Re: Categories One-by-One: Documentary Short
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2019 1:28 pm
Alright. I've seen all five. Here are my thoughts on them:
Black Sheep is about a young black British man recounting the time he experienced racism in his youth when his family uprooted themselves to move from London to Essex after a young black kid got murdered in their neighborhood. It's an undeniably compelling story which takes on twists and turns which I won't spoil. But it seems small compared to the subject matter of its competitors and some voters may not like its reliance on dramatic recreation.
End Game is from Rob Epstein who have won two Oscars for Documentary before so he's an Oscar veteran. This time, it's about how terminally ill patients and their families are dealing with death, loss and mortality. It's certainly an emotional documentary that will make think about your own mortality. It's very much a downer. It has a shot but it may not win votes from older Academy members who don't appreciate being reminded of their death.
Lifeboat is about volunteers who rescue desperate who risk their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. This film has everything: Beautiful filmmaking, an important issue and human drama. This reminded me of a previous winner in this category, The White Helmets, which is exactly why I think this could be our winner.
A Night at the Garden is about a Nazi rally held in the United States in 1939. It is very brief. Only seven minutes. But it packs a huge impact. I agree with FilmFan720, this will probably get my vote but the fact that it's very short and essentially comprised of archival footage will be detrimental to its victory. But we'll see.
Period. End of Sentence is about educating young girls and women in the rural areas of India where it is considered very taboo about menstruation and tampons. This is the lightest and most uplifting of the five nominees which I think could win it the Oscar because a voter who view all these films in a row would welcome a respite from all the heaviness the other nominees bring. But then again, it could also be detrimental to its chances and might be seen as too slight.
All in all, all the nominees are at least good. Here are my rankings:
According to my personal preference:
1. A Night at the Garden
2. Lifeboat
3. Black Sheep
4. End Game
5. Period. End of Sentence.
According to chances of winning:
1. Lifeboat
2. Period. End of Sentence.
3. End Game
4. A Night at the Garden
5. Black Sheep
Black Sheep is about a young black British man recounting the time he experienced racism in his youth when his family uprooted themselves to move from London to Essex after a young black kid got murdered in their neighborhood. It's an undeniably compelling story which takes on twists and turns which I won't spoil. But it seems small compared to the subject matter of its competitors and some voters may not like its reliance on dramatic recreation.
End Game is from Rob Epstein who have won two Oscars for Documentary before so he's an Oscar veteran. This time, it's about how terminally ill patients and their families are dealing with death, loss and mortality. It's certainly an emotional documentary that will make think about your own mortality. It's very much a downer. It has a shot but it may not win votes from older Academy members who don't appreciate being reminded of their death.
Lifeboat is about volunteers who rescue desperate who risk their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. This film has everything: Beautiful filmmaking, an important issue and human drama. This reminded me of a previous winner in this category, The White Helmets, which is exactly why I think this could be our winner.
A Night at the Garden is about a Nazi rally held in the United States in 1939. It is very brief. Only seven minutes. But it packs a huge impact. I agree with FilmFan720, this will probably get my vote but the fact that it's very short and essentially comprised of archival footage will be detrimental to its victory. But we'll see.
Period. End of Sentence is about educating young girls and women in the rural areas of India where it is considered very taboo about menstruation and tampons. This is the lightest and most uplifting of the five nominees which I think could win it the Oscar because a voter who view all these films in a row would welcome a respite from all the heaviness the other nominees bring. But then again, it could also be detrimental to its chances and might be seen as too slight.
All in all, all the nominees are at least good. Here are my rankings:
According to my personal preference:
1. A Night at the Garden
2. Lifeboat
3. Black Sheep
4. End Game
5. Period. End of Sentence.
According to chances of winning:
1. Lifeboat
2. Period. End of Sentence.
3. End Game
4. A Night at the Garden
5. Black Sheep