The Academy’s Most Honest Category

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OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILM REVIEWS
98th Academy Awards – Oscar-Nominated Short Films

Genre: Animated Short Films, Documentary Short Films, Live Action Short Films
Year Released: 2025 (Academy Awards eligibility year)
Runtime: Approx. 4h 50m (combined program runtime)
Where to Watch: playing in select theaters, please visit to see the location nearest you www.shorts.tv

RAVING REVIEW: What does the Oscar short film program look like when viewed as a collective statement rather than a competition? The Academy’s short film categories have become one of the most revealing mirrors of where global cinema currently stands. Freed from box-office expectations and marketing pressure, short films tend to speak more directly, sometimes more directly, about fear, grief, memory, protest, intimacy, and survival. This year’s Oscar-nominated shorts program doesn’t aim to lighten your day; it challenges you to think, and to feel.

Across all three categories, there’s a shared urgency here. These films are less interested in narrative elegance than in bearing witness. When they succeed, they land with startling force. When they struggle, it’s usually because compression works against complexity. Still, taken together, this is a strong, often emotionally bruising slate that reflects a world grappling with violence, aging, bodily autonomy, memory, and the quiet terror of time running out.

For years, engaging with Oscar shorts from the Midwest has meant planning entire days around three-hour drives, hoping a single theater in a larger city would even bother to book a limited run. I’ve chased these programs to Chicago, Iowa City, St. Louis, and more than one theater that no longer exists, just to stay alive in the race. That grind has shaped my relationship with the shorts category far more than any individual film ever could. While the Oscar Death Race has become easier over the past decade thanks to wider distribution, official access is still far from guaranteed in markets outside the major ones. That’s why receiving this year’s full shorts program to screen and review in an official capacity feels like a real milestone, not a convenience. The closest theatrical screenings are still hours away, but this changes the experience entirely, turning what once felt like a scavenger hunt into something closer to having finally cemented myself as a real reviewer.

ANIMATED SHORT FILMS
Animation once functioned as one of the Academy’s “lesser” categories, but that perception has long expired. This year’s animated shorts lean toward mortality, sacrifice, regret, and moral consequence, often using abstraction to confront material that would feel unbearable in live action.

BUTTERFLY (PAPILLON) – 5
Florence Miailhe’s approach gives this short a tactile, emotional pull. The animation feels fluid and unstable, mirroring Alfred Nakache's fragmented memories as water becomes both sanctuary and witness. What elevates BUTTERFLY is its refusal to sensationalize trauma. The Holocaust imagery arrives indirectly, through memory rather than exhibition, which makes it linger longer. The emotional power is undeniable, though its impressionistic structure may distance viewers seeking clarity. However, it is, without question, a quietly devastating entry.

FOREVERGREEN – 3
This short story flirted with sentimentality and sometimes crossed that line. The allegorical nature of the bear cub and the tree is obvious from the outset, and the moral framework is never in question. What saves FOREVERGREEN is its sincerity and warmth. The animation is stunning, and the emotions are paced well, but the narrative lacks surprise. It’s effective rather than challenging, and that may limit its long-term impact. Easily the most modern visuals.

THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS – 1
Stop-motion animation rarely feels this carefully controlled. Every frame reflects patience and craft, and the gothic atmosphere is so in-depth. The fable structure works in the film’s favor, allowing moral consequences to unfold throughout rather than through instructive storytelling. The short has a heavy-handed message filled with melancholy, lingering perhaps a moment too long on mood, but the emotional payoff earns that indulgence. This is one of the category’s most formed works.

RETIREMENT PLAN – 2
At just seven minutes, RETIREMENT PLAN delivers one of the program’s most acute existential gut punches. Its humor is real because it’s rooted in recognizable self-deception rather than caricature. Domhnall Gleeson’s vocal performance anchors the piece, grounding its abstract visuals in human anxiety. The short’s strength is its precision. It knows exactly when to stop, leaving its central idea to echo rather than overstaying its welcome.

THE THREE SISTERS – 4
Konstantin Bronzit’s minimalist storytelling thrives on restraint. Dialogue is intentionally sparse, expressions are muted, and meaning emerges from routine rather than conflict. The film’s humor and melancholy coexist comfortably within the same frame, though the narrative stakes remain deliberately low. For some, that subtlety will feel profound. For others, it may feel like a slight. As a character study, it’s effective. As a dramatic arc, it’s intentionally modest.

ÉIRU (honorable mention)
Rooted in mythic storytelling, ÉIRU embraces simplicity in both form and structure. The animation style is bold and graphic, favoring movement over detail. Its strength lies in momentum and tone rather than character depth. While the child-hero journey is familiar, the short’s confidence and restraint keep it from feeling derivative. It’s a clean, efficient piece that understands exactly how much story it can carry without overreaching.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS
The documentary category is where this year’s program becomes overwhelming. Nearly every entry grapples with real-world trauma, often without offering resolution. The cumulative effect is powerful but exhausting. To be fair, this is always the strength of the documentary section, but this year it hits harder given the state of the world we’re living in today.

ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS – 1
This is a devastating exercise in absence. By focusing on empty bedrooms rather than statistics or political rhetoric, the film sidesteps debate and centers on grief. The ethical restraint here is commendable. There’s no exploitation, no manufactured ending. The film trusts stillness, and that trust pays off. Its impact is cumulative rather than explosive, and by the end, the silence feels almost unbearable. This is one of those films that, while full of dialogue, says more in its moments of silence.

