I With awards season in full swing, I had the opportunity to watch five live-action short films that had recently been announced on the Oscar shortlist – four of which have gone on to be nominated in the 2019 Live-Action Shorts Category. Each deals with heavy-hitting emotions and fears, each with their own flawless execution. The material is extremely hard to handle at times, but their stories are hypnotizing.
Mother (Madre) – Rodrigo Sorogoyen (Spain)
The premise of Mother (Madre), the first Oscar nominated short in this article, comes out of nowhere. Opening with a peaceful wide shot of an abandoned shoreline, the tranquility of a peaceful sunrise quickly becomes a horror setting within the mind. But that’s how it is when horrific news and shocking moments are presented in life. Everything is serene and going according to plan – natural – and the next moment what was once comforting is the most terrifying.
A mother (Marta Nieto), quickly getting things in order with her mother (Blanca Apilánez) before embarking on an evening with friends, receives a call from her son (Álvaro Balas). What starts off as a joyful moment of hearing her son’s voice slowly descends into sheer terror as the little boy relays that he is alone on an abandoned beach and his father is missing. Having gone back to retrieve the boy’s dolls, the father has not returned for some time.
As the mother tries to figure out her son’s location, all the while fighting with the legality of the authorities, panic quickly begins to swell as the feeling of powerlessness and fear engulf her. With her son’s battery running out and a strange man following him on the beach, there is nothing she can do but listen to her child until the phone runs dead.
It was hard watching Mother, a mother’s greatest fear unraveling before our eyes. There were so many elements of terror that managed to rise to the surface, swelling with each new wave of fear that swept in. The powerlessness we see the mother experience is claustrophobic for audiences, also powerless to help or even confront the mother. Madre is a gripping and heartbreaking short that will resonate long after it has ended – and a clear showcase of the talent being recognized with its 2019 Academy Award nomination.
Wale – Barnaby Blackburn (United Kingdom)
With Wale, you will know how the action will play out before the main character has a chance to. Yet, even though you know what’s coming, you cannot look away. Setting the scene of a rough neighborhood early on – along with opportunities for crime – you get an idea of the environment Wale (Raphel Famotibe) has grown up in his whole life. Poverty and crime seem to rule the streets. Though try as he might to keep his head above water, trouble has a way of finding Wale.
Looking for work as a mechanic handing out business cards throughout the marketplace, Wale comes across a man in a suit named Brian (Jamie Sives). He oozes money and a clean earning opportunity for Wale, and thankfully he is willing to give him a chance to fix his car regardless of his past history with the authorities. He invites Wale back to his house that evening so he can have the chance to look at the car.
Wale, with euphoria at the prospect of success and fairly earned wages, embraces the opportunity, engaging Brian’s invitation to come in the house and share a beer, accepting the offer to take the car for the night to try and repair it. Though he is sorely mistaken when he arrives at the shop, and upon opening the trunk, finds the dead body of Brian’s wife wrapped in a blood-soaked sheet. Horrified, he races back to Brian’s house, slugging him in a fit of rage for the predicament he has placed him in.
By this point, audiences will already know how culpable Wale looks – he cut the limes for the beer with the murder weapon, he was in the house placing his fingerprints, his DNA is on the beer bottle, he has taken the man’s car. Watching Wale punch Brian, we as viewers know that by committing this act of rage, he now looks further culpable in a home invasion/robbery scenario – as Brian will play out just in case you aren’t completely caught up yet.
Seeing his life crumbling before him, Wale drives off panic stricken as Brian calls the police, knowing the only thing he can do is to dump the body – a body that, as it turns out, is not entirely dead. Living up once more to the kind-natured man we have come to know in these twenty short minutes, he puts her back in the car, racing to the hospital to save her. While there is a drive of self-preservation in this action, his caring nature is apparent as he gingerly straps her into the front seat, belting her in. While he saves her life, he cannot save himself, as she is unable to identify her killer and he is taken away.
It’s interesting to note that while Wale was looking for work, Brian was looking for an alibi. You have to wonder how long Brian was looking for someone to pin his future murder on. It’s also interesting to note that from the moment Brian sets his eyes on him, Wale was doomed from the start – much like the life he was born into. Try as he might he cannot push beyond the circumstances he was born into, and as much as it is with Brian, he was doomed from the start.
Detainment – Vincent Lambe (Ireland/ United Kingdom)
When the short began, and if you are familiar with the story, you immediately know what this one is all about. I had only learned of the incident recently myself through reading one of the articles one of our authors had written sometime earlier. As two rowdy, hooligan boys make mischief around a mall, stopping at the sight of a young boy, your heart sinks as you remember the story – the story of James Bugler and the youngest murders of the twentieth Century. This is Detainment – the second 2019 Oscar nominated Live Action Short.
