Nate At The Movies

With most Documentary Short Film nominees I’ve seen in the last few years, there was some moral or ethical issue at the very center, and either a dialogue inspired by it or a call to action. In Perfectly a Strangeness, however, there were donkeys.

I honestly don’t have much to say about this short film. It was well-shot and lovely to look at while being incredibly boring and having almost nothing to say. I like donkeys as much as the next guy—same goes for stars—but I couldn’t find a purpose behind their combination. The nomination makes sense, I guess, given how off-the-beaten-path and beautiful it is, but if I was in the Academy, I wouldn’t vote for it. I needed more substance, and it just wasn’t there.

Perfectly a Strangeness was just as its titled suggested: strange. Given that I diverted my attention away from the Winter Olympics to watch this at lunch, I think I wasted my time, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t the worst I’ve seen of this year’s nominees, and I’ve checked its box.

I never have anything to say about the craft of these docs, so I’ll just talk about the issues and the real people in this short. I knew that abortion clinics were hotbeds for lots of protest, but I hadn’t really imagined the toll it could take, not just on the women looking for aid, but for the people who endure that rhetoric on a daily basis as employees there. Each of those workers, from the doctors to security, have such difficult jobs—physically and emotionally—and they have my respect. They’re doing important work, and I know the women they serve have so much love for them.

What was most apparent to Morgan and I amidst all of our bemoaning was the hypocrisy of many pro-life protestors. How can you tell Black women trying to get abortions that they’re promoting Black genocide when you spent time in prison for trying to burn down a Black church? How can you make signs quoting Jesus talking about serving “the least of these” when you also peddle 2nd Amendment rhetoric that gets these same kids you want in our world so badly shot up in their classrooms? I hate to be overly political in my film reviews, but this doc encouraged such discussion. I’ll get off my soapbox now; forgive me for my fieriness, which I attribute to the state of our world today.

What I’d much rather take away from The Devil Is Busy is yes, he most certainly is, but the brave men and women serving their communities under such restrictive regimes are working even harder. I appreciate the Oscars for exposing me to stories like these, and while they can be really hard to watch, getting the message out is more important. Two down, three to go in the Documentary Shorts category!

I enjoyed this documentary’s celebration of Brent Renaud and journalists around the world, because having seen Civil War (even though it’s fictional), I’m well aware just how dangerous war journalism can be, and people like Renaud are doing some impressive and necessary work. What I couldn’t get as behind, though, was the structure of this documentary. I can’t think of a piece of media that has spiraled me into hopelessness faster than this short film; bouncing from present day funerals to 2001 Iraq, 2003 Afghanistan, 2017 Chicago, and 2022 Ukraine was absolutely brutal. Each of these moments and Renaud’s coverage of them were important, but it wasn’t an easy or enjoyable watch for the viewer.

Being a documentary about documentarians made by two documentarians, Armed Only with a Camera was visceral and engaging even in its depressing progression. I was impressed by this one, though I can’t say I enjoyed it, and I’d still take All the Empty Rooms—equally heartbreaking—over this in the category. My opinions on this strictly as a film shouldn’t take away from the fact that Renaud died doing incredible work, and we owe journalists everywhere a debt of gratitude.

My paranoia around school shootings started with Sandy Hook in 2012, manifesting itself in a mild everyday fear of going to school from seventh grade through high school. Now as a teacher, I live with some fear for my students, but I’m also ready to take a bullet (or take down a shooter) for them. I knew I was going to have a strong response to this short film, and my response was so strong that I’ve decided to add a “cried” tag to my Letterboxd. It’s a very exclusive club.

I don’t envy him, but I completely adore Steve Hartman for his dedication to such a daunting project. His respect for every family’s situation and for the kids they’ve lost was evident, and he and Lou Bopp took such great care of these kids’ legacies. The project itself was also unique and really necessary; Hartman has not only diverted the attention away from the shooters, he’s put the focus back on the children whose lives deserve celebration. It must be a really difficult job, and I’m not sure how they weren’t bawling the entire time—I know I was.

I think I’ll have a hard time being objective about All the Empty Rooms because of how emotionally relevant the subject matter was to me. It was a great short film, and it highlighting both the heartbreak and hope that can be found in such tragic events. I think the Oscar should go to the short film that gets the biggest reaction out of me, and I’m not sure how these other documentary shorts are going to accomplish that, try as they might (could we get just one happy documentary short this year? I really liked Instruments of a Beating Heart last year!).

While I think The Voice of Hind Rajab delivered a more emotional version of some of the horrors happening in Israel and Palestine, Children No More’s firsthand footage was impressive and immensely frustrating. The aspect of documentaries like these that pisses me off most is the inability of people shaming protestors to see anything beyond their own preconceptions. Why do we shame and belittle people who are just trying to stand up for all those who are oppressed? In the case of Israel and Palestine specifically, it’s disappointing to see a people who have been the oppressed for so long turn into the oppressors. I know that’s a simplified view of the conflict, but it’s that simple view that may open some people’s eyes in time.

There isn’t anything to say really about the craft of this documentary, but I found Children No More impactful and important. These protests in particular were impressive for their ability to not engage with agitators; the image of hundreds of silent protestors lining city streets was pretty powerful. I’m not informed enough to give a real opinion on the Israel-Palestine conflict, but I know the killing has to end. I’d like to see some happy documentary shorts for next year’s Oscars Death Race. That’d be a nice change.