In a world where bigger is seen as better, there is a tendency to overlook the little things in life. With all the money spent creating, marketing and displaying full-length films, the short film can be a simple pleasure. Such is the case with the Academy Award-nominated shorts, which make up for their lack of character development with creative writing, comedy and social awareness. Although ""West Bank Story"" stands above the others with its tasteful blend of stereotyped humor and blunt morality, each short is well worth the ""short"" time commitment.
""The Saviour""—One of only two English-language nominees, ""The Saviour"" is a portrayal of escapism. Malcolm, the dumpy, unconfident protagonist, is an elder of an Evangelical group that attempts to sell bibles door-to-door. Thom Campbell provides an understated performance in portraying the desperately lonely Malcolm, obviously frustrated with his role in the church and with his life as a whole. While at face value a comedic film, its strength comes from its examination of human misery. Malcolm and Carmel (Susan Prior), the object of his affection, both yearn for one another for very different reasons, and by the conclusion it is clear that while they got what they needed from one another, neither is satisfied in the end.
""Helmer & Son""—Checking in at a scant 13 minutes and featuring one room and one hallway for the entire film, ""Helmer & Son"" pours as much as possible into a small frame. The story is simple enough; Jess (Steen Stig Lommer), and later his sister, have to go to a nursing home to attempt to lure his father out of the closet he has locked himself in. As they talk, the dialogue carries the weight, and a mix of pity, shame and familial obligation shine through. Yet once the father, Helmer (Per Pallesen) is persuaded to come out by Jess' insensitive comment, the visual steals the scene. As father and son bond over their shared contempt for the family business, the film reveals its central point—that preconceptions of one's family can be off-base, and sometimes it takes a little craziness for the truth to come out.
""Eramos Pocos""—Picking up a similar idea from ""Helmer & Son,"" this short examines the impact of a wife and mother who leaves her lazy family and how the men attempt to fill the cooking and housekeeping void in their lives by retrieving their mother-in-law from her nursing home. Ramon Barea and Alejandro Tejerias are convincing as the domestically inept father and son, who have no qualms admitting to their failings or their rather unsavory reasons for bringing Lourdes (Marivi Bilbao) back into their lives. While not reaching the levels of hilarity of ""West Bank Story,"" ""Eramos Pocos"" is rich with moments most anyone can relate to. Its strength and weakness is that most of the film is the same scene repeated ad nauseum. While establishing a theme, it lessens the character interaction and leaves the viewer with some questions after its surprising conclusion.
""Binta y la Gran Idea""—Checking in at a half-hour, this relatively lengthy documentary-style film examines the lives of families in Senegal. Instead of the typical ""look at how poor they are"" point of view usually provided by any film about Africa, ""Binta"" is a celebration of life. Tackling issues from the education of women (as shown in an excellent play-within-the-film) to the economic and social impacts of globalization, ""Binta"" makes the modern world examine its priorities without coming off as heavy-handed or preachy. Binta's father, played by a perpetually grinning Agnile Sambou, is the true protagonist, as his daughter (Zeynabou Diallo) is mostly just the narrator. The father's pride in his idea is evident. In its unfortunately sappy life-affirming ending scenes, the great idea is revealed to be an inversion of what Souleyman, the representative of modern society and friend of Binta's father, professed throughout. Perhaps ""Binta y la Gran Idea's"" greatest achievement is its ability to evoke a sense of caring without forcing sympathy on the viewer.
""West Bank Story""—The deserving winner of this category, ""West Bank Story"" takes a brilliant concept—transforming the Israeli/Palestinian conflict into a Sharks/Jets type feud—and pulls it off with considerable aplomb. With such a touchy subject matter, there is a danger in being seen as offensive, and likely some would still see this film as such. Yet director Ari Sandel masterfully tightropes his way through the piece, interjecting enough exaggeration and poking fun at stereotypes just when something could be taken the wrong way.
A ""Romeo and Juliet"" love tale between David (Ben Newmark) and Fatima (Noureen DeWulf) is established, and Sandel finds time to poke funat musical and romantic cliches when he's not busy having the Hummus Hut and Kosher King employees fire stereotypical barbs at one another, as in a great scene in which the restaurant's workers repeatedly yell ""terrorist!"" and ""occupier!"" By including outlandish characters like Menorah Mickey (Assaf Cohen) and absurd scenes, such as when Fatima is accosted by Israeli soldiers while carrying a bag of hummus they believe to be an explosive, ""West Bank Story"" uses its humor to make a valid statement—that relations in the Gaza Strip could only be helped by taking a step back and realizing just how ridiculous each group behaves.
