Since it doesn’t look like there is going to be an Oscars thread (and I’ve seen shockingly few of the major award contenders), I’ll just put this here.
I saw the Animated Short and Live Short nominees. My quick takes:
Animated Short
Meh. The “profound” shorts are a little too on the nose and the “funny” ones are mildly amusing at best. If I was forced to pick…probably Yes-People from Iceland.
Live Short
At least a couple of these moved me a little. But don’t go looking for chuckles. Even the most “humorous” short makes you feel guilty for chuckling. But this category usually goes hard for the feels, so that’s a nit pick. However, it is not a nit pick that just about all the nominees have the same message: “Life’s a bitch, and then you die, if you’re lucky. But we’re going to show you some people who are even deeper in the mire and more hopeless than you. Won’t that be fun?”
Unfortunately, the Hollywoody star studded short from the USA, The Letter Room, is probably the most nuanced (and uplifting, if learning to live with hopelessness can be considered uplifting") and will probably win.