2012 Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts
Sun, Feb. 19th, 2012 10:46 amLast night,
overratedomac and I went to see the 2012 Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts at SIFF. The program included four of the five Academy Award nominees for this year’s Best Documentary Short Film category. (I didn't realize that one wasn't included--God is Bigger than Elvis [the article gets the film's name wrong but apparently everything else right]--until just now, reading the SIFF site; now I have to figure out how to catch it.) They're all extraordinary, and I honestly have no idea how the Academy will select between them. They are:
Incident in New Baghdad (website): A while ago, Wikileaks released video of an American assault on a group of unarmed Iraqi men, the Americans attacking from a helicopter. The attack ended up killing two Reuters journalists and hitting a van that included a father and two children. This documentary tells the story of one of the Americans who was on the ground--not one of the attackers, but one of the soldiers sent in to reconnoiter after the fact--from his perspective. He pulled the two children from the van and got them to medics. While this was an effective retelling of the story, it wasn't especially in-depth; it was about the human cost of the war on our soldiers, about their experiences, about the emotional toll it's taken. I thought it was very good but not great and, in some ways, it felt a little unfinished to me. There's a lot more of this story than this doc tells. I can see why it was nominated, but I don't think it's going to be the winner somehow.
Saving Face (trailer): In Pakistan, there have been a rash of acid attacks on women. It's been going on for quite some time. This film follows four entwined stories: one woman attacked by her husband who ensures her husband is arrested and brought to trial while she undergoes reconstructive surgery, another woman attacked by her husband and her uncertain fate, the doctor who does the reconstruction pro bono on these women, and the passage of a law that would sentence convicted attackers to life in prison. It's horrifying stuff, these stories, and the film is a powerful documentation of the situation in Pakistan. I think these women are enormously courageous, and I think this film is very timely, especially given the war on women here in the US. Remarkable. (For me, this is the winner, but I suspect that one of the next two will actually win.)
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (website): This film opens with a home video of the tsunami washing away a town--horrifying footage. You can hear people screaming and crying, and you can see people running and buildings being swept away. That's how it begins--absolutely amazing. From there, the film interviews tsunami survivors and explores how the cherry blossom has come to be seen as the metaphor for Japan's survival of this overwhelming natural disaster. It's a beautiful film, leisurely in its telling, tasteful, and at times quite moving.
The Barber of Birmingham (website): This film profiles James Armstrong, a foot soldier in the fight for Civil Rights in Birmingham and Selma, and his journey from Civil Rights activist to being a citizen in these United States as the first African American president is elected. Armstrong's conviction is deep and strong and quiet, and his story is history in small. One or two other foot soldiers make appearances in the film, which includes amazing archival footage. It's a very special movie, I think.
SIFF has these films screening until this coming Thursday, so if you're interested in documentaries, you can still see them. I'd recommend them all. Lots to think about here, and a really good evening of movie-watching. Tonight, I'm going to see the Oscar-nominated animated short films; looking forward to that.
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Incident in New Baghdad (website): A while ago, Wikileaks released video of an American assault on a group of unarmed Iraqi men, the Americans attacking from a helicopter. The attack ended up killing two Reuters journalists and hitting a van that included a father and two children. This documentary tells the story of one of the Americans who was on the ground--not one of the attackers, but one of the soldiers sent in to reconnoiter after the fact--from his perspective. He pulled the two children from the van and got them to medics. While this was an effective retelling of the story, it wasn't especially in-depth; it was about the human cost of the war on our soldiers, about their experiences, about the emotional toll it's taken. I thought it was very good but not great and, in some ways, it felt a little unfinished to me. There's a lot more of this story than this doc tells. I can see why it was nominated, but I don't think it's going to be the winner somehow.
Saving Face (trailer): In Pakistan, there have been a rash of acid attacks on women. It's been going on for quite some time. This film follows four entwined stories: one woman attacked by her husband who ensures her husband is arrested and brought to trial while she undergoes reconstructive surgery, another woman attacked by her husband and her uncertain fate, the doctor who does the reconstruction pro bono on these women, and the passage of a law that would sentence convicted attackers to life in prison. It's horrifying stuff, these stories, and the film is a powerful documentation of the situation in Pakistan. I think these women are enormously courageous, and I think this film is very timely, especially given the war on women here in the US. Remarkable. (For me, this is the winner, but I suspect that one of the next two will actually win.)
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (website): This film opens with a home video of the tsunami washing away a town--horrifying footage. You can hear people screaming and crying, and you can see people running and buildings being swept away. That's how it begins--absolutely amazing. From there, the film interviews tsunami survivors and explores how the cherry blossom has come to be seen as the metaphor for Japan's survival of this overwhelming natural disaster. It's a beautiful film, leisurely in its telling, tasteful, and at times quite moving.
The Barber of Birmingham (website): This film profiles James Armstrong, a foot soldier in the fight for Civil Rights in Birmingham and Selma, and his journey from Civil Rights activist to being a citizen in these United States as the first African American president is elected. Armstrong's conviction is deep and strong and quiet, and his story is history in small. One or two other foot soldiers make appearances in the film, which includes amazing archival footage. It's a very special movie, I think.
SIFF has these films screening until this coming Thursday, so if you're interested in documentaries, you can still see them. I'd recommend them all. Lots to think about here, and a really good evening of movie-watching. Tonight, I'm going to see the Oscar-nominated animated short films; looking forward to that.