar. They were three of my favourite live-action short films of last year, without question.
Who I Think Will Win: While it looks like The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is the frontrunner to win this (because of strategic release timing, the incredible production and loveable acting, and the draw to have Anderson finally win an Oscar), I feel like the awareness surrounding Red, White and Blue is heating up. These shorts categories are always susceptible to surprises. Yes. Don’t even count out The After, which I have a sneaking suspicion that this film has a slight chance to win (I’ve certainly seen films as bad and worse win this very category). For now, I’m going to stick with Henry Sugar, but don’t consider it a done deal despite how obvious it feels.
The Academy Awards Project will continue on Monday with another category. We’re going to rank every single nominee in every single category, Monday through Friday. You don’t want to miss it!
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.