Since I had seen a total of zero films in a cinema between January 20 and February 27, I decided to see two sets of films on Saturday, February 28, which turned out to be 11 films in one day. Unsurprisingly, it was at the Spectrum Theatre in ALB. I went alone because my wife was working. These were the Oscar-nominated short documentaries and animated films.
Perfectly A Strangeness (15 minutes) -“In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.” It was largely filmed at La Silla Observatory, a European Southern Observatory (ESO) site in Chile, with some shots filmed further north at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. The film was written and directed by Alison McAlpine. I didn’t “get” it, nor did the folks nearby.
The Devil Is Busy (31 minutes) documents a day at an abortion clinic in Atlanta. The focus is on the head of security, a compassionate and religious woman named Tracii, who prays for protection from outside forces and for the women, often from out of state, who come to the clinic. It is impossible not to see and hear the men who protest at the edge of the property, also citing God for their behavior. The movie is directed by Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir, whose feature-length documentary “The Perfect Neighbor” is also nominated for an Oscar. I could see it HERE as of this writing. This may win the Oscar.
War videographer
You know what happens in Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud (38 minutes). He was shot and killed near Kyiv by Russian forces on March 13, 2022; “he was the first journalist on assignment from an American news organization to be killed while reporting on the war in Ukraine.” But you know that from the title.
What the movie does is go back and forth from his death, people mourning him, and his funeral, to the various disasters and wars he documented, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the political crises in northern Africa, and the refugee crisis in Central America, often with his brother Craig. The Renaud brothers are credited as its directors, cinematographers, editors, and producers. You WILL appreciate Brent Renaud’s work and humanity after this. I could see it HERE. This film could win the Oscar.
School shootings
The premise of All The Empty Rooms (33 minutes), directed by Joshua Seftel, is that journalist Steve Hartman, the usually jovial CBS On The Road journalist, also covered too many school shootings. The project he and photographer Lou Bopp worked on for seven years was to create portraits of the children’s untouched bedrooms.
Between talking to still-grieving parents of the children, Hartman speaks of trying to keep from going numb to the sheer number of tragedies. I had seen this eight-minute clip on CBS’s Sunday Morning, and it was more effective (and affecting) than the whole film. Film Yap, a Substack piece, noted, “There’s a studied way about this film, and its tendency to focus more on… Hartman… than the children themselves. I’m an old-school believer in ‘don’t report on the reporting,’ and there’s too much of that here.” I agree; if all eight children’s stories were included in a longer film, it would be stronger. You can see it on Netflix.
Children No More: “Were and Are Gone” (21 minutes) was directed by Hilla Medalia. It’s a film about peace activists in Israel holding a series of vigils, showing pictures of Palestinian children killed in the Gaza war. Silently, they stand there, bringing a human face to the conflict. After each protest, they debate among themselves, mulling over whether what they’re doing is effective or if they should try a bolder strategy. Unsurprisingly, some Israelis curse and scream at them, calling them traitors. Available if you have Apple TV.
Animation
The Three Sisters (13 minutes) by Konstantin Bronzit is a silent portrayal of the three dour-looking women alone on an island. As they compete for the affections of an uncouth sailor landing on their tiny island, they become more colorful and competitive. Mildly funny, and at least mildly sexist. If it’s available, I’m not finding it.
The Girl Who Cried Pearls (17 minutes), from Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, uses stop-motion of somewhat creepy molded figures. It shows an impoverished corner of Montreal around the early 20th century. Interesting narrative, but the payoff is weak. It’s available on Netflix and Prime Video.
Retirement Plan (7 minutes) by John Kelly is a single, piano-scored montage. The protagonist, in voice-over supplied by Domhnall Gleeson, imagines all the things he’ll do when he retires. Some of the attendees thought it was obvious, but I thought it was saying something more profound. Watch it HERE – I think it’ll come in second in the Oscar race.
Olympics
But I believe the Oscar will go to Florence Miailhe’s Papillon/Butterfly (15 minutes).” It is an affecting impressionistic biopic of the French swimmer Alfred Nakache (1915-83). And by impressionistic, think Monet or Matisse. Nakache was an Algerian-born Jew who competed for France in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and then again in 1948 in London, after surviving Auschwitz. “The closing text reveals that Miailhe was taught to swim by Nakache’s brother.” Watch it HERE.
Forevergreen (13 minutes) from Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears is the story of a bear cub and the coniferous giving tree that raises him. Then the bear discovers potato chips! Smokey the Bear would be pleased by the lesson. Watch it HERE.
The program was too short, as is often the case with the animated shorts, so they added Giovanna Ferrari’s Éiru (13 minutes). Imade the list of 15 shortlisted titles but didn’t secure a nomination. “Éiru is a young girl and aspiring warrior who restores water to her parched clan and makes peace with its neighbors.” Watch it HERE.
My viewing of the 2026 Oscar-nominated movies has been rather pathetic. On Washington’s Birthday weekend in 1998, I saw five films, four of which were