Based off the interview tapes of the boys following their arrest in 1993, this was the hardest short of the entire segment to watch. With outstanding performances all around, especially from the young boys portraying John (Ely Solan) and Robert (Leon Hughes), your heart breaks as they try to tell the “truth” of what happened to Baby James (Caleb Mason). As they scream and protest they did not kill the little boy, your heart sinks knowing the truth, and watching each bit of truth eventually slip from their young mouths.
It is not just the story of the brutal murder they inflicted upon Baby James, later using a train to cover their tracks, that burrows deep into your heart, but the bystander effect Baby James experienced between the time of his abduction and murder. While it does not state the exact amount of people that saw the young boys with Baby James (38 in total), it does show a number of people encouraging the boys to bring Baby James to the police station – some even looking at the boys suspiciously knowing something to be off about the entire situation. But no one intervenes. No one takes the little boy from them, bringing him to the police station themselves. They watch as Baby James leaves with John and Robert.
Detainment is one that will break your heart, and drive horror into the mind if you have not yet heard the story. A murder that will not be forgotten once you know it, Detainment give you a deeper look into what really happened. There are several live action shorts that have focused on tragedies like these this year, yet it is clear to see why Detainment rose above them all. From performance to structure, to the in your face showcase of brutal youth to the story itself, Detainment is a powerful, impactful and terrifying horror that reminds viewers innocence is only on the surface.
Marguerite – Marianne Farley (Canada)
After some heavy hitters in the 2019 Oscar Live Action Shorts category, Marguerite was sad, but a much needed relief from the depressive subject matters that had come before it. While it contained its own sadness, there is a bit of hope and revelation within its core – a welcomed change especially compared to its competition. Marguerite (Béatrice Picard) is an elderly woman starring down the barrel of mortality. She seems to have found peace in the final moments, finding tranquility in the time she spends with her daily aid. She could seek treatment for her failing kidneys, but she would have to be in and out of hospitals, disturbing the peacefulness of her home life and way of being. She is ready for the end.
During one of her visits with her aid Rachel (Sandrine Bisson), it is revealed that she has a girlfriend, rather than a boyfriend. While seemingly taken back by this revelation, Marguerite continues to engage in the conversation asking for the girlfriend’s name, remarking on how beautiful it is. Yet, while it seemed Marguerite was embracing the changing times, what we truly discover is her embracing herself. As she looks through old photos late one night, we see her softly touching the images, a look of longing and regret crossing her face. Without words spoken, we know Marguerite had once been in love with the woman in the images.
As her memories of love and the regret she now has flood her mind, she finds herself asking her aid what it is like to make love to a woman, the aid responding “beautiful”. Marguerite reveals her long kept secret of her love, as well as the regret she has now for never expressing that love. It was different times then – a mortal sin. In an act of compassion, hope and acceptance, the aid kisses Marguerite, laying beside her in the bed, giving her the affection from a woman she never thought possible.
What a difference a lifetime can make in the world. What was once not allowed is commonplace. What was a passing thought of what it might be like can actually be a conversation now. And the regrets of an elderly woman, whose desires have gone from sin to acceptable, can have a moment to relish what she was always denied. It is a true act of compassion, a hope that all can have a moment to express themselves. There is a true honesty within one’s self when faced with the final moments of life and in the company of acceptance. A kiss before you go can make the biggest difference in the end.
Fauve – Jérémy Comte (Canada)
While Marguerite had provided some release from the heavy hitters, Fauve brought the emotional impact of short film raging right back. Closing out this live action short segment, Fauve looks at the bonds of childhood through the daily shenanigans of two young boys. It is also the fourth and final 2019 Oscar nominated film within our recap – and there is no confusion as to why it will be recognized on February 24th.
Fauve opens with the two young boys, Tyler (Félix Grenier) and Benjamin (Alexandre Perreault), playing on an old and abandoned rusty train as they attempt to try and one up each other, testing each others’ bravery, wit and endurance. Points are awarded for scaring, tricking or giving up on any task, reaching 6 points concluding the game. Their game takes them to a restricted area outside of town, a chance for exploration they cannot turn down.
Running from a truck and discovery, the boys end up in a white-washed landscape, with a crisp and welcoming pool in its center. As their pranks continue, Tyler finds himself sinking in the mud just beyond the lake, struggling to break free. Luckily, he is able to free himself, but at the cost of the game. Jealous, he and Benjamin wrestle, with Benjamin being thrown into the middle of the mud. Sinking and unreachable, Tyler watches in horror as his friend is engulfed within the mud.
Racing to get help, finding the desolate location more so when the truck they had seen earlier is empty, Tyler returns to the spot where he had left his friend, yet he is gone. These childish games have taken a deadly turn and Tyler is left with the guilt his friend’s death has left behind.
There are layers upon layers beneath what you are actually seeing on screen. The implication of the fight against nature, a game that we will always lose. The guilt inflicted on a child will have lasting ramifications. The idea that both boys had found themselves fighting against nature, with only one surviving, makes you question who the real winner of the games truly was.
Have you seen any of these short films? Which do you think of the four nominated has the chance to go all the way on February 24, 2019? Let us know in the comments below!
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.