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Two Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Whimsical and War-Torn

Short films don’t receive enough attention. Their substance is as striking as feature-length films, just condensed, distinctive versions of their storytellers’ visions. Madison Art Cinemas recently showcased this year’s Oscar-nominated short films, both animated and live action collections. This review focuses on one animated film, Piper, available on Xfinity’s On Demand, and The White Helmets, a documentary available on TV’s Netflix. These are just two examples of the remarkable shorts produced in 2016.

Sometimes life lessons can be sweetly potent. Piper is a delightful, stunning, animated short about a mother sandpiper teaching her baby how to search for food. Baby fumbles and stumbles, and just when it becomes a little brave, a big wave crashes over it and the youngster must overcome the fear of ever getting near the water again. A young hermit crab helps the baby find a unique way to protect itself when the tide rolls in, and the little bird discovers its courage and self-confidence. Writer/director Alan Barillaro, who was an animator for Monsters, Inc. and WALL-E, creates realistic and bright glowing scenes that make Piper so adorable and joyous for both children and adults.

Piper opens with a close-up of waves sliding into shore and a group of sandpipers darting along foraging for food. The animation is so real that one can almost dip toes into the water and touch the birds. Framed in a birds-eye view, ground-level, the viewer is like another sandpiper, witnessing the little one growing up along the shore. Not surprisingly, the film ends on an exuberant note with the piper being carried away by its new-found skills. Piper’s energy is contagious. Rated G

The documentary The White Helmets presents a searing view of the resilient volunteers in Aleppo City, Syria, who have left their regular jobs to rescue people from under the rubble left after daily air strikes decimate their city. Khalid Farah, Abu Omar, and other rescuers narrate their own stories, but the film isn’t subtitled, so that one experiences their lives by searching their eyes—full of sorrow and determination—and the tone of their voices in Arabic for clues to how they endure. In repetitions of the men charging into the post-explosions like those into battle, the hand-held camera chases after them through fog-like conditions as they scramble among the ruins searching for people trapped underneath buildings. These scenes are hauntingly reminiscent of 9/11 here.

In one of the most wrenching rescues, they hand-dig a baby from a hole after hearing its crying. Seeing just the top of its head emerging, a rescuer gently pulls the baby out while others encourage him excitedly, and then the man cries with the baby, now safe in his arms.

The White Helmets began in 2013, and since then, 130 members have been killed, but they have saved about 58,000 lives. One segment of the film takes the group to southern Turkey where they train for a month to improve their skills, because most have had no prior experience. One volunteer’s brother is killed while he is training. The White Helmets never distracts the viewer from their mission or the toll it takes on their personal lives.

Later, the men reunite with “the miracle baby,” Mahmoud, who survived because of their efforts, and they are all openly affectionate, kissing the boy. Their rare smiles reveal why they continue to endanger themselves. To experience the rescuers’ lives in the 41 minutes of The White Helmets is to witness their humanity, true compassion, and extraordinary bravery. Netflix Rated TV-14

Wanted: Your Opinion (In 10 Words or Fewer)

We’re always looking for the community’s input—and now we’re offering you a chance to share your opinion of the latest blockbusters, foreign films, indies, and romantic comedies to hit the big screen with your neighbors! Each week, we’ll print the best reader-submitted reviews in the Living section and online at www.zip06.com. Send your 10-word movie review to Living Editor Pem McNerney at p.mcnerney@shorepublishing.com along with your name and hometown and join the conversation!