by Nadine Whitney
This year the Academy nominated shorts are from Denmark, Luxembourg, Italy, Northern Ireland, and Norway. The stories range from a delightful comedy about orphan girls in a Catholic convent, to the terrifying experience of a young Iranian woman being sent into an arranged marriage, to a heartfelt comedy about two estranged brothers who have very different ideas about saying goodbye to their recently deceased mother.
Le Pupille
Directed by Alice Rohrwacher (Happy as Lazzaro) and produced by Alfonso Cuaron, Le Pupille reunites Rohrwacher with writer Carmela Covino and star of Happy as Lazzaro, her sister Alba Rohrwacher.
It is WWII and a group of orphans live in a ramshackle convent in Italy. The whole country is suffering a famine because of the war. The Church, usually able to depend on money from the faithful is facing poverty, and the hope of Madre Superiora Fioralba (Alba Rohrwacher) is that the annual Nativity Scene will bring in some much-needed funds.
Alice Rohrwacher’s film is at once a delightful comedy that features a group of rowdy orphans, and also a sly dig at the absolutism of Catholic values. One particular orphan, Serafina (Melissa Falasconi) accidentally touches a radio that is playing war propaganda and it starts playing ‘Ba-ba-baciami piccina’ and the orphan girls, unsupervised for a moment, sing and dance along in glee. Serafina doesn’t sing, so when Fioralba is punishing the girls by washing their tongues with soap, she proclaims her innocence. The ultra-strict Fioralba is not taking excuses and proclaims Serafina particularly wicked.
Serafina’s wickedness comes back to bite Fioralba when a rich and perhaps morally dubious woman brings a luscious Zuppa Inglese as a tribute to the bambinos, to have them pray for her erstwhile lover. The cake is indulgent in a way that the girls have never imagined. Fioralba decides to test the girls by asking them to sacrifice their portion of the cake for Jesus (really, she wants to impress the Priest and give it to him). All the girls agree, reluctantly, to the sacrifice except Serafina who plainly says, “You said I was wicked.”
Rohrwacher’s short film is filled with childish naughtiness and glee. The orphans sing parts of the story directly to the audience. The cinematography by Hélène Louvart (The Lost Daughter) is, as always, divine. Le Pupille is a wonderful tale that revels in the rebellious little girl who, like Oliver Twist, dares to ask for more.
An Irish Goodbye
Writer/directors Tom Berkley and Ross White tackle a difficult subject – the sudden death of a parent – with wit, humour, and warmth. In Northern Ireland, two estranged brothers, Turlough (Seamus O’Hara) and Lorcan (James Martin) are reunited after the death of their mother, Grainne (Michelle Fairley, never seen in the film but Grainne’s voice is heard). After the funeral, they head to Grainne’s farm in the company of the talkative and more than a little clueless Father O’Shea (Paddy Jenkins). Lorcan is nursing his mother’s ashes in a china urn and it doesn’t take long for the two brothers to start arguing.
Turlough left Ireland to live in London years ago and has never been back to the farm. He wants to sell it as soon as possible, and particularly, does not want to be saddled with the responsibility of looking after Lorcan, who was born with Down Syndrome. Lorcan thinks Turlough is a selfish arsehole and also a terrible cook. When Lorcan comes across a bucket-list of things Grainne wanted to do before she died, he insists that Turlough goes through the 100-point list with him before selling the farm.
The resulting short is clever, heartfelt, and extremely funny. The two warring brothers must come to terms with their grief and their own fractured relationship. Tom Berkley and Ross White never look down on Lorcan (turns out he’s probably the smartest person in the piece) and allow the brotherly connection to unfold in a delightful manner; be that through doing Tai chi with Grainne’s urn, or sending her to space (in a manner).
An Irish Goodbye tugs at the funny bone and the heartstrings and is a stunning tribute to mothers, brothers, and sons.
