Oscar Night

I may have to start up a new tradition...

I was with a friend on Friday night, and, on a whim, we went to check out the Oscar nominated short films being shown at the Tower theater. We went with the intention of seeing the animated shorts, but we missed that screening. They still had a screening going for the live-action short films, so we decided to stay and catch these.

I'm going to make a bold statement here: Any one of these half-hour films was EXPONENTIALLY BETTER than all of the films I saw in the theaters in 2012.

Admittedly, that's probably not saying much. I saw some grand old films last year, but none of them were really Academy Award material. I mean, they were great films, but they're not exactly... highbrow. What I'm trying to say is that my taste in entertainment may be kind of pedestrian.

Still, that massive disclaimer aside, I thought these films were really good. I don't want to give too much away about these shorts, as the act of discovery was (for me) a huge part of their appeal. However, if you get the opportunity, O Faithful Blog Reader, I'd recommend you check 'em out:

Dood van een Schaduw (Death of a Shadow)

This Belgian film is probably the most "out there" of the bunch, which may be why it so absorbed me. the short opens with a scene of brutal violence - portrayed almost completely in silhouette. The story follows a frail young man who possesses a strange camera which allows him to capture the shadows of the dying. These death portraits he trades to a collector, who appraises the act of dying as though it were an artistic medium. Meanwhile, he finds himself taken with the memory of a young woman who at one time aided him, and he works to be reunited with her.

Henry

A French Canadian film, Henry tells the story of an aged pianist, who, on a casual walk through the city, encounters a mysterious stranger who warns him that he is being hunted. His first thought is for his wife, who suddenly vanishes. What the film lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in the strength of the performances. Also, it contains what is possibly my favorite on-screen kiss ever. Very touching.

Curfew

Curfew is the film I have the hardest time recommending. None of these films are rated, but Curfew would definitely be rated "R" for violence and language. That'd be a turn-off for most people I know (and it'd give me pause, too). But I LOVED this movie. Curfew is the story of a drug-addled young man who tries to connect with his estranged niece. The movie opens with a bloody attempted suicide, and, about halfway through, features a dance number in a bowling alley. If that tonal see-saw appeals to you, then I can whole-heartedly recommend Curfew. If it doesn't, then I would honestly have to say I understand your point of view, but you are missing out on an excellent story.

Buzkashi Boys

After a few minutes of Buzkashi Boys, I thought for sure I'd be seeing just an abridgment of The Kite Runner. Turns out I was just homing in on the superficial similarities between the two stories. Like The Kite Runner, Buzkashi Boys focuses on the friendship between two young boys in Afghanistan. One is the son of a stern blacksmith, the other an orphan. The two boys bond at a Buzkashi game (which is like polo, but, instead of a ball, the riders play with the carcass of a goat). The story has all the conventions of a standard, somewhat cliche childhood story, but throws in enough good stuff to make it a story worth telling in its own right. There's not a "twist" ending, per se, but I wouldn't plan on guessing how the film will end too early.

Asad

Is it strange that the most optimistic and lighthearted of these five films would feature a starving village, desperate pirates, several corpses and a possible rape-gang? Yet Asad is easily the most optimistic film of the bunch, setting its story of a small boy attempting to be a fisherman against the backdrop of an impoverished Somali village. Asad was put together by a cast of Somali refugees, which makes that optimism even more inspiring than it would be otherwise.br />
I can't tell which of the above films will take the award home (though my bet's on Buzkashi Boys). All five of the movies were really excellent, although there may have been TOO MUCH good stuff here. As short as these movies were, each contained enough thought-provoking material to keep a mind occupied for a week. Watching all five in a single sitting may have been an overdose. Darn good stuff.