The Animated Short Film nominees for the Oscars 2025 could not be more different from the previous year’s selection. The films are full of hope for a better future, one in which we understand each other better, as well as the world we inhabit. It is a really beautiful selection that I highly encourage you to watch.
Without further ado, here are the reviews of Beautiful Men (Nicolas Keppens, 2023), In the Shadow of the Cypress (Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani, 2023), Magic Candies (Daisuke Nishio, 2023), Wander to Wonder (Nina Gantz, 2023), and Yuck! (Loïc Espuche, 2024).
Beautiful Men
- Year of production: 2023
- Director: Nicolas Keppens.
- Producers: Brecht Van Elslande, Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron, Joost Van Den Bosch, Erik Verkerk.
Synopsis
Three brothers go to Turkey to ger a hair transplant, but there was a mixup with the reservation and there is only one spot for the operation.
Review
This short film has an immense social value as it highlights men’s insecurities while normalising them. There is an infinity of content in the media pushes men to be strong and confident, and shames them when they are not. So much so, that it is ingrained in society like a chewing gum you can’t quite clean from your shoe’s sole.
As such, normalising having insecurities and honest conversations with each other, highly benefits men. It provides a different example of masculinity, one that is truly brave and embraces imperfections and communication over image and lies. Content like this should be the norm, and hopefully this film is proof that this necessary change is not only possible, but actually coming soon.
The claymation works great with the shapes chosen for the characters, as well as their movements and environment. The text is fun, honest, and shameless in the best way, and the overall result works in every single aspect.
In the Shadow of the Cypress
- Year of production: 2023
- Directors: Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani.
- Producers: Shirin Sohani, Hossein Molayemi.
Synopsis
A captain struggles with PTSD. His granddaughter, incapable of helping him, decides to leave him, but an unexpected tragedy stops here.
Review
This film showcases the power of animation in full. It utilises colours and textures to express the complexity of PTSD more precisely than any speech could. Using the comfort of warm tones as contrast for the grey that represents the cold sensation of a hurtful memory.
The story itself is wondeful. It is developed at a perfect pace and never ceases to amaze, creating a thrilling experience in addition to a beautiful emotional journey. The open ending allows you to draw your own conclusions, as dark or happy as you like, a decision that will help you learn more about yourself and where your mindset stands.
Magic Candies
- Year of production: 2023
- Director: Daisuke Nishio.
- Writer: Ichigo Takano.
- Producer: Takashi Washio.
Synopsis
A kid buys some magic candy that allows him to speak with all sorts of wonderful creatures and things.
Review
I had the pleasure of seeing this film at BFI London Film Festival, as part of their Animated Shorts for Younger Audiences, their programme was fascinating and full of great shorts. I will feature my review of this piece below to make the reading easier, but if you are interested in said programme, you can read it here!
Magic Candies (Amedama) follows a small, lonely kid on a crazy adventure that will change his perspective of life forever. Any person and child who has been ostracised for being different or shy will strongly relate to this account. While loneliness can be comfortable, the yearning for connection is inevitable.
Thanks to the magic candies, the boy can talk with inanimate objects, animals, and even other people in a brand-new way. Through this new method of communication, he is discovered a whole new dimension of reality.
The animation is dynamic and fun. It combines textures and styles evoking the diversity of the world that surrounds the kid. The text is profound and touching, only made better by the cinematography and eloquent voiceovers.
Overall, Magic Candies (Amedama) is a beautiful adaptation of a unique piece of literature that gets you in touch with your inner child and the world around you.
Wander to Wonder
- Year of production: 2023
- Directed by: Nina Gantz.
- Screenplay by: Nina Gantz, Simon Cartwright, Daan Bakker and Stienette Bosklopper.
- Producers: Stienette Bosklopper, Maarten Swart and Nina Gantz.
- Cinematography by: Christophe Gautry.
- Music by: Terence Dunn.
Synopsis
The puppets that protagonised a children’s 80s show are left alone in the studio after the passing of their creator. The episodes they film get weirder and more twisted by the second.
Review
I stumbled upon this short film by chance during the Week of Fantasy and Horror Cinema in San Sebastián. A short film lover myself, I couldn’t help but to go to all the short film programmes. Their International Short Film Marathon, amongst other masterpieces, featured this film. To ease you reading, the review will be featured below, but if you are interested in the aforementioned programme, you can find it here!
Wander to Wonder is the type of content nobody wants to watch. At least, no one who watched puppet shows during their childhood. Don’t get me wrong, the film is fantastic, but it will very likely scar you for life.
As adults, it is common to feel reassured by your childhood memories: toys, songs, TV shows, films, etc. This short taps into that false sense of security provided by nostalgia in order to completely obliterate it by asking the most basic question of all: what happens to those puppets you love once their master is gone?
Wander to Wonder’s answer to this question is terrifying, chaotic, and pretty funny if you are twisted enough. First impressions aside, the talent poured into this work is undeniable. The story, as well as the staging and animation, are so carefully crafted and faithful to reality, that they manage to make you forget that you are watching inanimate objects.
Once you get comfortable with the frenzied desperation that reigns in the film, you can actually enjoy this great story that finally gives pigeons the fate they deserve. Overall, it is a different experience that most horror fans will appreciate.
Yuck!
- Year of production: 2024
- Director: Loïc Espuche.
- Writer: Loïc Espuche.
- Producers: Juliette Marquet and Manon Messiant.
Synopsis
A group of kids are obsessed with watching people kiss in the camping site they are at.
Review
As with Magic Candies, I had the pleasure of seeing this film at BFI London Film Festival, as part of their Animated Shorts for Younger Audiences, their programme was fascinating and full of great shorts. I will feature my review of this piece below to make the reading easier, but if you are interested in said programme, you can access it here!
Yuck! (Beurk!) tells the story of a group of kids who are spending the summer at a camping site. The typical curiosity of a young age pushes them to observe the couples that are kissing on the site while claiming to be absolutely disgusted by the action. The contradictiom between the fixation and the “disgust”, of course, completely lost on them.
The film explores the theme of sexual repression from a young age. Why are children so disgusted by something so natural? Usually children don’t like what they don’t know, which means that they will probably be against kissing if they haven’t seen it at home. Some of the children have, but one can only guess that they are merely coping the most vocal kid of the group, a fact that is confirmed by the ending.
The short taps into the supernatural by creating some sort of “love light” that makes people’s lips glow when they want to kiss someone. This detail makes the piece stand out and creates the perfect opportunity of a gorgeous long shot at the end of the story.
Overall, Yuck! (Beurk!) is a curious work that provides the opportunity to reflect on your own behaviours and taboo towards sexuality, hypocresy and displays of affection.
Advice to take from these short films:
- Talking about your inseurities doesn’t make you weak, it makes you strong and well-adjusted.
- PTSD takes many shapes, it is important to look for help when going through it.
- Try to appreaciate everything around you, the more you do, the more you will enjoy your existence.
- Don’t let others dictate what you like and what you don’t.
What’s your take? Have you watched any, or all, of these short films? Which one is your favourite? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, in my contact page or through my Instagram! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀
For more updates and additional content, don’t be shy! Take a peek at my social media and connect!