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| La Femme et le TGV Shorts HC |
The five films in this year’s pack of Oscar-nominated live
action shorts are a lengthy bunch. They’re good, mind you, but with four of ’em
each coming in at nearly half an hour, the full programme is akin to binge-watching
a few weeks’ worth of a sitcom, except that only two of them are comedies.
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| Ennemies Intérieurs Shorts HD |
Just look at nominee Ennemis Intérieurs (dir. Selim
Aazzazi; France, 28 min.), a timely two-hander on racism and Islamophobia in
which one French-Algerian born man defends his wish for citizenship in France.
The film couldn’t be more relevant as the man requesting citizenship (Hassam
Ghancy) finds himself in a casual, friendly conversation quickly that become an
accusatory, invasive interrogation when the immigration officer (Najib
Oudghiri) finds a nugget he believes will expose the man’s true secretly loyal
to Algeria. It’s all fool’s gold, though, as the conversation, which remains
consistently tense and engaging with the terse back and forth between the two
actors, ultimately reveals the interrogator’s prejudice. This resonant chamber
piece is a bit low-key and on the nose for an Oscar nominee/possible winner,
but its authenticity and conviction are bound to resonate.
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| Silent Nights Shorts HD |
Another story of migration comes in the well-intentioned but
wildly problematic Silent Nights (dir. Aske Bang; Denmark, 30 min). Danish girl Inger
volunteers at the Salvation Army and falls in love with Kwame, a homeless
illegal immigrant from Ghana, who takes advantage of her kindness when he hits hard
times. Malene Beltoft Olsen’s performance as Inger is extremely good in Silent Night and one can see how the
film got the nomination since her interpretation of the character’s eagerness,
naïveté, suffering, and selflessness make for a compelling presence even though
Inger sometimes falls into white saviour mode while helping Kwame. Kwame, on
the other hand, isn’t exactly the kind of image the world needs with stories of
migration right now. While he has his struggles, he also checks every cliché
that narrow-minded folks might consider for immigrants and refugees: he’s lazy
and unambitious and the film doesn’t tell audiences anything about his journey to
Denmark. Kwame also has a wife and three kids back in Ghana and all one sees
him do in Denmark is bang the white girl, break her heart, and rob the
institution that supports him. He is—sorry—a bum and the film really risks
simplifying the current global migration crisis, if not doing refugees and
asylum seekers a disservice, when general audiences shake their heads at Kwame.
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| Timecode Shorts HD |
The apolitical number of Timecode (dir. Juanjo
Gimenez Pena; Spain, 15 min.) offers an appreciable laugh to the shorts. Even
if it’s apolitical, it’s a welcome escape. Last year’s Palme d’Or winner for
Best Short Film Festival at the Cannes Film Festival, Timecode is a wonderfully quirky dance flick about communication
and connection, all told with barely a word of dialogue and only the funky
dances moves of its two stars. Things go bump in the night at a parking garage
as security guards Diego and Luna use the off hours to bust a move. The cameras
of the garage’s CCTV system capture everything and Timecode adds a comical spring to its step as the guards let loose
and insert at least one beat of human contact into a day spent staring at a
monitor. This refreshing and enjoyable lark probably makes a fun dance partner
with La La Land.
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| Sing Shorts HD |
Dancing naturally goes hand in hand with singing and the
dramatic nominee Sing (dir. Kristof Deak; Hungary, 25 min.) highlights a
director with a talent for helping new stars find their voices. Sing offers a nice little parable about
standing up to bullies as young student Zsofi has a hard time fitting in at her
new school and gets an unexpected setback after joining the choir. The film
delicately tasks a cast of mostly young actors to play a class of students who
stand up to a mean teacher, and director Kristof Deak helps the children carry
the film with natural performances. For such a young cast, they’re all quite
wise and Sing gives kids the
spotlight without being too cutesy. Sing
is nicely balanced and inspiring, much like the nice little songs one hears at
school.
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| La femme et le TGV |
The spirit of warming one’s heart and melting one’s shell
brings the fifth nominee to life. La femme et le TGV (dir. Timo von
Gunten; Switzerland, 30 min.) stars Jane Birkin (Blow Up, Twice Born) in a quirky and amusing love story about a
frumpy baker who finds one daily bit of solace in her small Swiss town. Every
day when the TGV train goes whizzing by, she rushes to the window and waves her
flag. For such a grumpy sourpuss, the baker completely melts with joy each time
the train passes. She’s as happy as a kid in a candy store—doubly so when a pen
pal from the train starts pitching gifts and notes out the window. Birkin is
lots of fun and gives La femme et le
TGV its sprightly bounce and offbeat charm. Of all the shorts nominated
here, La femme et le TGV is the
most complete picture. With its economy of storytelling, upbeat tone, and
underdog spirit, this fun comedy is a refreshing reminder that lightening up
and being good to one’s neighbours is the richest truffle of all.
The Oscar-nominated live
action shorts open in select theatres including TIFF Bell Lightbox on Feb. 10
and ByTowne Cinema on Feb. 17.
Also reviewed: Oscar nominated animated shorts and short docs (at POV)
