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The Academy Awards are on Sunday, and a category that often gets lost in the shuffle are short films. This week, I wanted to offer a review of a couple Academy Award nominated Short Films I had a chance to watch that you can find streaming right now.

Live Action Shorts

Feeling Through (https://www.feelingthrough.com/)
Starring: Steven Prescod and Robert Tarango
Synopsis: This beautiful film is an incredibly powerful story of human kindness and connection. A young man (Prescod) who is struggling to find a place to stay comes across a blind and deaf man alone in the city. Feeling compelled to not leave him on his own, what at first begins as a burden turns into a profound and beautiful connection that is uplifting to him and the audience. This film, written and directed by Doug Roland, is a profound emotional experience. It's beautifully shot, acted and put together. It is one of the best films I've seen this year and I hope it wins an Academy Award on Sunday. It's free to stream now on its site, so make time to go check this one out!
Verdict: Four Stars out of four

Two Distant Strangers (Netflix)
Starring: Joey Bada$$ and Andrew Howard
Synopsis: This short is also powerful, and incredibly timely given what has transpired over the last year and, frankly, for many years in this country. This film, written by Travon Free who co-directed with Martin Desmond Roe, takes the Groundhog Day formula and applies it to a powerful story of police brutality and racism. Bada$$ is a young man who, after a great night with a new girlfriend, just wants to get home to his dog. Howard is a gruff and brutal police officer who harasses and, eventually, kills him each day. They're trapped in a paralyzing cycle of fear and violence. Carter (Bada$$) tries to find a way to connect with the officer to change the narrative, but encounters deep-seeded issues that are part of what continuously create this cycle of violence. This film doesn't attempt to provide any easy answers or solutions, but still ends with the hopeful message that all we can do is keep trying. It also includes a list of many of those lost in recent years, which is a powerful coda to a powerful film. If this won, it would also be deserved.
Verdict: Three Stars out of four

Animated Shorts

If Anything Happens I Love You (Netflix)
Synopsis: This animated short from Michael Govier and Will McCormack packs a punch. It's centered on two parents who are grieving the loss of a child due to school violence. Writing this review in Colorado the day after the 22nd anniversary of Columbine feels especially timely, as this is an epidemic that has besieged our country for more than two decades, bringing sorrow and loss across the United States. This beautiful film captures that sense of anger, loss and helplessness. It was emotionally devastating, and yet I'm grateful to have seen it. It should be the front-runner Sunday and is available to stream on Netflix.
Rating: PG for strong thematic material involving gun violence.
Verdict: Four stars out of four

Burrow (Disney+)
Synopsis: This short from  Madeline Sharafian is about a young rabbit trying to create the perfect home who continuously burrows into others homes. This one has decent animation and is the kind of cute and entertaining animated short we've come to expect from Disney over the years. For those looking for a more traditional animated short, this will hit the spot.
Rating: G
Verdict: Two stars out of four

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