Review: Richly rewarding Oscar-nominated short films to be screened at Peace Center - Greenville Journal

Kudos to the Peace Center for once again bringing the Oscar-nominated short films to Greenville. The lineup for 2022, as in years past, is international in scope and strikingly diverse in subject matter.

The films, to be screened on Feb. 25-27 in the Peace Center Gunter Theatre, are richly rewarding, traversing a broad emotional landscape. Some films are laugh-out-loud funny, others bleak and troubling. The variety can even be jarring. Filmgoers can see, on the same day, an endearing animated bird saga along with a documentary focused on displaced Afghans and a live-action short about a dystopian future where paramilitary squads spread violence.

Five nominated films will be presented in each of the three categories: animation, live action, and documentaries. (The status of two scheduled animated films, however, is uncertain.) Tickets are $12 for each group of films.

Filmgoers should note: Many of the works include adult content; the animated films, in particular, are not suitable for children.

Here are some highlights:

Animation

In the whimsical “Affairs of the Art” (U.K./Canada), a 59-year-old would-be artist and her family struggle with their outlandish obsessions, finding that some actually can lead to success.

The delightful “Robin Robin” (U.K.), meanwhile, centers on a bird raised by a family of mice burglars. Gillian Anderson and Richard E. Grant contribute voice work for the musical film.

Hugo Covarrubias’ “Bestia” (Chile) is a gritty and even shocking look at the life of a secret police agent in the military dictatorship in Chile.

Live action

“On My Mind” (Denmark) is a heartbreaking film about a man earnestly but awkwardly using a karaoke machine to record the song “Always on My Mind” for his wife.

“Take and Run” (Kyrgyzstan/Switzerland) centers on the 19-year old Sezim who wants to attend a university but is kidnapped and forced into a marriage with a stranger. Director Maria Brendle made this disturbing and engrossing film to draw attention to bride kidnapping, a phenomenon perhaps little known in the West.

“Please Hold” (USA) is a darkly comical film about a young man who is apprehended by a police drone and convicted of an unknown crime without ever seeing a judge or jury. In this dystopian world, the justice system has become virtual and automated. “Please Hold” offers a pointed commentary on the inhumanity of a society dominated by technology.

In the bleak “The Dress” (Poland), a woman of short stature named Julia longs for a normal relationship.

“The Long Goodbye” (U.K./Netherlands), featuring actor and rapper Riz Ahmed, depicts a dystopian future in which a British South Asian family is dragged into the streets by a right-wing paramilitary group. Aneil Karia’s intense film seems to have been inspired by the rise of authoritarianism across the globe.

Documentaries

In the poignant “Three Songs for Benazir” (Afghanistan), a young man struggles with his wife in a squalid camp for displaced Afghans in Kabul. He has big dreams but is constantly thwarted not only by poverty but by the restrictive, conservative tribal society in which he lives.

“Lead Me Home” (USA) explores homelessness in America through multiple perspectives.

“The Queen of Basketball” (USA) is a marvelous documentary about Lusia Harris, one of history’s great women basketball players. Now retired, the jovial Harris reminisces about a remarkable career.

“Audible” (USA) is a coming-of-age story about football players at the Maryland School for the Deaf. The pressures of youth and living in a hearing world are sensitively captured by director Matt Ogens.

Paul Hyde, a longtime Upstate journalist, writes about the arts for the Greenville Journal.

If you go

What: The Oscar-nominated Short Films

When: Various times, Feb. 25-27

Where: Peace Center Gunter Theatre

Tickets: $12 for each group of films

Info: 864-467-3000 or www.peacecenter.org

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