Road to the Oscars 2025: This is nominated for one Oscar best short film.
This one I didn´t know much about going in and it was a short that send me down a rabbit hole to understand it fully. Not that it is hard to understand, but it depicts a historical time and war I simply did not know much about. It is always nice to be challenged and asked to know more, but this is a short where you need to know a little bit about the Balkan war to really let it hit. It is still impactful and relevant to think about in today's international climate, but as a history drama on its own it needs a little context.
A train is stopped looking for anyone believing in the wrong god. A man is hiding with no papers to show.
I really liked the cinematography here. It is in this old claustrophobic train and it definitely works as intended, only adding to the tension in the short. No where to hide or run to.
Ad mentioned, you need to know your history a little bit to make the short really land. It is not holding your hand, assuming you know why these men are doing the atrocities they are. After reading a bit about the Balkan wars, it is sad to see countries hunting down each other like this. And also as mentioned it is something that rings out even if you understand the context or not as ethnic hunts still persist to this day. It is always nice having a short shining a light on something you don´t really know much about, making you learn more.
This is a rather plotless shorty though. Not much happens and it is primarily waiting for the confrontation, but with a rather good use of tension.
This was a good short and one shining a light on a part of history that is interesting to read about. It might have needed a bit more in terms of its plot though.
Oscar predictions:
I think this is the weakest of the 3 shorts I have watched in the category. Doesn't make it bad, but weaker compared to I´m not a robot(2023) or A lien(2023). It is also not really pushing an academy agenda.