The Red Suitcase
Iranian-Luxembourgish director Cyrus Neshvad creates a tense and socially relevant piece of cinema in The Red Suitcase. Ariane (Nawelle Ewad) is a sixteen-year-old Iranian girl who arrives late one night at Luxembourg Airport. All she has is a red suitcase that contains her most precious possessions, her art and her painting supplies. Trying to avoid going out into the arrivals section, she is stopped by airport security who go through her bag (or as the director has explained, her heart), revealing her accomplished paintings. On the other side of the door is her groom (Sarkaw Govany), who is much older and used to getting his own way. He is calling Ariane’s father asking where the young woman is.
Ariane makes the decision to flee. She removes her veil and places it over her suitcase. She takes the money given to her by her father and exchanges it (it comes to all of 30 euros). Lost in a land where she does not know the language, she is terrified and has nowhere to turn to.
The fear that Ariane feels is palpable, and with the groom determined not to let her escape the airport or his clutches (after all, he tells Ariane’s father he has paid for her), Ariane must find a way to get free. The cost will be high, and we have no idea what will happen to Ariane if she does manage to escape. A final zoom on a shampoo commercial reveals the film’s thesis. Women are not safe.
Ivalu
Directed by Anders Walter and Pipaluk K Jorgensen and based on a graphic novel by Morton Durr, Ivalu tells the story of Inuit sisters Ivalu (Nini Larsen) and Pipalak (Mila Helimann Kreutzmann) in Greenland. Ivalu has gone missing and only Pipalak is trying to find out what happened to her. Their father seems unconcerned.
Utilising the natural beauty of Greenland and its mythology, Ivalu is a difficult film to process. The strength of the relationship between the sisters is highlighted throughout, but once we realise what is behind Ivalu’s disappearance, the film becomes chilling and tragic.
Greenland is undeniably gorgeous, and every shot reinforces that – the cinematography is simply stunning. But while we are engaged by the setting, we are also brought back to the harsh reality that underpins the story. Abuse of the worst kind has befallen Ivalu and she has chosen to honour her ancestors’ beliefs to protect Pipaluk from her fate.
Told mostly via a voice over from Pipaluk, we are given snippets of information about the mystery of Ivalu and the unbreakable sisterly bond. We also see Pipaluk travel across her small community looking for her sister, guided by a raven who may or not be an avatar of Ivalu.
Contrasting splendour with terror makes Ivalu an engaging piece, but it also takes a little away from the horror that sits in the middle of the film. Ivalu is at once a sumptuous and cold film, and one that is deeply confronting.
Night Ride
Eirik Tveiten, director and writer of Nattrikken or Night Ride, has said that the plot was inspired by his friend, who involuntarily hijacked a tram. Ebba (Sigrid Kandal Husjord) is waiting for a tram home after a party in the freezing weather of December in Norway. Trying to get warm, she enters the tram and begins playing around with the controls. Before she knows it, she has accidentally stolen the tram.
Not quite knowing what to do, she ends up stopping for passengers. A group of people board the tram, including the extremely obvious bullies Allan (Axel Barø Aasen) and his friend Benjamin (Jon Vergard Hovdal), who pick on Ebba because she is a little person. Also boarding the tram is transwoman Ariel (Orla Hoemnes Sandum).
Allan, assuming Ariel is a cis woman, starts flirting with her, but when the tram has to suddenly break, her wig comes off and reveals to Allan and Benjamin that she is trans. The resulting harassment threatens to turn violent and everyone on the tram just ignores it. Eirik Tveiten has said that the film is about “bystander syndrome”.
Tonally, Night Ride is a bit messy. It’s not really a comic situation except for the accidental theft of the tram, but Eirik Tveiten uses comedy a bit too often to really push his point home about the dangers that marginalised people face. There’s a satisfying twist at the end, but it doesn’t compensate for the messiness of the film.
Predictions: La Pupille is almost flawless and is the most deserving of the Oscar. However, An Irish Goodbye is also excellent and might take the award. A possible upset will be The Red Suitcase.
The Oscar nominated live action (and animated) shorts are in cinemas nationally March 3-5 and 10-12, 2023
