Best Documentary Short Film: Ranking Every Nominee of the 97th Academy Awards
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
We are done covering all of the categories that inspect and reward specific elements of filmmaking and cinema. Now, we solely focus on awards for entire films — short or feature in length — from here on out before the 97th Academy Awards. First, let’s have a look at all of the short films, starting with the Best Documentary Short Film — or, as it’s also known as, Best Documentary Short Subject — nominees. Some years, this category can be a real chore, but I don’t think any of the nominees here are awful. If anything, and this may be a first since I started the Academy Awards Project six years ago, the Documentary Short Film category may be the strongest of the three short awards in quality. I’ll get into the other two (Animated and Live Action) tomorrow and the day after. For now, I want to focus on these documentary shorts. What could be achieved, taught, or conveyed with very little budget and a brief amount of time? Were any of these films effective with their messages? Did any of them require more resources and time to truly work? Are any of these shorts ironically too long? I also want to reiterate like I always do that I am not critiquing the subject matter of these films, but, rather, how well I think the films themselves are made. Despite the obviously political nature of most documentary films, my aim with these rankings isn’t to impose my viewpoints but instead judge the quality of motion pictures.
Here are your nominees for Best Documentary Short Film ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World
Even though I had a few other short films ranked above this one when I covered every shortlisted short film in my megalist, I’m surprised that this lovely documentary, Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World, was omitted. As it shares the perspective of its subject — a nonverbal girl’s experience with autism — with some creative techniques, Makayla’s Voice is not just a heartwarming and emotional film: it is quite an engaging one as well. Given the creativity that went into it and the universal, important subject matter and how it was tied together with such warmth and spark, I assumed this was going to be an Oscars mainstay for sure. Instead, it wasn’t one of the final five nominees.
5. The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Rating: 3.5/5
I love the subject matter of The Only Girl in the Orchestra: a deep dive into the career of legendary bassist Orin O’Brien and her impact on the New York Philharmonic (including what thresholds she had to cross in order to be heard and respected). I think that its assembly of footage is quite effective, and I am highly supportive of the message this short aims to deliver. My issue — and why I have ranked this documentary last — is that it is just too long. At thirty five minutes, some major points and moments feel like they drag on a little bit, or that the film runs in circles by reiterating the same concepts throughout. Documentary short films can be a great way of discovering influential figures you maybe didn’t already know, The Only Girl in the Orchestra is such an opportunity. I think with some more directness, the incentive for viewers to want to learn more and do some digging of their own would be present. I feel like this short film wants to cover more bases and, as a result, covers fewer but just more than once. Still an honourable effort that is a must for anyone interested in the subject matter.
4. Instruments of a Beating Heart
Rating: 3.5/5
The Best Documentary Short Subject category can be a podium for feel-good, heartwarming experiences that maybe don’t say much of what we don’t already know; they just provide the joy and tenderness that some viewers may be craving. Such is the case with Instruments of a Beating Heart, which is an adorable documentary short that can only get so far with what it offers to viewers. A music teacher in Japan is guiding his first grade class through a difficult project: learning Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”. We see the class rehearse and practice, and the film also focuses on those who fall behind and the tough-love approach that the teacher implements to try and encourage these passionate children. While this is a lovely short, I can’t think of much that Instruments of a Beating Heart can do when it comes to showing viewers something new, either as an educational vehicle or a narrative device. Nonetheless, if you just want to watch something sweet and cute, this short is for you.
3. I Am Ready, Warden
Rating: 4/5
While I find I Am Ready, Warden a little bit overlong, I don’t quite know what I would remove from this powerful, harrowing documentary short. As we follow an inmate who has lived most of his life in solitary confinement on Death Row (who is facing his eventual execution, I might add), we also see him try to seek forgiveness from the family of the man he murdered. He aims to ensure his own kin that they will be alright once he is gone, while also searching for peace of mind for himself. I Am Ready, Warden is a candid documentary that is willing to dig into the grey area that many like-minded films desire: the quest to absolve one’s self of the greatest sin imaginable, and seeing if it is even possible.
2. Death by Numbers
Rating: 4.5/5
The topic of school shootings is a tricky one: one I wish we didn’t even need to have. Not that I think that films of the subject should be pitted against each other, but I do think that Death by Numbers is one of the most effective takes on the impact of school shootings I’ve seen in quite some time. As we follow a young student who survived such a tragedy and her finding the courage to confront the person who shot her, we understand the insane spread of damage that such an action causes (one that is far beyond bodily harm, and even death). I wish we didn’t ever need films to tell us how awful school shootings are, but a film like Death by Numbers manages to make the most of its brief runtime and scale much area with what we must remember can derive from these acts of violence. Additionally, despite its premise, Death by Numbers never promises to find or provide answers (as to why these shootings even happen): the film just delivers a concrete perspective and allows us to take from it what we will.
1. Incident
Rating: 4.5/5
The Documentary Short Film nominees are usually quite a chore to sift through, but even in the strongest batch of nominees I’ve watched for said category (I usually have at least one mediocre or atrocious film, and that wasn’t the case this year), I think that Incident is easily the best nominee of the five (with Death by Numbers right behind it). No contest. I cannot describe how much this short affected me. Compiled entirely by surveillance footage (from police bodycams, camera recordings from neighbouring buildings, and more), Incident is a damning portrayal of what the deception of information looks like. We witness a shooting and are provided all of the angles of the incident; or, so we think. As Incident progresses, it saves its biggest twist for last, and it’s a wallop that is sure to shock you (but, sadly, likely not to surprise you). Incident says so much with so little. It’s nothing more than just the assembly of footage, shown in real time. It’s all we need in order to hear the film’s message loud and clear: narratives are forever being shaped, and figures of authority are not protecting us in the ways they should be.
Who I Want To Win: I’d give this award to either Incident or Death by Numbers if I could: both shorts are about pressing topics that are ongoing in the United States (and worldwide, quite frankly), and I found both documentaries to be a couple of the finest of the shorts category that I’ve seen in years. If only they were split into two separate years so that they could both earn Oscars gold; there are numerous years where far weaker films even wind up winning because there isn’t much quality to choose from.
Who I Think Will Win: Predicting short film Oscar winners is usually quite a crapshoot. Unless there is a clear frontrunner, you’re usually just trying to work with whatever little information you have. I’d argue that The Only Girl in the Orchestra is likely the film to beat because of how easily accessible it is through streaming, its less challenging nature (compared to some documentary shorts here), and its crowd pleasing ways. However, I think Incident is too powerful to ignore, and that may cause enough of a ruckus (I’d argue it already has with voters and Oscars fanatics); it’s simply a brilliant documentary. I Am Ready, Warden — what could have been considered the frontrunner months ago, perhaps, due to its availability — is still possibly a dark horse that I wouldn’t ignore, and Instruments of a Beating Heart may sneak into first place if other nominees divide votes. Then there’s Death by Numbers which is just next to impossible to see for most people who don’t have a film festival or private screening nearby (not everyone lives in Toronto, New York, or Los Angeles), and — let’s be honest — many voters aren’t necessarily watching all of their screeners that they receive. For now, I’m sticking with The Only Girl in the Orchestra.
The Academy Awards Project will continue tomorrow with another category: Best Animated Short Film. 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.