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Short and Way too Sweet

The nominees for the Oscar for Short Film Live Action for 2008 (2009 Awards show) are:

1. Auf der Strecke (On the Line), Reto Caffi, director
2. Manon on the Asphalt, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont, directors
3. New Boy, Steph Green, director, and Tamara Anghie, producer
4. The Pig (above), Tivi Magnusson, producer, and Dorte Høgh, director
5. Spielzeugland (Toyland), Jochen Alexander Freydank, producer-director

What a difference a year makes. In 2008, the Oscar nominees for Short Film Live Action was a near magical collection of gems. Fast forward one year and I'm not certain if any of this year's nominees could have cracked the top 5 of last year. At best, maybe one. The feel of this year's entries is heavy on the preachy side, something I have little patience with. Most disappointing.

"Auf Der Strecke" From Denmark, comes the story of a creepy department store security guard who spends most of his time staring at video screens that are trained on a clerk in the store's bookshop. He is stalking her by video, presumably because he is in some sort of state of infatuation. After a crime is committed, both his and the bookstore lady's life are rattled irrevocably. The film is a product of Lars von Trier's Zentropa Entertainments. It's overly long and fairly pointless.

"Manon on the Asphalt" Easily the worst of the bunch. The French entry tells the story of a young lady who is struck by an automobile while cycling through the streets. The newly dead woman narrates the actions of her friends and relatives in the wake of her death and she reflects on things she wish she had a chance to do over again. This is the equivalent of bad television or a "deep-thinking" college student's analysis of life and death. Truly pathetic. No stars.

"New Boy" A nine-year-old African boy begins his first day of school in Ireland. He sticks out like a sore thumb because of his color and culture. The kid behind him is set on making his life miserable. The busybody, not particularly good-looking girl is determined to help the newcomer. The teacher is disciplining the tykes that misbehave. By the time it is over the boys are friends and a lesson of getting along is taught. Pass the artificial sweetener.

"The Pig" is the only truly original one in the bunch. It focuses on an elderly gentleman that is in the hospital for a colonoscopy. He is a genial fellow but his good temper is tested by the news that the colonoscopy has revealed that he may be suffering from colon cancer. More tests are needed. On the wall opposite his bed is a painting of a slightly smiling pig diving off a dock into a lake. The man is captured by the image, and frankly, so was I. The other bed in his room is occupied by a Muslim man who has family constantly crowded around his bed. The son of the Muslim gentleman takes down the picture of the pig while the other man is asleep and when he awakens he is very unhappy about it. Despite a preachy ending, it is a lot of fun.

Finally, we have "Spielzeugland" (Toyland), It's 1942 in Germany, and a young German boy believes that his Jewish friend is going to a magic Toyland instead of to a death camp. He is jealous and is also determined to go along with his buddy. The whole experience is reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode but not one in particular. It is constructed to deliberately mislead us into believing that something is happening even if it might not be. My explanation is probably more confusing than the film. It's good, but far from special.