It’s Oscar night tonight and I’ve finally managed to catch up with all of the Live Action Short Films. Here are my reviews of the films.
The nominees:
- THE AFTER – Misan Harriman and Nicky Bentham
- INVINCIBLE – Vincent René-Lortie and Samuel Caron
- KNIGHT OF FORTUNE – Lasse Lyskjær Noer and Christian Norlyk
- RED, WHITE AND BLUE – Nazrin Choudhury and Sara McFarlane
- THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR – Wes Anderson and Steven Rales
The After
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
When the world of Dayo (David Oyelowo) suddenly falls apart in a terrorist incident, he wrestles to put the pieces of his life back together again.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: TV-MA. (From the BBFC web site: “Emotionally intense scenes, violence”).
Talent:
Directed by: Misan Harriman
Written by: John Julius Schwabach & Misan Harriman.
Starring: David Oyelowo, Amelie Dokubo, Jessica Plummer, Ellen Francis.
Running Time: 18m.
“The After” Review:
The short sharp shock of an 8 minute pre-title sequence is tough but necessary in setting the background to the drama, which is primarily about the devastating effects of grief. I liked how the film didn’t spoonfeed you with the plot: Dayo was clearly a high-flying businessman but now makes do as an Uber driver.
The characters he subsequently runs into in this new job were a bit hit and miss for me and I wasn’t entirely sure how they were supposed to drive forward the narrative. But the final fare delivered a good punch in the gut for the closing. This is all held together by a solid performance by Oyelowo who really has to act!
One thing I didn’t care for was some of the movement of the handheld camera, particularly in the last scenes of the film. Some shots that really should have been dead-still… were not.
But a good British made film: it’s a surprise that this didn’t make the BAFTA shortlist. That fact might go against it in the Oscar competition.
Trailer for “The After”
The trailer for “The After” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV8kGLfv_nc.
At the time of writing the whole film is available to view on Netflix.
Invincible
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
Marc (Léokim Beaumier-Lépine) is a teen in trouble with the law. His parents (Isabelle Blais & Pierre-Luc Brillant) and his younger sister (Élia St-Pierre) give him love and his institution mentor Luc (Ralph Prosper) try to guide him. But he seems on a path of destruction.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not rated by the BBFC, but would think it would be a 15 due to the themes and language used.).
Talent:
Directed by: Vincent René-Lortie.
Written by: Vincent René-Lortie.
Starring: Léokim Beaumier-Lépine, Isabelle Blais, Pierre-Luc Brillant, Élia St-Pierre, Ralph Prosper.
Running Time: 30m.
“Invincible” Review:
I really enjoyed this short film. It’s got an astonishingly proficient performance by Léokim Beaumier-Lépine who reminded me in terms of acting intensity of a young River Phoenix. This is a young man with a future in acting (he need’s a better stage name though!). While I’m at it, young Élia St-Pierre was also very impressive too.
The movie is exquisitely shot (by Alexandre Nour Desjardins) and the screenplay by Quebec-based Vincent René-Lortie inteligently keeps you guessing. Is the opening scene a flashback? A flash-forward? or what?
Only at the end of the film do we appreciate that this is based on a true story and the relationship of the writer/director to it.
Really impressed. It’s a surprise to me that the betting on this film to win shows this to be the rank outsider…. I would have thought it is a contender! Might be worth a little side bet!
Trailer for “Invincible”
The trailer for “Invincible” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXpJM6bgV4Y .
And (at the time of writing) the whole film could be viewed on vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/911411289.
Knight of Fortune
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
Grieving husbands Karl and Torben bond with each other during an unusual trip to the local morgue.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not rated by the BBFC, but would think it would be a 12.).
Talent:
Directed by: Lasse Lyskjær Noer.
Written by: Lasse Lyskjær Noer.
Starring: Leif Andrée, Jens Jørn Spottag, Jesper Lohmann.
“Knight of Fortune” Review:
This is an engaging drama infused with moments of deliciously black humour in typical Scandi-style as the story goes off into surprising territory. It’s a touching story of two strangers finding friendship under unusual and distressing circumstances. There’s a nice twist to one of the scenes that I didn’t see coming.
