Documentary Short Film Nominees (Oscars 2020)

Yesterday I saw all five of the nominated films in the Documentary Short category. I'll present my reviews in the order the films were shown.

LIFE OVERTAKES ME (Sweden, USA)

A mysterious illness is breaking the hearts of refugee parents all across Sweden. This film shows real-life cases of Resignation Syndrome, where children effectively enter into a coma after a series of traumatic events renders their bodies unresponsive. Facing deportation, the parents often have to parent children not afflicted by the ailment and tend to every basic need of those who do while battling for asylum. It's devastating to watch and I found myself hungry for additional answers when it came to an end.

LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WAR ZONE (IF YOU'RE A GIRL) (USA)

A group of young girls in Afghanistan get to experience school—and learn how to skateboard—in a special program that's empowered thousands. Not only do they gain the practical skills of basic education, but they gain a self-confidence not usual for girls in their community. An inspiring slice of hope for change ... that really goes on a bit too long. Shame about the lack of editing.

IN THE ABSENCE (South Korea)

In the spring of 2014, over 300 lives were lost when the MV Sewol ferry sank in the wake of an incompetent government rescue response. Those who did survive were largely saved by area fishing boats and commercial vessels who arrived and intervened before the Coast Guard showed up. Even worse, among the dead were hundreds of children who were on board for a school trip. This film superbly recalls the order of events of this preventable disaster using archive footage and audio mixed with recounts from survivors and the families of the dead. The strongest of the five, I was thinking about this one long after I left the theater. This is my pick to win.

WALK, RUN, CHA-CHA (USA)

A couple who escaped Vietnam during the war (facing certain death because they were Chinese), makes a new life in Los Angeles, bonded by the love for dance that started their romance when it was forbidden in their former country. We see them learning new moves, practicing for a formal performance and telling the history of their love story—all very endearing, but at times unfortunately a bit slow-paced and repetitive. My least-favorite of the five nominated films this year.

ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN (USA)

A young black man in Missouri, Bruce Franks, Jr., vows to ignite change after the Michael Brown incident happens, having grown up knowing violence first-hand after his young brother was killed in a gunfight being used as a human shield. He runs for office and wins—fighting for a bill that declares gun violence a public health risk. An excellent look at how change may take time, but is absolutely possible.

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Documentary Short Film Nominees (Oscars® 2017)

Tonight I saw all five of the nominated films in the Documentary Short category. I'll present my reviews in the order they were shown.

JOE'S VIOLIN (USA)

Joseph Feingold survived the horrors of the Holocaust (though some of his family didn't). When he came to the United States after the war to begin a new life, he went to a flea market and bought a violin. It cost him only a carton of cigarettes and became his constant companion for over 70 years. When he heard an announcement that there was an instrument drive for local schools, he decided to finally part with it, and it landed at the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls. There, 12-year-old Brianna Perez was chosen to borrow it during her time at the school. When she learned of the instrument's history, she invited Feingold to a performance. He went, and it was magical. This film is less than a half an hour long and I cried through at least half of it. Beautiful story, beautiful people, beautiful music.

EXTREMIS (USA)

Highland Hospital in Oakland, California treats patients of all walks of life in their Intensive Care Unit. This film showcases the work of Dr. Jessica Zitter, a palliative care specialist, and her team as they navigate their way through heartbreak after heartbreak, helping families make the toughest decisions of their lives. Their care, stress, compassion, intelligence and warmth are on raw display day after day, week after week. This short glimpse only captures a fraction of it, but reminds us who the real heroes are in this world.

4.1 MILES (USA)

Life as a Greek Coast Guard on the quiet island of Lesbos used to be stress-free for Captain Kyriakos Papadopoulos. That is, until the refugee crises began. Now his days are filled acting as a ferry between Turkey and his town as thousands risk their lives to cross the Aegean for a chance at a better life. He has no CPR or medical training, but continues to rescue and attempt to resuscitate those in need. Sometimes he succeeds; sometimes it's too late by the time the bodies float to his boat. Thinking of the times I splashed in that same Sea as a little girl, carefree and safe with my family in Greece, this film hit me especially hard. To see the terror in the eyes of parents not knowing if their children would live, or the fear in the children who were scarred by the horrors of war was borderline unbearable.

WATANI: MY HOMELAND (UK)

A Syrian couple tried to have children for eight years before conceiving, and then, God blessed them with four. Now their one son and three daughters dodge bullets and hide when shells come flying into their formerly peaceful neighborhood as their father, a Free Syrian Commander, dedicates his life to the revolution. Mom gives them cough syrup to relax, but they insist on staying by their father's side ... until their father is captured by ISIS. Unable to continue living in a constant state of chaos, the family seeks asylum in the small German town of Goslar. There they receive a clean home, a monthly salary and the warm welcome they so rightly deserve. They're grateful to their new hosts, but miss their family and homeland. The most in-depth look I've seen into the lives affected by the conflict, and one that will stay with me indefinitely.

THE WHITE HELMETS (UK)

As bombs fall onto their neighborhoods and explosions light up their Syrian skies, members of The White Helmets run toward the danger to rescue whomever survived or recover the bodies of those who did not. Members are former builders, former blacksmith—good, kind blue collar men that simply want to do the right thing in the midst of the most grim humanitarian conditions they'll ever face. Civilian volunteers with limited (or no) training who have saved over 58,000 lives to date. But those good deeds don't come without sacrifice. Each day they venture into the rubble is a day they may never come home. Many White Helmet lives have been lost "on the job." Despite this, they support each other like brothers (some even learn of their own deceased family members while being filmed for this documentary), crying, hugging and taking well-earned emotional breaks when they just can't keep going. Films like this should be mandatory in schools, in homes, in governments.

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