Writing about the animated shorts (both this year’s and Paperman) was fun. I’m happy to continue my project now with the live action ones.

Detainment-A dramatization (albeit taken from the real-life police transcripts) of the infamous 1993 case when two 10-year-olds kidnapped, horribly maimed, and murdered a toddler. Very difficult but very important to sit through. I remember the outrage years later when the 18-year-olds were about to be released and given different names so they could lead normal lives. Watching this film you particularly get enraged at how little remorse one of the killers showed. After watching this I had to go online and find out what later became of the killers. Their identities have managed to remain protected despite many attempts to leak them (some of which were erroneous and have unfortunately resulted in harm to innocent men). Yet it is known that one of those two is currently in jail after having been arrested REPEATEDLY on kiddie porn charges. I hope they find a way to keep him locked up forever; I’m amazed at how many free passes that guy has gotten. Yet, surprisingly enough, that’s not the one who was defiant about the murder. That kid who seemed particularly sociopathic appears to have kept himself out of trouble. As hard as it is, the Christian in me is grateful he has turned his life around; it’s important that we believe nobody is beyond redemption. The victim’s mother did once see him after he got out of prison though. She was apparently too paralyzed by hate to do anything.

I’ll reiterate-this is a very hard film to watch but we should know about things like this so we can have informed opinions about matters such as how to deal with juvenile murderers in the future.

Fauve-Two boys are roughhousing and it escalates until one’s caught in something and begins sinking. That something might be quicksand, even though this isn’t the 60s when Hollywood regularly thought it was possible to become completely submerged in quicksand. In any case, it’s a truly haunting exploration not only of mortality but also of guilt.

Marguerite-Eh, fairly routine story of an old woman born into the wrong time period who has to hide her sexuality. The love developing between her and her young caretaker is moving enough though.

Mother-What was with this year and children in peril? Utterly heartbreaking and that’s all I should give away.

Skin-Movies exploring the prevalent-as-ever racism in our society have understandably and justifiably become commonplace in recent years. This one is an unflinching look which may or may not veer into fantasy territory. Whether or not this story could happen in real life, it’s very ingenious! I’m glad this one the Oscar J

One other thing I’ll mention: at the LA International Shorts Fest in 2017 I watched a movie called Marisol which was one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever seen, short OR feature length. It was shortlisted for this Academy Award but didn’t make the cut for the nomination, even though I think it’s better than anything listed except Skin. Moreover, in spite of its serious subject matter, Skin borders on escapist entertainment. Marisol is so intense I almost don’t want to recommend it but it needs to be seen. That’s similar to what I said about Detainment, but a drama about a famous crime story that made headlines is one thing. Something that shows you everyday horrors brings a whole different level of shock and grief.

On that note it actually feels like a relief to move on to the winner from six years ago.

Final verdict: Definitely watch the program of nominees and also track down Marisol if you can!