ARMED ONLY WITH A CAMERA: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BRENT RENAUD – 2
Personal proximity is both this film’s greatest strength and its greatest limitation. The intimacy of a brother telling his sibling’s story gives the film emotional authenticity, but it occasionally narrows perspective. That isn’t a slight; this is a powerful film, the footage is potent, and the portrait of a journalist committed to bearing witness carries genuine weight. The film avoids turning Renaud into a martyr, instead presenting him as a working professional driven by purpose rather than by a desire to make a name for himself.

CHILDREN NO MORE: “WERE AND ARE GONE” – 4
This is one of the most politically charged films in the program, and it doesn’t attempt to be neutral. The observational approach allows viewers to sit with discomfort rather than be guided through it. The repetition of images, names, and faces becomes the point. The film’s strength lies in its refusal to soften its subject matter. Its challenge is that emotional intensity replaces narrative evolution, which may limit its reach for some audiences.

THE DEVIL IS BUSY – 3
This short excels from the first words shared. By structuring the film around a single day, it captures the relentless tension faced by those working inside reproductive healthcare facilities. Tracii’s presence grounds the film, offering a human waypoint amid chaos. The film avoids turning its subject into a display, though its observational style occasionally limits deeper exploration, it functions as a vital snapshot of a volatile moment in American history. A moment we shouldn’t have to question, but are stuck in, while women fight for their own autonomy.

PERFECTLY A STRANGENESS – 5
This is the category’s most meditative entry, and also its most divisive. The choice to center non-human subjects reframes the documentary entirely. The film prioritizes sensory experience over explanation, inviting interpretation rather than delivering conclusions. For viewers open to abstraction, it’s mesmerizing. For others, it may feel distant. Its ambition is undeniable, even if its payoff remains intentionally elusive. The Academy usually includes a film like this every year; this isn’t meant to lessen the impact, but it helps broaden the category and invite deeper reflection on filmmaking.

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILMS
The live action category leans heavily on performance and moral tension, often compressing complex social dynamics into tight narrative spaces. It’s always one of the most interesting categories, because you never know what you’re going to get, and this year was no different!

BUTCHER’S STAIN – 2
This is a tightly wound moral thriller disguised as a workplace drama. The film’s power comes from its restraint. It never overstates its stakes, allowing suspicion and fear to accumulate organically. Performance and framing do so much of the storytelling, and the result is tense without feeling manipulative. The short occasionally hints at broader commentary without being able to explore it, but its focus keeps it effective.

A FRIEND OF DOROTHY – 1
Warmth and restraint define this short. Miriam Margolyes delivers a performance grounded in subtlety rather than sentimentality, and the film resists reducing its premise to anything less than the sum of its parts. The intergenerational relationship unfolds without forced lessons. Its emotional impact is gentle rather than overwhelming, which may cause it to feel less pressing than others in the category, but its sincerity carries it through. Ultimately, the core thesis is what gives the film the most impact.

JANE AUSTEN’S PERIOD DRAMA – 3
When I say that you never know what you’re going to get, this is what I mean. Easily, one is the program’s most comedic entries, and so much of that comes down to timing. The satire is focused and intentional, using the wink-and-nod absurdity of women's bodily autonomy to puncture the story with historical resonance. While the joke is clear early on, the film commits to pushing the premise far enough to justify its existence. Its brevity works in its favor, delivering a sharp, unapologetic punch without wearing out its welcome.

THE SINGERS – 4
Blurring the line between documentary and performance, THE SINGERS thrives on spontaneity. The rawness of the performances is its greatest asset, creating moments that feel unplanned and authentic. The narrative is loose by design, which adds to the overall presentation but also risks losing focus. When it works, it captures collective connection beautifully. When it doesn’t, it feels slightly underdeveloped.

TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA – 5
This dystopian romance is bold and visually striking; the cinematography alone makes the film worthy of the nomination. The world-building is focused and knows exactly what it wants to say, though the film occasionally prioritizes concept over depth. The central performances carry the film’s intimacy, grounding its speculative elements in human longing. Its ambition is clear, and while not every idea fully connects, the film leaves a strong impression through tone and atmosphere alone.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Taken as a whole, this year’s Oscar-nominated shorts program offers urgent and emotionally demanding reflection on our world. These films contemplate a planet grappling with violence, aging, identity, and resistance, often without offering any version of comfort for the audience to hold onto. The strongest entries understand the limits of the short form and work within them—the weaker ones strain under the weight of ideas that might have benefited from more time. As a collective experience, this program thrives. It challenges, unsettles, and occasionally overwhelms, which feels appropriate given the moment it captures.

Seen through that lens, this year’s Oscar-nominated shorts feel less like a checklist and more like a snapshot of a world under pressure. These films aren’t unified by style or geography, but by a shared insistence on being seen and taken seriously, even within the constraints of the form they are presented in. Some communicate with precision, others with raw immediacy, and a few struggle under the weight of what they’re trying to contain. But collectively, they remind you why the short film categories matter, not as a warm-up to “real” cinema, but as a space where urgency, risk, and perspective still have room to breathe. Even when some of the films may offer uneven results, the ambition across this slate is unmistakable, setting the stage for a program that demands attention rather than passive consumption.

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