The 2013 Oscar Nominated Short Films (Live Action)

The 2013 Oscar nominees for live action short film include Curfew (pictured above), Asad, Buzkashi Boys, Death of a Shadow and Henry. The live action short films are packaged with the animated short films and are being shown in various markets across the country. If you have an opportunity to see these films, I would encourage you to do so.

Curfew is a rather bleak, but very involving film about a young man, Ritchie (Shawn Christensen, who also serves as writer and director), who decides to end his life because he feels that it does not have any purpose. However, two separate telephone calls from his sister make him reconsider his actions. The short film features solid performances and delivers a sincere and hopeful message and, in my opinion, is the best of the five nominees. 

The troubled African country of Somalia is the setting for Asad, which centers around a young boy (Harun Mohammed) who befriends an older fisherman and wants to follow in his footsteps and earn an honest living, unlike other young men who decide to become pirates. After the older man suffers an injury, the young Asad  is given the opportunity to be a fisherman, if only for a day. His short stint yields unexpected and bountiful results. Asad, written and directed by Bryan Buckley, is a timely, sobering and hopeful short film that features a cast comprised of Somali refugees. 

Buzkashi Boys, from director Sam French, is set in a mountainous region of Afghanistan and focuses on the friendship between two young boys, Rafi (Fawad Mohammadi) and Ahmad (Jawanmard Paiz), who dream of one day playing Buzkashi, which is the national sport of Afghanistan. Rafi lives a stable life as the son of a blacksmith and his father wants him to follow in the family business, while Ahmad is orphan beggar who lives in the streets. Rafi's father does not approve of their friendship, but that does not stop the the young boys from spending time together. Ahmad is more daring than Rafi and taunts him about never taking any chances. Eventually, Ahmad comes to possess a horse, which he intends to learn to ride so that he can play Buzkashi. However, the boys soon learn that growing up too fast and without proper parental guidance can lead to disaster. Buzkashi Boys is a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of trying to rise above your circumstances.

Death of a Shadow is a sometimes confusing, yet interesting, effort centering around a man who collects the shadows of the recently deceased. One shadow, Nathan (Matthias Schoenaerts), is offered the chance at a second life if he can capture 10,000 shadows for the Collector (Peter Van Den Eede). He agrees out of love for a woman, Sarah (Laura Verlinden), but after learning that she has since moved on after his "death," his afterlife becomes more complicated and dangerous. Death of a Shadow is a Belgian short that is written and directed by Tom Van Avermaet. It is the most cerebral of the short film nominees, but it is not always the most cohesive. 

The final nominated film, Henry, centers around the life of an older concert pianist (Gérard Poirier), whose life spirals out of control one morning when he fears that his wife is missing and that he is being kidnapped by strangers. Henry is then restrained at a local clinic, where he sees visions of his past life, including his time as a soldier. Voices try to guide him back to reality, as Henry comes to a troubling revelation. Henry is a well acted and sometimes surprising short film that speaks of the problems that sometimes accompany advanced age, from writer/director Yan England.