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plasmasphinx
Reviews
Nefta Football Club (2018)
A good time
This is a great, deservedly Oscar-nominated short. It does a great job of blending humor and drama, examining social issues while having fun. I'd love to see what the film-makers could do with a feature-length film.
Hors piste (2018)
Fun characters, great music
If you watched the Oscar-nominated shorts, you (and the rest of your theater) breathed a sigh of relief when a comedy short came on. This is a truly funny short with some unforgettable characters and hijinks. The animation and music are incredible. I was disappointed at the lack of resolution, however.
The Neighbors' Window (2019)
Will probably win the Oscar
I believed this was the weakest of the five Oscar-nominated shorts, but I believe this will be the winner. It strikes a lovely tone. The film is a familiar concept of voyeurism anchored by an amazing performance by Maria Dizzia. The performance by the husband, unfortunately, was leagues worse. The story plays out as expected and culminates in an unlikely (and corny) confrontation between two people from two not-so-surprisingly not-so-different worlds.
Une soeur (2018)
The best of the Oscar-nominated shorts
Of the five shorts nominated by the Oscars, this was the best. A simple concept beautifully acted and shot.
Saria (2019)
Beautiful, shocking film with some unfortunate editing.
The child actors in this film are excellent. I also admired the direction the writers took by making these children real people. It kept this film from feeling exploitative. However, many of the edits were, frankly, very bad, especially at the end, making it feel disjointed and rushed at times when it shouldn't have. Overall, definitely a great film worth watching.
The Bird & The Whale (2018)
Beautiful animation and music, weak story
I won't spoil the story in this short, but one of the two titular animals definitely gets shafted for the benefit of the other. Amazing painting and music.
Henrietta Bulkowski (2019)
Just why
This short is a strange mix of bizarre surrealness and Hollywood pandering. With impressive visuals and voice acting, I was onboard with how uncomfortable I felt until the film subverts itself at the end. At first I thought our protagonist would come to terms with her disability. But alas, the moral of the story is that you should either A) destroy any prosthetic you have (after all, they were made for you to be ashamed of who you are, not to help you in your day-to-day life), or B) wait for magic to happen so that you don't have to live with a disability anymore. Honestly, I thought these days we had moved forward to the point where disabled people could be depicted with dignity, but nope.