Documentary shorts take somber look at the world
The three standouts among the nominees in the Documentary category all deal with deadly violence visited upon innocents. They range from the slaughter of children in American classrooms and international warzones, to a photojournalist senselessly murdered for no other reason than doing his job chronicling the evil that man and Mother Nature can exert. Here are my takes on each:
All the Empty Rooms (34m, USA): Director Joshua Seftel delivers what I believe is the best of the 15 shorts nominees with his profiles of CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp as they indulge their pet project of photographing the bedrooms of every child slain in a school shooting since Columbine. The film tears your heart out as Seftel chronicles Bopp and Hartman on their final three visits in an endeavor that took them to more than 700 homes across the nation. We meet the parents of Dominic Blackwell, 14, Hallie Scruggs, 9, and Jackie Cazares, 9. Most stirring are the memories of Hallie, shared by her older brothers, Charlie and John, who still haven’t fully processed their grief. This one will shake you to the core and have tears cascading down your cheeks. Bring tissues. Grade: A
Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud (37m, USA): Craig Renaud tells the deeply moving story of his brother Brent’s remarkable life before he was murdered in cold blood by heartless Russian troops during the early days of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. You’re awed by the powerful footage Brent shot over his two-decade career, fearlessly traveling to some of the most dangerous war and disaster zones in the world. But what made this film so personal for me was the discovery that, like me, Brent grew up with undiagnosed autism, and like me, had few friends and was obsessed with journalism. It was a profession that took him from earthquake-ravaged Haiti to the front lines of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he embedded with soldiers who considered him one of their own. Alas, we also see him in his crude coffin, as Craig helps prepare his body in Kyiv for the final trip home to Tennessee. Grade: A-
Children No More: Were and Are Gone (36m, Israel): Director Hilla Medalia presents a side of the Israeli army’s invasion of Gaza we have not seen before and probably didn’t expect. And that would be the sight of hundreds of Israeli citizens volunteering to protest their country’s slaughter of some 19,000 innocent Arab children, from Gaza to Tehran, since 2023. They are the epitome of peaceful protesters, sitting and standing silently along sidewalks, beaches and the busy streets of Tel Aviv, each holding a placard embossed with a picture of a slain child accompanied by their age, the date they were killed and the haunting words, “Were and are gone.” Unsurprisingly, the demonstrators’ actions don’t sit well with many of their fellow citizens, some of whom shower them with threats and insults. What’s impressive is the discipline they display, never responding to the taunts. The film is quite moving and is the perfect complement to fellow nominee, “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” Grade: A-
The Devil is Busy (31m, USA): Directors Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton shadow Tracii, the head of security at a women’s health clinic in Atlanta, during “a very long day” of steering anti-abortion protesters away from the facility’s “guests.” She begins at 6 a.m. with a prayer after making sure no evildoers snuck in overnight and are hiding inside the half-dozen exam rooms. And she ends it some eight hours later, exhausted but thanking God that it went off without incident. The piece is mildly interesting and timely, but also instantly forgettable. Grade: B-
Perfectly a Strangeness (15m, Chile): Director Alison McAlpine trains her cameras on three donkeys – Palomo, Ruperto, Palaye – for 24 hours while the asses explore an abandoned astronomical observatory. It’s beautifully filmed, but narratively empty. It’s also a tad frustrating never to be told what this facility is (the end credits list it as the European Southern Observatory), where it is, or why some parts of it are still operational. Maybe I’m just not with it, but this one left me bewildered. Grade: C
Note: The shorts are available Feb. 20 in select theaters, courtesy of Roadside Attractions, and on Shorts TV.
