Horst_In_Translation Review of Two Soldiers

Two Soldiers (2003)

Hit the nerve of time instead of being a good film

[4/10 · 29 April 2016]

"Two Soldiers" is an American 40-minute short film from 13 years ago. It is about a boy who is best friends with his older brother and wants to stay by his side when the solider decides to join the army and fight abroad. Director is Aaron Schneider and he also adapted William Faulkner's story. The result was an Academy Award win in the short film category. The only reason I see why it won was probably the political climate back then, with the United States were in war 2 years after the Attacks on the World Trade Center. The movie, however, comes short in many areas. First of all, the story was not interesting enough even for a 40-minute movie and could have been fit easily in 15-20. Secondly, the child actor was not good enough to play the part, which, for me, had crucial negative effects on how this film tried to deliver in terms of the emotional factors. All in all, I am not surprised that Schneider did not manage to build a successful directing career on his early triumph here. I give "Two Soldiers" a thumbs-down. Not the Academy's greatest hour.