The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2016: Documentary (2016)

February 27, 2016 8:11 PM

Shorts HD presents a theatrical release of the five Oscar nominees for Best Documentary, Short Subject.

Where to see it in theaters; or, view it streaming or on demand.

Body Team 12 • website • trailer • IMDb
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness • web page • trailer • IMDb
Last Day of Freedom • website • trailer • full film [Netflix] • IMDb
Chau, beyond the Lines • website • trailer • full film [Netflix] • IMDb
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah • website • trailer • IMDb

posted by DevilsAdvocate (1 comment total)

Body Team 12: About the team in Liberia responsible for disposing of bodies of Ebola victims. It's hard work, and not just the actual collection, but also the fact that the families and loved ones are distraught because the bodies must be taken away to be cremated and won't even be allowed to be buried. A well-done and touching film.

A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness: About a Pakistani woman who survived an attempted "honor" killing by her father and uncle for marrying a man of whom they did not approve. After she recovers she attempts to have her would-be killers brought to justice, but is pressured by her family, the prosecutor, and eventually her husband's family (who were initially supportive) to forgive them. Her own lawyer, in favor of prosecution, is replaced for her. This one pissed the hell out of me — for its subject matter, not because it was a bad movie, quite the opposite.

Last Day of Freedom: In this animated film (only the second animated film ever to be nominated in this category, according to this article), Bill Babbitt tells how he came to realize that his brother Manny, a Vietnam veteran suffering from what is now called PTSD, was responsible for a murder and gave critical evidence to the police, hoping to get Manny treatment. Instead, Manny was convicted, sentenced to death, and executed. Another one that pissed me off. The animation is an interesting choice, but I think it works in the context of this film.

Chau, beyond the Lines: The story of Chau, a 16-year old with severe birth defects due to Agent Orange, who aspires to be a clothing designer. He lives in one of the "peace villages" established for children with such defects. The US stopped using Agent Orange in Vietnam in 1971, but Chau is a stark reminder that the effects of the compound did not end when the use did. The film was good when focusing on Chau and his art and aspiration, but I thought it tended to suffer when its focus drifted at points.

Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah: About director Claude Lanzmann, and the 12 years it took him to make his 9+-hour documentary film Shoah. Maybe this would be more meaningful to me if I had seen Shoah itelf, but a documentary about the making of a documentary — no matter how groundbreaking and important the latter was — fell a bit flat for me.

My choice: A Girl in the River.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 5:03 AM on February 28, 2016