2026 Oscar Nominated Shorts: Live-Action

This year’s Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Live Action program is being presented in theaters beginning February 20 by Roadside Attractions.  Five individual films showcase the range of storytelling, each one under a runtime of 40 minutes.  From intimate character studies to hypothetical dystopias, the lineup demonstrates how quickly a story can be told.

The subjects differ, but the films are united by characters who confront their situations and make a choice.  As with the animated program, I’ve ranked the selections from my favorite to least.

A FRIEND OF DOROTHY
UNITED KINGDOM / 21 MINS / 2025
Director: Lee Knight
Dorothy is a woman living alone in her later years.  JJ is a pre-teen in the neighborhood.  He knocks on her door to retrieve an errant football in her backyard.  During their chance encounter, JJ becomes intrigued by her books.  Their conversation sparks his curiosity, and he continues to visit.  An unexpected friendship between generations develops.

A soulful character sketch that is more affecting than its brief run time would suggest.  Miriam Margolyes and Stephen Fry (as the executor of her will) add star power to this.  Only complaint: Dorothy’s adult grandson, Scott (Oscar Lloyd), is such a poorly written antagonist that it brings down what is otherwise an emotionally deep portrait.

JANE AUSTEN’S PERIOD DRAMA
USA / 12 MINS / 2025
Directors: Steve Pinder and Julia Aks
Miss Estrogenia “Essy” Talbot is finally about to receive a marriage proposal from Mr. Dickley in England in 1813.  During the formal declaration, she unexpectedly begins her monthly cycle.  He mistakes this for an injury and leaves to fetch a doctor.  While he is gone, Essy’s sisters, Labinia and Vagianna, urge her not to risk the engagement by explaining the situation.

The gag is based entirely on the idea that the word “period” has a dual meaning.  More of a skit than a short film.  The characters’ silly names are indeed funny, though.  I’ll admit it pulled a chuckle out of me.  The production design is suitably lavish, which helps.

BUTCHER’S STAIN
ISRAEL / 26 MINS / 2025
Director: Meyer Levinson-Blount
Samir is a Palestinian butcher working at an Israeli supermarket.  Inside the break room, posters of Israeli hostages are taken down and found on the floor.  Based on a co-worker’s eyewitness account, the manager confronts Samir.

Narratively, there isn’t much that sets this slice-of-life story apart beyond its connection to the current Israeli–Palestinian conflict.  It functions competently as a portrayal of workplace prejudice, but its approach is limited.  More of a surface-level account than one willing to delve deeper into its characters or themes.

THE SINGERS
USA / 18 MINS / 2025
Director: Sam A. Davis
In a modest pub, a group of downtrodden patrons gathers.  A quiet evening grows lively when an impromptu singing contest begins.  The relaxed competition features performers who first gained viral fame online for their singing.

Inspired by a short story by Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev, this adaptation unfolds in a dimly lit bar where five supposedly “random” patrons just so happen to possess exceptional voices.  Surprise!  (Not really.) The performances are pleasant enough, but dramatically, there’s little to hold onto.  It’s a mood piece drifting on atmosphere.

TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA
FRANCE / 36 MINS/ 2025
Directors: Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh
A strange future society has two big rules: (1) Kissing is illegal and punishable by death, and (2) people purchase things by getting slapped in the face instead of using money.  Angine is an unhappy woman who forms a forbidden connection with a salesgirl at a department store, drawing suspicion from a jealous co-worker.

Respect for keeping it to a mere smooch, and nothing more.  The black-and-white cinematography is striking, and the sleek production design adds a nice aesthetic to the interiors.  However, government regulation of relationships is a well-worn dystopian theme.  The best stories at least explain why the oppressive rules exist.  Here, we never learn why kissing (and money, apparently) is outlawed.  The premise is simply a metaphor designed to provoke.  A half-baked effort.

02-17-26