By Janine Tan, First Year, Law
One of the first films I really loved was Ninety-Five Senses (2022), a 14-minute animation about a death-row inmate awaiting lethal injection. It gave us this giant of a story, these huge feelings of huge importance, only for a few minutes of our lives.
That is the amazing phenomenon of short films. Restricted by a short runtime, we get to see filmmakers extract the most pure part of their stories and put it under a microscope. What’s all the more exciting about this year’s lineup is the delicious creative diversity. At just 67 minutes in total, the Oscars are treating us to five worlds that look completely different and tell completely different stories. So, let’s take a look at each.
FRONTRUNNER: The Girl Who Cried Pearls (2025)
Maybe the most visually stunning is The Girl Who Cried Pearls, in all its Tim Burton-esque glory. It opens with a grandfather telling his granddaughter the story of how he found a prized pearl when he was a kid. This pulls us into a fantastical world, where a boy is infatuated with an abused girl next door, who every night cries tears that impossibly transform into pearls.
Something about this world makes you feel like a child again. I think this speaks to the rousing success of the directors, who wanted to create ‘a story that felt like it had existed for millennia’. It certainly leaves you enchanted, as if you’re dreaming about a fable that your parents read to you before bed.
FRONTRUNNER: Butterfly (2024)
On a more realistic note, Butterfly explores the trauma of a Jewish North African swimmer, Alfred Nakache, who was excluded from the Olympics during World War II. Unfortunately, the importance of his story is not fully realised, with the film focusing on the tragic events unfolding instead of on him emotionally.
Still, it’s hard not to be impressed by how cohesive the film is — it is wholly marked by water. Narratively, swimming is his outlet to process his life’s struggles. But visually too, it’s literally told through a watercolour art style. The broad brushstrokes blur into one another like currents, mimicking the physicality of the water during the butterfly stroke, and also the fluidity of his memories coming in and out of focus. It’s kind of an insane feat that each frame is a little impressionist painting that could probably be hung in the Louvre.
PERSONAL PICK: Retirement Plan (2024)
Moving away from these thematic giants is the more simple and self-contained Retirement Plan. Voiced by Domhnall Gleeson, a middle-aged man reads out his bucket list for retirement, with each item animated in some Adult Swim-like linework.
It’s hard to explain why this one is so beautiful. It’s like someone trying to explain why a poem made them cry. You cannot understand until you read the poem. As the man’s bucket list goes on, we realise that this is not really about a list. It is about all the things that he loves, but cannot do in his one, short life. This makes for a deeply human, existential film that you want to watch a million times and show everyone you love, so you can all revel (or wallow) in your mortality.
LETDOWN: Forevergreen (2025)
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about our last two films. Forevergreen is a wholesome little story about how a bear’s love for processed garbage ends up hurting his tree friend. Of course, a reminder to care for our environment is always welcome. But this film reads as a creative regurgitation of every studio-polished Pixar short, and has the cookie-cutter storyline of one.
LETDOWN: The Three Sisters (2025)
But if there’s one nominee worth taking issue with, it’s the one that sticks out like a sore thumb — The Three Sisters. This follows three sisters living on an isolated island, renting out one of their houses to a gruff, bearded sailor. Of course, all the female characters simply must end up fighting for his attention.
It’s a shame that this story ends up being slightly sexist and has nothing important to say beyond some cheap shots at women. Because otherwise, its simple but clever 2D animation has the charming tendencies of some legendary predecessors like It’s Such A Beautiful Day (2012).
Beth Nugent
But in spite of my clenched fist, this year’s lineup definitely gives so much hope for where animation is headed. So if you’ve got an hour, consider letting yourself escape into the beautiful world of animation — which, as Brad Bird says, is ‘wonderful in a way that speaks to the child in you, no matter what your age is.’
Featured Image: IMDb / Retirement Plan
What is your favourite short film from this years Oscars lineup?
