Categories One-by-One: Documentary Short Film

[Big Magilla]

The order in which I liked them:

The Last Repair Shop is everything a good movie, large or small, should be - entertaining, thoughtful, and inspiring. If only Maestro had ended on such a strong note.

Island In-Between gave me something I didn't know - not only the tiny island of Kinmen and its historical context in the Taiwanese-Chinese culture, but the attitudes of the everyday people of Taiwan, most of whom apparently wouldn't mind reunification with the mainland as long as it is done peacefully. 

The ABCs of Book Burning - marvelous interviews with smart kids who get to read the books that have been banned in Florida.

The Barber of Little Rock - interesting look at the life of a man doing good but plays like a CNN special rather than a theatrical short film.

Nai Nai e Wai Po - could have been filmed in my neighborhood, a 55-plus community where people lead either active or mundane lives until, no matter which is the case, they either shuffle off to an assisted living facility or are carried out feet first. Trust me, the older members of the Academy are not going to vote for this. It hits too close to home.

The Last repair Shop should win unless they go with the topicality of The ABCs of Book Burning.

[gunnar]

My preferences:

1a. The Last Repair Shop
1b. Nai Nai & Wai Po
3. The ABCs of Book Banning
4. The Barber of Little Rock
5. Island in Between

For me, it's a tossup between the first two, but the top 4 are all really close. I thought Island in Between was interesting, but a step below the others.

[anonymous1980]

Finished this category as well.

The ABC's of Book Banning - A group of children are interviewed and give their thoughts on the issue of banning certain books. This is what I call a "no shit, Sherlock" documentary, meaning if you already agree with the premise, it just reinforces it. But it's eye-opening to hear children's opinions on the issue, a lot of which are far more insightful than the adults on the other side. (B-)

The Barber of Little Rock - A barber tries to help his disadvantaged (and mostly African-American) community. This is an informative and inspiring documentary about a person who's trying to make his little corner of the world a better place. It's good but lacks that extra oomph. (B)

Island In-Between - Fascinating documentary about a tiny island in Taiwan that's literally just a few miles away from China. I like the way this is not your traditional talking heads documentary. (B)

The Last Repair Shop - This chronicles people who work in a musical instrument repair shop that repairs musical instruments for young musicians for free. I think this is our winner. With the healing power of art angle and fascinating stories of the employees and the kids playing the musical instruments in the end. My personal favorite of the bunch. (A-)

Nai Nai & Wai Po - The director of the film interviews and chronicles the life of his two grandmothers who happen to be best friends who live together. The grandmas are undeniably adorable. The film isn't the deepest but it is an utter delight to watch. (B+)

My prediction: The Last Repair Shop. For me, it's not even close although those two adorable grandmas might make a play....

[Mister Tee]

The nominees:

The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
The Last Repair Shop
Nai Nai e Wai Po

Island in Between has a fascination built into its very premise -- an early shot, illustrating just how close the Chinese mainland has always been, struck me as not unlike Zone of Interest's placing the barbed wire of Auschwitz so near to Huller's house: it crystalizes the existential position in which these people have been placed. But the film doesn't much build from this starting point; what stories it tells (mainly, the rambling life choices of the narrator) feel random, and don't take the film anywhere especially interesting.

The ABCs of Book Banning obviously takes a prime hot topic, and listening to the articulate children sounding so much more sensible than their adult antagonists has a charm to it. But the film feels like a story from the evening news drawn out to roughly half an hour, and it doesn't do much more than grease the prejudices of its audience (however laudatory those prejudices may be).

Nai Nai e Wai Po has the wispiest of narratives: two Chinese women (in their 80s/90s), grandmothers related by their children's marriage, live together in what we assume are their final years. Apart from a few interesting throwaway comments on their early lives, and their feelings about life ending, the film mostly dwells on the minutia of daily life, from dancing to farting (the film's favorite topic). I don't think there's much to the film, but voters are pretty much encouraged to dote on how cute these two ladies are, and imagine how cool it would be to have them on the Oscar stage. I'd say this has a fair chance at winning.

My favorites would be the other two nominees.

The Barber of Little Rock made me feel like I've been a worthless slug most of my life, compared to the central character, Arlo Washington. This is a black guy in a very racially stunted city, who lost his social worker mother at a young age, but, rather than sinking into disappointment, chose to carry on her community work, and dedicates his life fully to bettering things for his neighbors in any way he can. It's a fascinating look at what's being done at micro levels to lift up an entire class, and gives one hope that the bastards can't keep them down forever.

The Last Repair Shop is centered on a place that repairs musical instruments for seriously-studying musicians. It gives some attention to these students, but the primary focus is the people who work at the repairs themselves: delving into their lives, mapping the paths that brought them to this profession. At first I worried these people had been selected to check off political boxes: the first interviewee was gay, the second a Mexican immigrant. But the stories that followed had more variety, ranging from the unexpectedly joyous (the guy who got a musical career thanks to, of all people, Col. Tom Parker) to the utterly devastating (the Armenian immigrant who matter-of-factly shares the story of how and why he left for America). The film finds a way to illustrate the healing power of music through this motley crew of stories, and, in the end, connects their work to that being created by the young students for whom they currently labor. A really lovely piece.

I'm inclined to think it's either the cute grandmas or the repair shop, and I wouldn't bet against voters going for the stark sentiment. But maybe the (to me) considerably stronger Repair Shop can pull through.