"Feeling Through" concerns Tereek, a seemingly homeless teenager currently trying to find a place to spend the night. This is when he encounters a man at a street corner. The man is deaf/blind and can only communicate via touch. Tereek helps the man cross the street and is then asked to make sure he gets to the bus stop. Tereek stays with the man - who he learns is named Artie - through the night, as they wait for the next bus.
"Feeling Through" comes close to the unfortunate "inspirationally disadvantaged" category, where a disabled person helps an able-bodied person learn a little about life. It's clear that Tereek's brief interaction with Artie changes his perspective on things. He has to suddenly imagine what it's like to explore a world of darkness. How this affects Tereek's own troubles is not elaborated on. Yet the short is never maudlin. Director Doug Roland affects a documentary-style for most of the film, finding mildly clever ways for Artie and Tereek to communicate. It seems "Feeling Through's" main objective is simply to make people aware of the deaf-blind community, which it manages to do in an empathic way without getting too sappy about it. [6/10]
“The Letter Room” follows Richard, a correctional officer who has asked to be transferred to the rehabilitation department of the prison. Instead, he ends up in the mail department. He scans in-coming letters for any contraband or forbidden content. By reading the words they have written, he begins to develop a relationship with the prisoners and their loved ones. Especially two men on death row: A man who has never received a letter from his estranged daughter and another, who is receiving very romantic letters from his girlfriend on the outside. When the girlfriend suggests she may commit suicide after her lover is executed, Richard feels like he has to do something.
“The Letter Room” is the most high-profile of the nominated shorts, on account of starring known actors like Oscar Isaac and Alia Shawkat. (Both of whom give fine performances.) There's a quiet humor to the film, such as in segments where Richard grows aroused reading the sexually explicit letters. Yet there's also some real emotions here, that questions the role of prison guards – people meant to protect those already sentenced to death – in the system. How Richard eventually decides to deal with the feelings his job gives him is easy to guess but I'm glad that's where the story ended. It's a nice conclusion. If prisons must exist, they should be environments where empathy exist. [7/10]
"The Present" follows a man living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He has chronic backpain but a beautiful wife and an adorable daughter who loves him. It's his wedding anniversary and he heads into town, daughter in tow, to buy his wife a present: A new refrigerator, to replace their worn-out one. He has to cross a military checkpoint on his way into town and is detained for unknown reasons for a few hours. After being released, he discovers his daughter has wet herself. Finally making it into town, he buys the fridge. On the way back through the checkpoint, he's forced to unpack the fridge and have all his groceries looked at by armed soldiers. His humiliations still aren't over, as the fridge won't fit through the gate designated for West Bank citizens.
"The Present" is another short designed to give us white American folks a peek at daily life in a culture few of us have experienced. The protagonist of "The Present" is a normal guy with normal guy problems. He wants to do something incredibly simple, get some groceries and do something nice for his wife, but this is complicated by geopolitical powers completely out of his control. It's frustrating and de-humanizing and you can't blame the guy when he has an emotional outburst. At times, "The Present" piles so much inconvenience on its Everyman main character - it starts to rain when he's pushing the fridge back up the hill - that it borders comical. Yet there's a sense of basic humanity here that grounds the story and keeps it from getting melodramatic. That same quality is what causes the film to succeed in its simple goal, of illustrating the daily struggles of living in a militarily occupied state. [7/10]
Every year, there's at least one Oscar-nominated short that tackles a real life tragedy in a horribly awkward, insensitive fashion. “Two Distant Strangers” is 2021's example. The short follows Carter, a black graphic designer who wakes up from a hook-up. He wants to get home to see his dog. As he's leaving the apartment, he's hassled by a racist cop, who quickly chokes him to death. Afterwards, he wakes up in the girl's bed again. Every time he attempts to leave the apartment, the same cop kills him and he starts the day over. Carter eventually tries to talk things out with the police officer but, even when appealing to his humanity, still ends up being killed in cold blood.
Yes, “Two Distant Strangers” attempts to put a “Groundhogs Day”-style riff on the police brutality that is a fact of life for every person of color living in America. The film invokes the murder of Eric Garner, by having Carter say “I can't breath” while being choked to death. As is the murder of Breonna Taylor, when the cops burst into the apartment and shoot Carter to death by mistake. George Floyd's name even appears on screen. Bringing real life deaths to mind while tying them to a whimsical time loop premise is obviously offensive. “Two Distant Strangers” is seemingly going in the direction of asking if black folks and racist cops have tried talking their problems out, which would've been even more offensive.
Instead, it ends by having Carter killed each time... Seemingly making the point that “this horrible thing happens and that's horrible” without examining the culture of racism and lack of police accountability that allows these crimes to reoccur. They even play a song whose refrain is “That's just the way it is,” further suggesting the attitude that there's nothing to be done to stop this bloodshed. “Two Distant Strangers” is well directed, with high production values and strong acting, but it's tasteless. Pointing out that police brutality exists, in a world where we can read about police murdering people-of-color every day, is not a compelling or meaningful gesture. [4/10]
"White Eye" is an Israeli film about Omar, a man who claims his bike was stolen. He seems to find it - a distinctive white bike - and immediately attempts to contact the police. They aren't helpful, as Omar has little proof the bike is his, and he attempts to cut it loose himself. That's when the supposed thief - an Eritrean immigrant working in a butcher shop - appears. He explains that he didn't steal the bike, that he bought it, and that he uses it to get his daughter to school. Omar continues to push the issue, contacting the police, who soon learn the other man is working on an expired visa.
"White Eye," very subtly, makes a point about how societal institutions more gravely affect certain groups. Just by taking Omar's perspective, we immediately relate to his point of view. Especially his frustration of trying to explain the situation to the police, a strife anyone can relate to. Omar's actions, of trying to reclaim an object worth 250 shekels (77 US dollars), has huge ramifications on another person's life. Once the chain reaction Omar has started begins, there's no undoing it. It's one of the best depictions of how those people who are privileged in society can affect the lives of those who are not without even realizing it. "White Eye's" powerful script is paired with strong acting and impressive technical skill. The film is shot in a series of long takes, though it doesn't draw too much attention to this. [9/10]
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