‘2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary’ Review: Take Your Pick Between Endemic Violence and Escapist Music

by

The “2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary” runs for about five minutes more than “Wicked,” yet remains significantly shorter than “The Brutalist.” This collection, presented by Shorts International, offers a challenging cinema experience. It includes footage from bodycams showing police brutality, emotional responses to school shootings, and an exploration of the death penalty, among other heavy topics. Watching this annual compilation is crucial for those who wish to excel in their Oscar pool or stay informed about the Academy’s selection of top nonfiction work for the year. However, it’s not a light-hearted viewing experience. Despite the finalists appearing deserving, there’s often a desire for some comedic relief amidst such serious subjects.

This particular award, distinct from feature-length categories, tends to prioritize the social issues portrayed over formal innovation among its nominees. It’s interesting then, that the first nominee, “Instruments of a Beating Heart,” produced by The New York Times, stands out given it focuses on a Japanese elementary school class learning Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” instead of depicting hardship. At 23 minutes in length, director Ema Ryan Yamazaki’s portrayal of these young, competitive musicians – who express their frustration with tears and despair at the thought of another student taking their preferred instrument – has evidently struck a chord with voters. While it might not be as powerful as the other nominees, don’t underestimate the emotional impact of seeing Ayama smile behind her mask or recognizing parallels between this community and our own adult world.

The storyline of the program shifts towards a focus on social justice, delving into an unfortunate incident from 2018 involving a Black barber named Harith “Snoop” Augustus and five police officers in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. Bill Morrison, a renowned archivist (“Decasia”), showcases this altercation through footage, which resulted in the death of Augustus at the hands of the police. Contrary to a probationary officer’s cry of “Police shot! Shots fired at police!”, a side-by-side analysis of bodycam and surveillance footage reveals a different narrative. Morrison provides context through on-screen text, explaining how the murder of Laquan McDonald four years prior had instigated tension between the public and law enforcement. This incident, along with an officer shooting a civilian five times in the back without provocation, is enough to stir anger. However, the officers’ subsequent actions are even more appalling: they choose to save themselves instead of helping Augustus, who lay dying on the street. With over three decades having passed since the Rodney King beating, cameras continue to serve as a powerful tool for accountability, with filmmakers like Morrison utilizing cinema to advocate for justice.

Filmmaker Smriti Mundhra’s work “I Am Ready, Warden” delves into the subject of death row with a compassionate perspective, focusing on the final days of John Henry Ramirez, a Texas convict sentenced to death for stabbing Pablo Castro 29 times outside a convenience store. While numerous documentaries have tackled this contentious topic, Mundhra skillfully infuses her film with a rich sense of complexity within its compact 37-minute runtime.

Ramirez appears to have accepted his impending fate as suggested by the title, but there are those who advocate for his life to be spared, such as district attorney Mark Gonzalez, who has ethical reservations about the state’s sentence. On the opposite end is Pablo’s now-grown son Aaron, who seeks justice but struggles to find solace in Ramirez’s execution. Rather than expanding its scope like Werner Herzog did with his film “On Death Row” by profiling multiple individuals, Mundhra chooses to delve deeply into the subject matter, offering viewers much to ponder.

Among this year’s nominees for music-related shorts, the film “The Only Girl in the Orchestra” focuses on Orin O’Brien, the first female member of the New York Philharmonic after 55 years and now approaching retirement. Similar to the 2021 nominee “A Concerto Is a Conversation,” this movie was created by a family member, Molly O’Brien in this instance, who seems to be the only person capable of persuading her aunt to appear on camera. Orin O’Brien, daughter of film stars George O’Brien and Marguerite Churchill, demonstrates a highly infectious passion for her work, coupled with an unexpected humility (rare for someone renowned as a leading woman in her field). Despite the prominence of her instrument, the double bass, which is hard to overlook in an orchestra, Orin chooses to blend into the background. Her advice for living a fulfilling life is: “It’s okay to play second fiddle.

The package concludes with a thought-provoking and poetic short film titled “Death by Numbers,” which blends aspects from two other nominees. Similar to “Incident,” it revolves around a 2018 catastrophe, in this case, the Parkland high school shooting, and like “I Am Ready, Warden,” it delves into the thoughts of those affected by the event regarding the fitting punishment for the perpetrator. Director Kim A. Snyder has previously explored the aftermath of such events through films like “Newtown” and “Us Kids,” where she encountered Sam Fuentes, who transformed the tragedy into a call to action. This film offers a different perspective on Fuentes, with her journals forming the foundation for an emotionally stirring (yet also manipulative) narrative about personal recovery. Carried along by Fuentes’ words and the music of Ólafur Arnalds, the film deliberately conceals the shooter’s face (to avoid glorifying his actions) until a climactic scene towards the end, where it reveals him reacting to a powerful statement made by Fuentes in court. Despite these tragedies recurring, such art serves not only to deter copycats, but also provides survivors – and a society still reeling from trauma – with an opportunity to come to terms with their experiences.

Read More

2025-03-03 00:46