It’s awards season, baybeeeeeee, and since this is the first time in quite a while that I’d already seen all of the heavy hitters prior to nomination day, I have the free time to check out the various shorts programs. Typically these are a mixed bag, with some years being better than others, and it turns out this year is no different. This year’s live-action shorts range from brilliant to “shameless Oscar bait.”
Here we go!
The Singers (dir. Sam A. Davis)
This cozy little dramedy takes place at a dark townie bar, packed to the gills with “the regulars.” These sauced-up, beer-swilling fellas are engaged in standard beer-willing fella talk when the bartender makes a wager with a pushy, cashless patron: the best singer in the house gets a free beer and a $100 bill.
It’s a sweet-natured film, albeit a forgettable one, that doesn’t have much by way of thematic depth. It’s short enough to be inoffensive, and it goes down smoothly enough. The filmmakers seem to be saying “wouldn’t it be neat if this happened?”
Yeah, I guess it would.
A Friend of Dorothy (dir. Lee Knight)
One thing is for sure, the filmmakers made this specifically to try and win an award. I know this because I’ve seen this exact film plenty of other times under different titles, and every time it’s been as twee and predictable as a Chicken Soup for the Soul entry.
Dorothy chronicles the unexpected friendship between a young wannabe actor and his elderly neighbor. His parents want him to play sports, but he’s more into theater. Wouldn’t you know it? Dorothy is a patron of the arts! This is all framed in flashback as Dorothy’s will is read to her money hungry grandson and the aforementioned actor. I’m sure you know how this plays out. Btw the actor is gay, which should get some points from the Academy. I found this film to be well-constructed, but otherwise insufferable. I’m dizzy from all the eye-rolling.
Butcher’s Stain (dir. Meyer Levinson-Blount)
I think it’s against the law here in 2026 to have an Oscar category without an Israel/Palestine entry, and this pocket-sized drama keeps the Live-Action Shorts program legal. It’s a film of surprising depth relative to its length, and it’s one of the more effective entries in the lineup.
Samir, an Arab Israeli butcher, is accused of tearing down a hostage poster in the break room of his workplace. He’s innocent, but try telling that to his co-workers, all of whom have deemed him the most obvious suspect. In a desperate plea to keep his job, he sets out to find the culprit and clear his name.
The charged workplace interactions are very true to life, evoking tremendous empathy for Samir’s situation. He’s a man with no good options, and yet he must keep his cool at all times, lest he draw more suspicion. We’ve seen so many pieces of art about the larger social forces at play, and it’s fascinating to see how they trickle down to a simple workplace drama. Well done.
Two People Exchanging Saliva (dir. Natalie Musteata & Alexandre Singh)
Easily the best of the bunch, this bizarre black and white film about repression and government overreach would make Yorgos Lanthimos proud. Set in a world where kissing is a capital crime, garlic flavored gum is the norm, and goods & services are paid for by receiving slaps to the face, this humorous tale follows a young woman in her first (and last) days at her department store job. She’s a playful young thing, and the romance she strikes up with a well-off customer (all the rich people in this world have bruised faces), creates high drama at work.
The rules of the world are what they are. Questions needn’t be asked about the logistics, because they will not be answered. It’s a Vonnegut-esque satire that employs its absurdities to strong thematic ends. This had better win the Oscar or I swear to God I’m going to loudly declare a boycott and then continue to watch the Oscars every year unabated.
Jane Austen’s Period Drama (dir. Julia Aks, Steve Pinder)
A very clever pun is stretched to not-feature length in this style parody of period dramas. Only here, “period” is in reference to menstruation. When a proposal to Estrogenia Talbot is interrupted by her monthly visitor, she must now stand against the mores of the era to explain to her suitor just what’s going on, while also resisting her family’s wishes that she speak not of such improper things.
The film isn’t long enough for its central joke to wear out its welcome, and the spirited performances manage to garner a few additional laughs. This is an odd choice for awards love, as it feels much more like an SNL sketch than a film, but it pleases me to see something so aggressively silly on the Academy’s radar. And really, we all need to stop being weird about periods. It’s not the Victorian era anymore, people!!!
