Overall I'd say the quality of the films was lower then last year, but like the Animated category there is one clear audience favorite that should win, and one that will win, as it always goes with the Academy. However, I can respect them in these categories because, well, they actually have to see the movies. Alright, on to the films.
First up, Kavi (India, 19 min), a story of modern-day slavery and a little boy who undergoes considerable abuse at the hands of a slave-master that the boy's (Kavi is his name) father owes a debt to. It looks like a really pretty student film, and indeed at the end we are told that the film was made in part for a master thesis film at USC (or one of those California schools). Overall, the technical aspects are amazing, and the kid is really good to, and it has a hopeful open-ended ending. Still, it is the weakest of the bunch because the story is kind of hokey and you can tell its a student film.
Second, The New Tenants (Denmark, 20 min), a hilarious story that recalls Six Shooter, the Martin McDonaugh short that won the Award five or so years ago. The premise involves two friends who have just moved into a new apartment, and are greeted by a landlady, a drug dealer, and a grieving husband with a vendetta. The movie goes into wacky comedic directions and is probably my favorite of the bunch, but it has a really stupid ending. It has a great script, and a great cast (including Gomer Pyle) but overall it kind of trails off at the end. This was the only film that got applause, I might add, so it was an audience favorite.
Third, Miracle Fish (Australia, 17 min), a film that is the prime example of why a director should never be their own editor (though the Coens are the standing exception), as it drags its feet in the beginning and doesn't really pick up the pace or get interesting until the last five minutes. It is Joe's 8th birthday, and he is the outcast at school, poor, and socially unliked. He hides in the sick bay and takes a nap, and when he awakes, the school is completely deserted. At first, I assumed this was just his imagination and it would all be a happy dream land (he finds solace in the solitude), but after a good eight minutes of Joe wandering aimlessly you begin to realize that its real, and something fucked up is going to happen. The movie's ending is really good, but the pacing sucks, and the kid actor is only ok (you are always asking for trouble when your cast is primarily kids).
Fourth, The Door (Ireland, 17 min), is the most likely to win because it deals with the radiation leak at Chernobyl in the 80s, a truly horrible event. It concerns a family whose daughter falls victim to the radiation, and the sadness and anger that comes with it. It sets the mood well, and is deliberately paced and executed, but it feels like nothing more then Oscar-bait (like last year's winner, Toyland). Overall well made, but nothing special.
And finally, Istället för abrakadabra (Instead of Abracadabra, Sweden, 22 min), a dark comedy about a 25-year-old loser who wishes to be a magician and lives at home with his parents. He performs a magic show and ends up impaling his own mother with a sword. At the hospital he meets a cute nurse, who happens to be his neighbor, and becomes determined to be a better magician to impress her. The movie is sweet and funny, but again it is nothing special and really doesn't stand heads above the others.
So my final prediction is The Door, simply for its message and somber tone. The Academy loves that stuff, although they do like the black humor too, as evidenced by Six Shooter's win. However, The Door is the one to beat, even if it ain't the best.
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