Each of the five nominated shorts offers a different perspective on the human condition which spans the globe from Kenya all the way back here, to our own history of violence, past and present. While it’s difficult to single out the best one, as they’re all as good as you would expect given the abundance of entries every year. Each of the categories in the short films explores the black experience in America. With My Nephew Emmett topping the live action shorts, to Dear Basketball, a poem by basketball superstar Kobe Bryant put to animation, to Traffic Stop – a horrific encounter of a black schoolteacher pulled over for a routine traffic stop and thrown to the ground these are hard hitting films that fit with the big stories of the year that also revolve around the black experience, like Get Out and Mudbound. We’re living through a “black new wave,” and the representation in the shorts is no exception.
I’ll start with My Nephew Emmett because the story of Emmett Till is one that still haunts the pages of our history books. I didn’t know the shot was about Emmett Till until the last shot of the movie. The power of the story is mesmerizing – probably it works better if you go in not knowing this the was the last known real life sighting of the young man. Emmett Till was just 14 when he was picked up by a gang of crackers in Mississippi and lynched for “offending” a white woman in a grocery store in 1955. His story has been told again and again, including Bob Dylan’s Death of Emmett Till.
Directed by Kevin Wilson Jr., an NYU graduate film student who won the Student Academy Award for the film, My Nephew Emmett hits home so hard because it appears to be just an ordinary day in the life of a black family in the south. What could they do with guns in their faces to protect young Emmett? It’s filmed in the blue of midnight, as we see the faces of the older folks who sheltered Emmett Till until he was taken away. The real life footage of Till’s uncle is shown at the end of the film, and probably many wondered what that night was like. It’s an exceptional work.
These stories still invoke anger as they should. It remains horrifying that this is our American past. We spend a lot of time with bullshit virtue signaling on Twitter, chasing people down for things they’ve said as though if we can purge our culture from sinners we’re erase this past. We can’t. Only art can keep these stories alive so that we will never forget the injustices done in this country. To me, My Nephew Emmett stands out as the best of the lot, but honestly, its a close call as all of these films are brilliant.
Next in line for me would be the Eleven O’Clock, which might win. It is brilliant and funny filmmaking, while making a subtle commentary on how we all probably think we’re the only sane ones in the room – and are probably the most insane. Made by Australian filmmaker Derin Seale, The Eleven O’Clock is well acted, tightly wound and keeps you guessing from frame to frame. I laughed out loud a few times. It’s not particularly “important” but it’s entertaining and as such is probably a threat. The film opens with a guy meant to be the psychiatrist meeting his first patient who is seeing him because he’s a guy who thinks he’s a psychiatrist. The two volley back and forth and you have no idea who is who and what is what until the very end. It’s wickedly funny throughout.
Right up there is DeKalb Elementary, which is based on a real live event and is quite timely in its subject matter. Directed by Reed Van Dyk, the film follows an elementary school receptionist tasked with talking down a school shooter. She has called 911. While talking to the operator and talking to the shooter, the woman manages, eventually, to convince the shooter to surrender, to not kill anyone, while the police wait outside. It is a stressful situation but ultimately the message comes through loudly and clearly that nothing can really replace human contact, compassion, and love. Because of recent events and the way the students out in Florida have responded to the violence, it could certainly ride that wave to a win.
The Silent Child is another great one – they’re all good of course – and follows a deaf kid whose mother really can’t be bothered to learn signing and would prefer her daughter to speak like other kids, even if she can’t, even if it leaves her feeling lost and removed from everything her family and friends enjoy. It’s a distressing thing to watch but the actors are so good and the sense of place so strong and specific it does rise above the trappings of being just another PSA, though ultimately, of course, it must be. Too many parents of deaf kids still have a hard time accepting that singing is a great way to communicate and that there is no stigma attached. The film follows a young child and her new teacher who finally reaches her and is able to communicate with her using sign language. But her mother resists and eventually fires the teacher. It also could win, as it is an “important” film too, and a moving one. I suspect many will be predicting this.
Watu (All of Us) isn’t in last place – rather I rank these last four about equally. This is another brilliant film that is based on real life events, in this case terrorism at the hands of Al-Shabaab. When a bus is stopped and raided the muslims and Christians are pitted against one another. But they stand together to save themselves as one people. It’s such an important story and probably the most “accomplished” in terms of recreating a time and place. It is difficult to watch, as most of these are except The Eleven O’Clock, but it ends on a positive note about unity.
