Gee Film Reviews

While many presume that the Oscar categories for short films are reserved solely for self-labeled movie highbrows, this mixbag of films range from the laughably pretentious to the surprisingly fresh. This mistakingly overlooked category is an interesting collection of international film that awards the lesser known filmmaker; and while many of them are wholly underwhelming, there are several standouts that may give us a future picture of new directors. Here are the films from the “live-action” category:

The Confession: Estonian director Tanel Toom’s short tells the story of two Catholic schoolboys who are preparing for their first confession. When they mistakenly contribute to the murder of a family, they must face their transgression with personal conflicts beyond their age. Winner of the best foreign film at the 2010 Student Academy Awards, the film is technically exceptional. Stellarly crafted and adequately acted, “The Confession’s” story does not quite have the plot to back up Toom’s technique. Overall, the film’s symbolism of a child’s innocency is blantantly apparent, and the overall film is quite dreary. Grade: C+

Wish 143: It is phenomenal how a film can connect with its audience within a limited time frame. In director Ian Barne’s Wish 143, 15-year-old cancer patient David asks for one wish before he dies: to lose his virginity. When he realizes that death is closer than it appears, he starts to look past the superficiality of life and the futility of his raunchy desires. Wish 143 displays the finest acting of all the live-action shorts and fine execution. David’s self-realization is undoubtedly touching, and is emotionally outstanding; there is also a touch of humor to add to the mixture. Grade: B+

Na Wewe: Channeling Hotel Rwanda , director Ivan Goldsch mid t’s short fil m places us in Africa in the midst of a civil war. The short follows a bus of seemingly unrelated people who are stopped by African rebels. Na Wewe’s entirety focuses on the rebels sorting out the Hutus and the Tutsis. With practically no character development, it is ultimately difficult to engage in any pathos whatsoever. Goldschmidt is essentially giving an eye-opener to this ong oing conflict, but the lack of character connection loses much of its purpose. Its ending involving a “U2 song” does not quite help it either. Grade: C

God of Love: The stand out film of the live action category is the romantic comedy directed by Luke Matheny. Lounge singer Raymond Goodfellow desperately tries to woo the drummer of his band, who does not return his infatuation. With a prayer to the gods, he is given magical darts that serve the same purpose as “Cupid’s arrows.” God Of Love is a witty romantic comedy that is obviously a throwback to Woody Allen films from the 1980s. With the help of its clever concept, the humorous script directs it away from its potential clichés. God of Love has a mainstream appeal while also maintaining an art-house style, which makes the film my personal favorite of all the nominees. Grade: A

The Crush: Michael Creagh’s short about an 8-year-old’s crush on his teacher is a mixture of overly sweet comedy and dark drama. The Crush is sweet and often humorous; but that is basically that only aspect the film has to offer. Grade: B-

Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts 2011 - Reviews