‘The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2010’ Are a Mixed Bag at Best

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ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES: BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Live-Action Program Rating: 3.5/5.0

“Kavi” directed by Gregg Helvey

Kavi
Kavi
Photo credit: Magnolia/Shorts International

Here’s a slice of reality guaranteed to haunt you. A poverty-stricken boy in India lives the life of a slave, working with his parents in a brick kiln, while other boys his age attend school and play cricket. This devastating real-life subject matter could have easily been turned into a manipulative, socially conscious weepie, but director Helvey brings a neorealistic approach to the material that’s evocative of Ramin Bahrani’s “Chop Shop.” As the titular young protagonist, Sagar Salunke doesn’t hit a single false note, and his performance builds a wrenching power as he begins to rebel against his abusive boss. “Kavi” has a simple story to tell, and its straightforward urgency evades any traps of sentimentality. The final shot is unforgettable, leading to a title card stating that 27 million people are currently trapped in “modern day slavery.” It’s a reminder that “Slumdog Millionaire”’s happy ending was little more than a Bollywood fantasy.

“Miracle Fish” directed by Luke Doolan

Miracle Fish
Miracle Fish
Photo credit: Magnolia/Shorts International

Like many shorts, this one is limited by its plot, which consists solely of a contrived twist. Yet Australian director Doolan earns his rug-pulling climax by grounding the film in mundane, subtly brooding authenticity. Like many of the characters in this year’s nominated live-action shorts, the young hero of “Miracle Fish” comes from a poor family and is viewed by his peers as a source of mockery. After falling asleep in his school’s sick room, he awakens to find the building utterly empty. As the boy drifts through eerily vacant classrooms, the film appears to be a melding of “Home Alone” and “28 Days Later.” Has the boy’s wish comes true? There may not be much behind the calculated structure of this mood piece, but Doolan keeps the viewer hooked the whole way through, keeping his camera at the level of his pint-sized protagonist. When the climactic twist finally arrives, it packs a wallop…and no, it does not involve zombies.

“Instead of Abracadabra” directed by Patrik Eklund

Instead of Abracadabra
Instead of Abracadabra
Photo credit: Magnolia/Shorts International

On the basis of this quirky charmer, Swedish director Eklund seems capable of making the next “Napoleon Dynamite.” His film centers on a similarly gangly, spectacle-clad oddball (Simon J. Berger) who comfortably lives in a state of arrested development. At age 25, he still lives at home, performing magic shows for his long-suffering parents (it’s hard to talk to your son about employment when he’s pulling pennies out of your nose). His dreams of fame and love seem to be within his grasp when he discovers that a cute nurse is in need of a magician. Eklund’s script is perfect for the type of cringe-inducing humor characterized by awkward silences. Berger deftly walks the fine line between endearing whimsy and klutzy creepiness, and while not every gag works, the final scene is a keeper.

“The Door” directed by Juanita Wilson

The Door
The Door
Photo credit: Magnolia/Shorts International

Based on Svetlana Alexievich’s “Monologue About a Whole Life Written Down on Doors, the testimony of Nikolai Fomich Kalugin,” this weighty short from Ireland simply doesn’t have enough time to do its source material justice. It opens with a man running across a desolate landscape that could easily have been inhabited by Viggo Mortensen in “The Road.” The man’s story is told in flashbacks that are steeped in sorrow, illustrating how his family was forced to evacuate their home after the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 (viewers unfamiliar with this historic event will spend most of the time feeling lost). The film is well-shot and well-acted, but it merely feels like underdeveloped fragments of a feature film.

“The New Tenants” directed by Joachim Back

The New Tenants
The New Tenants
Photo credit: Magnolia/Shorts International

Working neither as a black comedy nor a tense thriller, this star-studded short is little more than a diverting curiosity. There’s wonderful dialogue at the beginning, well written and delivered by David Rakoff, who exudes colorful Manhattan neuroses as if he was in a Tony Kushner play. The opening moments between Rakoff and his boyfriend (Jamie Harrold) are so amusing that it’s a letdown when the plot literally comes knocking on their apartment door. Soon, the couple is visited by various special guest weirdos (Vincent D’Onofrio! Kevin Corrigan!), who each get a miniature showcase before violently exiting. The film is too clever by half, all the way down to its ending credits, which include a complete recipe for cinnamon buns (sorry Back, but Scorsese’s “Italianamerican” did that first, and to infinitely more meaningful effect).

HollywoodChicago.com staff writer Matt Fagerholm

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

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