2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary, Animated and Live Action

For the first time I viewed all fifteen nominated short films before the big ceremony and have my own picks for my favorites. In the Documentary category I really like The Elephant Whisperers. This film from India shows a dedicated couple in a wildlife preserve who have dedicated their lives to caring for orphaned Asian elephants that have been separated from their herds. My animated favorite was The Flying Sailor, about a sailor flying through the air as a result of the largest non-nuclear explosion ever created when a cargo ship loaded with TNT has a mishap. The poor sailor has all his clothes blown off and sees his life flash before him as he miraculously survives. Two in the Live Action category are especially worth mentioning. Le Pupille concerns the young girls in a Catholic orphanage in Italy during World War II. It involves a rather risqué song on the radio, a Christmas pageant and a luscious red cake. In The Red Suitcase a young girl arrives in a foreign country from Iran where she has been promised to wed a much older man. It is clear that she does not want this new life and will do anything to escape this fate.