Oscar-Nominated Live Action Shorts: The Cheat Sheet

Oscar-Nominated Live Action Shorts

If you're like me, you try to watch as many Oscar-nominated film before the big day, but that doesn't always include the shorts. For the first time this year, I got to see all five of the nominated live action shorts, and it will likely become a tradition from now on.

These films were able to bring me to tears, put me on the edge of my seat, disgust me, scare me, and make me laugh all in less than 30 minutes.

Here's a guide to this year's nominees:

1. Helium (B) — Hailing from Denmark, this short follows a dying boy who is uninterested in going to a boring place like heaven. A clumsy janitor at his facility starts to tell him about this other place he can go called "Helium" — a land where he can play and be strong in the clouds. Though this one will tug at your heart strings, some of the fantasy sequences come off as cheaply made and thoroughly computer generated.

2. The Voorman Problem (C-) — This British-made short was the biggest disappointment of the bunch. It was clearly low budget, and though it featured everyone's favorite hobbit, Martin Freeman, the acting wasn't particularly noteworthy. It centers around a psychiatrist who is called to a prison to deal with an inmate named Voorman, who has convinced his fellow prisoners that he's a god. It was both slightly creepy and mildly comical, but it was the least memorable in a category of impressive talents.

3. Avant Que de Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything) (A) — Though it will likely take the back burner to a more controversial topic at Sunday's show, this French short about a woman and her two children running from her abusive husband had me holding my breath the entire time. It was terrifying and cautionary without being too much like an after-school special. The acting and writing were both top notch and further proof that the French dominate filmmaking.

4. Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me) (A) — This Spanish-made film checks off all of the Academy's boxes for a winner. It's clearly the most high-budget out of all of the shorts, it features an incredibly controversial subject matter, and it had excellent acting. It follows three doctors trying to enter a compound of child soldiers when they are taken to be executed. The graphic images of children murdering each other, falling victim to a ruthless leader, and eventually dying are almost as sickening as the brutal rape scene that occurs near the end. But with helicopters flying overhead and explosions going off all around, I wonder if it will win for the right reasons.

5. Do I Have to Take Care of Everything? (B+) — This delightful film was the only light in a series of dark shorts. It comes from Finland and was the shortest of the nominees at 7 minutes. It features a hilarious family rushing to get ready for a wedding. And in those 7 minutes, they are able to make us fall in love with them based on their messy charm and true love for one another.