I am not sure how to predict these yet. I have to think on it. Most of the folks at Gold Derby have DeKalb Elementary winning – and they could be right. I might ride it on through with My Nephew Emmett because it was the most moving of the bunch – and considering how great all of these are that’s saying something. Keep your eye on Kevin Wilson, Jr. I have a feeling he’s going to be a big deal.
I’ll be watching them on Saturday — can’t wait!!
Here’s something really exciting, the short films keeps increasing every year in the box office:
2012 – $1,702,415
2013 – $2,142,342
2014 – $2,171,849
2015 – $2,412,593
2016 – $2,816,816
2017 – $2,835,355
And 2018 is on pace to be higher than 2017.
can you please do the analysis of the nominated foreign language films
I’ll be watching them on Saturday — can’t wait!!
Here’s something really exciting, the short films keeps increasing every year in the box office:
2012 – $1,702,415
2013 – $2,142,342
2014 – $2,171,849
2015 – $2,412,593
2016 – $2,816,816
2017 – $2,835,355
And 2018 is on pace to be higher than 2017.
1. All of Us – this is a jaw-droppingly hopeful story. One of the most powerfully positive movies I have ever seen. The only other short that came close for me was –
2. Dekalb Elementary – the secretary’s performance is a revelation.
3. My nephew Emmett – production design and acting here are very good but I hate to say: what’s the angle? Why the uncles perspective. I really don’t see what that perspective offered other than tragic resignation. And the resignation itself is confused because he has a gun out, cut to: he is lying in bed, and when they come knocking he doesn’t go for his gun. So why’d he have the gun out in the first place?
4. Quiet/silent child – great story, Godawful score. The score really really brought this one down for me.
5. The 11 oclock – clever. What else?
I’m so glad you’ve finally written about these as I think they are uniformly brilliant in their own way. I would personally rank them:
1 DeKalb Elementary — very simple film but packs a real wallop. I love that it’s based on the life story of Antoinette Tuff. Apparently some of the dialogue is verbatim from her personal experience. The two actors in this are outstanding.
2 Watu (All of Us) — Rich and well made. I could see this one expanded into a feature length.
3 My Nephew Emmett — Loved seeing Jasmine Guy! I’d rank this higher except I think it doesn’t quite know what to do in the end with its unique angle into this tragic story. Just reminds me of how good a film Mudbound is.
4 The Eleven O’Clock — I think the nomination is the reward here. For an amusing film to break into a category where issue films are almost exclusively honored is a pretty impressive feat in itself.
5 The Silent Child — judging from past winners in this category, this probably fits the winning profile. Past winners usually involve a child or a tear-jerking illness and is often in English, submitted by Irish or English filmmakers. It was moving but excessively maudlin.
DeKalb Elementary was the clear standout to me. Really tense but with a humanist undercurrent and just generally a profile in courage. With the Parkland shooting in the news right as voting starts I’m pretty sure this is the safe bet.
The Silent Child had a lot going for it, but it felt a bit didactic to me. They couldn’t just make the kid’s parents a bit clueless, they had to make them inane yuppies, and they couldn’t just make the teacher a knowledgeable advocate, they had to make her an outright saint. Could have done without the PSA-ish title cards at the end.
My Nephew Emmett reminded me a lot of Detroit in that it seems to be content to present a tense if anger inducing moment more or less without comment and without really doing much to get to the heart of the problem. Unlike Detroit however, this is looking at a very well known story that most educated people should already know and that just kind of makes it feel extra redundant.
The Eleven O’Clock was really fun, but ultimately felt less like a film and more like a bit for a sketch comedy show. Honestly I’m not sure how a comedic short film can really avoid that fate, but this one certainly doesn’t give me an answer.
Watu Wato probably has the best production values of the five, but it’s kind of predictable and its ultimate message that we’re all the same really just felt a bit obvious and banal.
1. All of Us – this is a jaw-droppingly hopeful story. One of the most powerfully positive movies I have ever seen. The only other short that came close for me was –
2. Dekalb Elementary – the secretary’s performance is a revelation.
3. My nephew Emmett – production design and acting here are very good but I hate to say: what’s the angle? Why the uncles perspective. I really don’t see what that perspective offered other than tragic resignation. And the resignation itself is confused because he has a gun out, cut to: he is lying in bed, and when they come knocking he doesn’t go for his gun. So why’d he have the gun out in the first place?
4. Quiet/silent child – great story, Godawful score. The score really really brought this one down for me.
5. The 11 oclock – clever. What else?
I’m so glad you’ve finally written about these as I think they are uniformly brilliant in their own way. I would personally rank them:
1 DeKalb Elementary — very simple film but packs a real wallop. I love that it’s based on the life story of Antoinette Tuff. Apparently some of the dialogue is verbatim from her personal experience. The two actors in this are outstanding.