Nicely written and directed by the Danish Lasse Lyskjær Noer in his debut film. “Tusen takk” Mr Noer… very good.
A clip from “Knight of Fortune”
A clip from “Knights of Fortune” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3j4OwOnQEs.
And (at the time of writing) the whole film could be viewed here: https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/the-new-yorker-shorts-knight-of-fortune (but requires you to be either in the US or use a VPN connected to the US).
Red, White and Blue
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
Rachel (Brittany Snow) is a penniless waitress and single mother trying to bring up two pre-teen children in a small Arkansas town as best she can. When she gets a positive pregnancy test she is forced to stump up the funds to travel hundreds of miles to Springfield to get an abortion.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This is not rated by the BBFC, but would think it would be a 12 or possibly a 15.)
Talent:
Directed by: Nazrin Choudrey.
Written by: Nazrin Choudrey.
Starring: Brittany Snow, Juliet Donenfeld.
Running Time: 23m.
“Red, White and Blue” Review:
A perfectly constructed short film, never outstaying its welcome. This film is set against the complex and controversial setting of the Pro-Life/Pro-Choice debate in America post the overturning of Roe vs Wade. It’s brilliantly done and has an “Oh My God” moment in it that is hard to get your head around but sheer genius when it happens.
The short film, only 23 minutes long, is really helped along by an excellent performance from Brittany Snow and an even more engaging performance by young Juliet Donenfeld.
I think we have found my personal winner for the Oscar.
Trailer for “Red, White and Blue”
The trailer for “Red, White and Blue” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Id7OpMX6c .
And (at the time of writing) the whole film could be viewed here for a small rental fee ($1.99), well worth paying: https://redwhiteandblue.vhx.tv/
The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
Roald Dahl (who wrote the story in 1974) narrates the strange tale of a greedy man who learns guru skills to become insanely rich and changes his life in the process.
Certification:
UK: PG; US: PG. (From the BBFC website: “Language”.)
Talent:
Directed by: Wes Anderson.
Written by: Wes Anderson. (Based on the book by Roald Dahl.)
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Richard Ayoade, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Jarvis Cocker.
Running Time: 40m.
“The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar” Review:
My issue with many of Wes Anderson’s feature film (most recently “Asteroid City“) is that while they can deliver hugely enjoyable passages with quirky character and entertaining narrative, he can’t seem to help but divert into pointless and irritating “by the way” cul-de-sacs. Here, we don’t have that issue as Anderson pretty well sticks to the script of a quaint and enjoyable yarn.
As always, you would only have to look at a few frames of this movie to know it was Wes Anderson, given the colour pallette used and the constant breaking of the fourth wall. Here in addition we have some truly innovative use of studio sets. Some of the sequences, notably the opening journey from the hut in Gypsy cottage to the library and also a pursuit through a dense jungle, are just spectacular in their execution.
The cast also deliver splendid performances, with lots of real tricky technical acting on show. It can’t be easy to be delivering complex dialogue but then periodically break the fourth wall to say “he said” to the camera, the way that Dev Patel does here. I also really loved Richard Ayoade in this, with his comical deadpan stares at the camera.
A really enjoyable Wes Anderson outing. But it still feels rather unfair to have this big-budget whale in the same Oscar pool as the other minnows in this category. That *may* count against it with the Academy voters.
Curiously, by the way, Winston Sugar LLC is now a real company supporting the work done at Maidstone Studios, where presumably the film was made. Here are the latest accounts.
Trailer for “The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar”
The trailer for “The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar” is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RdncisZ_QA .
And (at the time of writing) the whole film could be viewed on Netflix.
Who Will Win and Who Should Win?
As for last year, I have had a very enjoyable few hours watching these short films. They really are all entertaining in their own way, and put many feature films to shame in terms of their technical prowess and storytelling. My personal favourite is “Red, White and Blue” but I’m not sure how its Pro-Choice message may go down across the Academy. I suspect that “The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar” – the elephant in the room – will come through to win. And it is indeed very impressive.
