More 2019 Short Film Oscar Nominees, Reviewed: Live-Action And Documentary
Live-Action Short Films
If the theme of this year's animated short Oscar nominees was "parenthood," the theme of 2019's live-action shorts is "boys in trouble."
From a son of white supremacists to real-life child murderers, the young men in four out of five of this year's films plunge into a darkness where adults fear not tread. Perhaps they're just upset because their category was the only Shorts award to be cut from this year's live Oscars telecast.
What can we learn about ourselves by watching so many loss-of-innocence stories? Let's find out. Here we break down all of the nominees, which may be currently playing as a showcase in a theater near you. Maybe don't bring the kids, though:
Detainment
The most controversial of the five nominees, "Detainment" is a fact-based drama about two 10-year-old boys who kidnapped, tortured, and brutally murdered a two-year-old child in 1993 Liverpool. The "James Bulger case," as it became known, shocked the United Kingdom and resulted in the two killers being tried and convicted as adults. Writer-director Vincent Lambe's drama, based on the real transcripts of the killers' interrogations, is largely set in the police