2 Watu (All of Us) — Rich and well made. I could see this one expanded into a feature length.
3 My Nephew Emmett — Loved seeing Jasmine Guy! I’d rank this higher except I think it doesn’t quite know what to do in the end with its unique angle into this tragic story. Just reminds me of how good a film Mudbound is.
4 The Eleven O’Clock — I think the nomination is the reward here. For an amusing film to break into a category where issue films are almost exclusively honored is a pretty impressive feat in itself.
5 The Silent Child — judging from past winners in this category, this probably fits the winning profile. Past winners usually involve a child or a tear-jerking illness and is often in English, submitted by Irish or English filmmakers. It was moving but excessively maudlin.
You know what would be an interesting thing to do? Broadcast all these movies back to back on TV or some other widely visible way. It would make this category less of a dull time in the Oscars as more people would’ve seen them, and it would allow these great short movies more of a platform.
They are in theaters — in major cities — and probably On Demand at this point as well. But yes that would be a pretty cool idea. ABC could run them the Sunday before the Oscars.
They show them in theatres all over the place and also offer them on demand as a bundle (pay for view/download) on heaps of platforms from Feb 27.
They are all very good shorts. My choice would be Watu Wote All of Us, because I agree it is the most “accomplished” and is the richest in terms of detail of storytelling, scene setting and character development. Plus it ends on a hopeful note. Which I really needed after watching these shorts.
Right off the bat, watching the gunman enter the school during the first minute of the first short, Dekalb Elementary, was almost too much to bear, as it was just two days after the Florida massacre when I saw this, and I had no idea what was coming. But I really liked where it ended up going.
The Silent Child’s lead actress learned sign language when her father lost his hearing because of cancer. I believe this short is very much her passion project.
I recognized early on what My Nephew Emmet was about, and that made the deliberate pace and mounting quiet tension of the movie almost unbearable to witness for me. Very well done, but unforgiving in its inevitability.
The 11 O’Clock was a welcome comic relief amidst all the dark sad goings on in the other films, and held up well, mostly, but the conclusion elided some tricky plausibility questions by skipping over dramatizing a crucial dramatic beat. Which ultimately made it more of a clever skit than complete success.
DeKalb Elementary is going to win because of the zeitgeist. I thought all of these films were really well done, but none of them were clear standouts to me. In fact, I haven’t seen a clear standout since Shok a few years ago, and that ended up losing.
I suppose I enjoyed The Eleven O’Clock the most, but that was the only comedic piece, so that’s to be expected. I guess I’d like to see My Nephew Emmett or The Silent Child win.
I loved Shok! I remember it lost to Stutterer that year.
The fact that Shok lost to Stutterer is a crime that should have gotten people fired.
DeKalb Elementary was the clear standout to me. Really tense but with a humanist undercurrent and just generally a profile in courage. With the Parkland shooting in the news right as voting starts I’m pretty sure this is the safe bet.
The Silent Child had a lot going for it, but it felt a bit didactic to me. They couldn’t just make the kid’s parents a bit clueless, they had to make them inane yuppies, and they couldn’t just make the teacher a knowledgeable advocate, they had to make her an outright saint. Could have done without the PSA-ish title cards at the end.
My Nephew Emmett reminded me a lot of Detroit in that it seems to be content to present a tense if anger inducing moment more or less without comment and without really doing much to get to the heart of the problem. Unlike Detroit however, this is looking at a very well known story that most educated people should already know and that just kind of makes it feel extra redundant.
The Eleven O’Clock was really fun, but ultimately felt less like a film and more like a bit for a sketch comedy show. Honestly I’m not sure how a comedic short film can really avoid that fate, but this one certainly doesn’t give me an answer.
Watu Wato probably has the best production values of the five, but it’s kind of predictable and its ultimate message that we’re all the same really just felt a bit obvious and banal.
1. DeKalb Elementary
2. The Eleven O’Clock
3. The Silent Child
4. All Of Us
5. My Nephew Emmett
Great post. They were all good, except The Eleven O’Clock didn’t work for me. It was well-paced and cleverly written. The actors were fantastic too, but it just didn’t amuse me. I feel like the confusion was unnecessary given the reveal at the end. But I could see how people would enjoy it.
My Nephew Emmett was tense, and the acting and cinematography was superb. For me, there was an awkward acting moment with the two younger actors at the beginning that took me a while to overcome, but still, it was exceptional.
The Silent Child was another heartbreaking short. It left me wanting more because the actors were so great, but the title cards at the end drove the point home, so nothing more needed to be said.
