Best Live Action Short Film: Ranking Every Nominee of the 97th Academy Awards
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
We have reached our final shorts category of this year’s Academy Awards; from tomorrow onward, we cover the remaining four categories, and they all reward feature-length films. Before we get to those last groups, we have to take care of business here: the Best Live Action Short Film nominees. I think the fifteen shortlisted films were a little lacking overall, but, given what the Academy had to pick from, I’d argue that the final five nominations are quite strong. Which of the following short films felt complete, as if they had fully-fledged characters, purpose, and storytelling even in their constrained duration? Did any of these feel too short or not fully realized? Which of the following films did I want to see even more of because they were that good?
Here are your nominees for Best Live Action Short Film ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: The Masterpiece
I thought this allegory of classism and pretension, The Masterpiece, was quite good and the kind of short that the Academy is usually obsessed with. There’s a premise — a wealthy family giving items away to scrappers — that acts as a foundation (a lead-up, if you will), a curveball (the family winds up being conflicted by a particular object that is to be tossed, and whether or not they should toss it now), and a twist ending that changes the entire film, turning The Masterpiece into a cinematic fable about biting off more than you can chew (or not appreciating what you have before it’s gone, or only loving something based on established worth versus your personal connection with it, or…). The Masterpiece is a great short film that I would have liked to have seen here.
5. A Lien
Rating: 3.5/5
While ranked last, I still think A Lien is quite good (you’ll be noticing that most of the shorts here will be graded a four out of five after this film, so at least there is a consistency with the nominees). The short’s biggest problem is that it does feel held back by its budget and duration: like a strong idea that isn’t fully realized. A staunch and urgent look at the immigration process at the hands of ICE, A Lien has a lot of purpose to be watched (and it carries that weight well enough that you will feel A Lien’s intended impact, even if the storytelling isn’t as strong as its potential promises). A worthwhile-enough nomination that I can see having major support.
4. The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
Rating: 4/5
A current crowd-pleasing favourite for many, The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent takes a real event (the Štrpci massacre of 1993, where numerous passengers of a train — Muslims and Croats — were pulled off and slain by the Serbian White Eagles) and places us within the gaze of the titular hero: Tomo Buzov who sought to stand up against this kidnapping. I feel like the film aims to be a little too standard as to be heard, but is otherwise quite a strong effort that cleverly reiterates the point that we need more people like Buzov now (when you consider it, no one can name anyone else who didn’t stand up against the White Eagles, but thirty years later we still know who Buzov is and what he did straight to the face of evil).
3. The Last Ranger
Rating: 4/5
Whenever I watch all of the shortlisted short films, I spot a handful of titles that I feel in my bones will be overlooked. I am rarely wrong. I am proud to say that my assumption that The Last Ranger would be snubbed — as it just doesn’t feel like a typical final-five sort of selection — was incorrect. This beautifully made South African short likens the slaughtering of animals via poaching to a compelling, dramatic story of human tragedy and loss. While its symbolism can be a little heavy handed, I do believe that The Last Ranger still gets the majority of its points across in a seamless fashion; both its message and narrative feel complete enough to remain effective even hours after you’re done watching this short.
2. I’m Not a Robot
Rating: 4/5
One of the kinds of nominees I love the most from this category are the ones that feel like they could have been made by just your average film fan who knew how to make an idea click into place. I’m Not a Robot is clearly the work of a rising filmmaker who has given making a short film another go. Its premise is simple: a music producer begins to think that she may be a robot driven by AI after failing too many Captcha tests. A little quirky and mostly stirring, I’m Not a Robot takes a frequently tackled topic in science fiction and seeks to make it feel contemporary; it succeeds in feeling like a film about now and not the future. I wish this could have been a longer feature to see what more could have come out of this (also, as a massive Radiohead fan who actually likes this song, can we please pick another song that isn’t “Creep”? They do have more songs. I promise you.).
1. Anuja
Rating: 4.5/5
What sacrifices do we make for those we love the most? Anuja is named after the titular protagonist: a young girl who works in a garment factory with her sister Palak. There is no future for these poor Delhi girls (Anuja actually cast real children who are forced to work, and the authenticity of the film rings even truer as a result). Once Anuja is given the chance to go to school and have a better life, Anuja the film begins shaping itself from a documentative look at lives of poverty in India to a fable of hope and faith. The film is narratively rich enough to work in just twenty minutes, and I find the artistry particularly beautiful (especially the final montage), acting as the soul of a film that desperately needs one (otherwise it would be highly depressing). Anuja is a great short film that I am happy got nominated (it placed first in my ranking of all fifteen shortlisted films as well).
Who I Want To Win: I don’t dislike any of these films and would be fine with any of them winning (there’s usually one short that I hate each year, but that fortunately isn’t the case here). Having said that, I’ll stick with the short I like the most, Anuja. As a South African, I’d be happy with The Last Ranger swooping in with an underdog win, too.
Who I Think Will Win: So far, The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent is the most accoladed short here, and I don’t think that will change. While Anuja is currently climbing the ranks as a potential favourite to win (Netflix and the film are playing the last-minute game before voting closes), I still think The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent will likely win the Academy Award.
The Academy Awards Project will continue tomorrow with another category: Best Documentary Feature 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.