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2017 Oscar Nominees for Short Film (Documentary) Review

By David Kempler

Every year, the Short Film Documentary category of the Academy Awards can be counted upon to bring us high quality and jaw-dropping material. This year does it again, with four of the nominees highlighting the ravages of war. It's always upsetting to watch, yet I'm always grateful to those that bring these stories to the screen.

 

  • Joe's Violin, Kahane Cooperman
  • Extremis, Dan Krauss
  • 4.1 Miles - Daphne Matziaraki
  • Watani: My Homeland, Marcel Mettelsiefen
  • The White Helmets, Orlando von Einsiedel

 

Because all of these films tell important stories, it is almost unfair to single one out above the others for the Oscar nod, but my pick has to be "4.1 Miles" - it's simply breathtaking in a punch-in-the-gut way.

Joe's Violin

In response to a drive to donate musical instruments to public schools, 91-year-old Holocaust survivor Joseph Feingold offers his beloved violin, which he has played for more than 70 years. His violin ends up going to the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls, where student Brianna Perez is so impressed by the history of her instrument that she befriends Mr. Feingold. They are two incredibly lovely people who have found each other in a rare feel-good documentary. Overall Rating 3.0 Stars

Extremis

The setting is the Intensive Care Unit at Highland Hospital in Oakland, California, where. Dr. Jessica Zitter treats terminally ill patients. The goal of the doctor and her associates is not only to provide the best possible care, but to also help them and especially those closest to them deal with the critical and often heartbreaking decisions that need to be made. This sheds more light on the horrific health-related decisions people are sometimes asked to make for their loved ones. Overall Rating 2.5 Stars

4.1 Miles

As often happens, a quiet hero emerges when thrown into chaos. Kyriakos Papadopoulos, a captain in the Greek Coast Guard, is the quiet but determined one who emerges as a hero, here. Refugees are fleeing the Middle East and traveling 4.1 miles from the coast of Turkey to the island of Lesbos, often in overcrowded, rickety boats. Many are dying in the attempt. Papadopoulos and his crew attempt to save those in peril. If this doesn't put a human face on what refugees are currently going through for you, you might as well admit that you are devoid of any sympathy for your fellow human beings. This should be required viewing in every school in every country. Overall Rating 4.0 Stars

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Watani: My Homeland

In Aleppo, the face for all that has gone wrong in Syria, we see a man, his wife, and their four young children. When the man is captured by ISIS, the mother and her children flee to Goslar, Germany. We watch their years-long journey as they encounter endless obstacles. Her goal is simply to give her children a better life, but the making this happen is often easier said than done. Another heartbreaking saga. Overall Rating 3.5 Stars

The White Helmets

The White Helmets are a group of unarmed civilians that attempts to save the lives of the victims of the chaos of war-torn Syria. They have no political agenda, just a desire to help the helpless. Their days and nights are spent combing through the rubble after bombings to rescue survivors. They have already saved more than 60,000 lives since 2013. A great example of the good people are capable of under the most dire of circumstances. Overall Rating 3.0 Stars

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Summary This year brings us a fresh batch of thought-provoking short documentaries, many of which highlight the ravages of war.
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