All of Us was also very tense. I really felt like I was there for her journey. I have nothing negative to say about it at all.
I really struggled deciding which one I thought was best. Ultimately, I’m basing my decision on what affected me the most (i.e., tears), and that would be DeKalb Elementary. The actress who played the receptionist was amazing.
My (extremely close) ranking would be:
1. DeKalb Elementary
2. All of Us
3. My Nephew Emmett
4. The Silent Child
5. The Eleven O’Clock
Eleven O’Clock is an ok skit that could have been done by Harvey Korman and Tim Conway 45 years ago, but come on. At the end we see a picture of the real psychiatrist on the desk. Why didn’t he just show that to security, when they came to break things up?
Dude. Heard of spoiler alerts?
As an Australian and long-time Herriman fan, would love for Eleven O’Clock to win. Still, we have our Editing win all but sewn up, and Robbie’s lead nomination, so can’t complain.
You know what would be an interesting thing to do? Broadcast all these movies back to back on TV or some other widely visible way. It would make this category less of a dull time in the Oscars as more people would’ve seen them, and it would allow these great short movies more of a platform.
They are in theaters — in major cities — and probably On Demand at this point as well. But yes that would be a pretty cool idea. ABC could run them the Sunday before the Oscars.
They show them in theatres all over the place and also offer them on demand as a bundle (pay for view/download) on heaps of platforms from Feb 27.
They are all very good shorts. My choice would be Watu Wote All of Us, because I agree it is the most “accomplished” and is the richest in terms of detail of storytelling, scene setting and character development. Plus it ends on a hopeful note. Which I really needed after watching these shorts.
Right off the bat, watching the gunman enter the school during the first minute of the first short, Dekalb Elementary, was almost too much to bear, as it was just two days after the Florida massacre when I saw this, and I had no idea what was coming. But I really liked where it ended up going.
The Silent Child’s lead actress learned sign language when her father lost his hearing because of cancer. I believe this short is very much her passion project.
I recognized early on what My Nephew Emmet was about, and that made the deliberate pace and mounting quiet tension of the movie almost unbearable to witness for me. Very well done, but unforgiving in its inevitability.
The 11 O’Clock was a welcome comic relief amidst all the dark sad goings on in the other films, and held up well, mostly, but the conclusion elided some tricky plausibility questions by skipping over dramatizing a crucial dramatic beat. Which ultimately made it more of a clever skit than complete success.
DeKalb Elementary is going to win because of the zeitgeist. I thought all of these films were really well done, but none of them were clear standouts to me. In fact, I haven’t seen a clear standout since Shok a few years ago, and that ended up losing.
I suppose I enjoyed The Eleven O’Clock the most, but that was the only comedic piece, so that’s to be expected. I guess I’d like to see My Nephew Emmett or The Silent Child win.
I loved Shok! I remember it lost to Stutterer that year.
The fact that Shok lost to Stutterer is a crime that should have gotten people fired.
1. DeKalb Elementary
2. The Eleven O’Clock
3. The Silent Child
4. All Of Us
5. My Nephew Emmett
Great post. They were all good, except The Eleven O’Clock didn’t work for me. It was well-paced and cleverly written. The actors were fantastic too, but it just didn’t amuse me. I feel like the confusion was unnecessary given the reveal at the end. But I could see how people would enjoy it.
My Nephew Emmett was tense, and the acting and cinematography was superb. For me, there was an awkward acting moment with the two younger actors at the beginning that took me a while to overcome, but still, it was exceptional.
The Silent Child was another heartbreaking short. It left me wanting more because the actors were so great, but the title cards at the end drove the point home, so nothing more needed to be said.
All of Us was also very tense. I really felt like I was there for her journey. I have nothing negative to say about it at all.
I really struggled deciding which one I thought was best. Ultimately, I’m basing my decision on what affected me the most (i.e., tears), and that would be DeKalb Elementary. The actress who played the receptionist was amazing.
My (extremely close) ranking would be:
1. DeKalb Elementary
2. All of Us
3. My Nephew Emmett
4. The Silent Child
5. The Eleven O’Clock
Eleven O’Clock is an ok skit that could have been done by Harvey Korman and Tim Conway 45 years ago, but come on. At the end we see a picture of the real psychiatrist on the desk. Why didn’t he just show that to security, when they came to break things up?
Dude. Heard of spoiler alerts?
As an Australian and long-time Herriman fan, would love for Eleven O’Clock to win. Still, we have our Editing win all but sewn up, and Robbie’s lead nomination, so can’t complain.