2025's Oscar-Nominated Live-Action Shorts : A Review

When it comes to the Oscars, everyone gets excited about the big categories like Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress… I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I tend to kind of forget about the other categories. Not anymore, though. Last year I attended one of Peliplat’s workshops where I finished my first short short story in years, and it’s made me way more appreciative of the art of brevity. Creating a world, both physical and emotional, in such limited space takes incredible skill that deserves more recognition.

Which why I decided to write reviews of this year’s Oscar-nominated shorts in the hopes that it might inspire you to watch them. They deserve it, after all.

I’m Not a Robot

This was the first of this year’s Oscar-nominated shorts I watched - it was literally recommended to me the day before the nominations came out - and the fact that it’s part of what reignited my interest in the short film category is a testament to how good it is.

I’m Not a Robot is the story of Lara, a music producer who runs into a problem one day when she can’t pass the infamous “I am not a robot” test to update her new software. There’s obviously some comedy to that, but the film quickly delves into more intense territory as questions of identity and agency are raised. It’s an exhilarating and entertaining watch, though I have to say, a person suddenly discovering that they’re actually an android isn’t the most unique concept these days. Still, there’s an interesting twist at the end that’s not only refreshing but also offers a few more layers of emotional weight and complexity.

Would I’m Not a Robot be my choice of winner? Probably not - I'm saving that for the end. Should you watch it, though? Absolutely.

Anuja

Of the shorts I was able to watch, Anuja was the one that least suited my tastes. It wasn’t bad, of course - if it were, it wouldn’t be nominated at the Oscars - but its story felt the least complete to me. It shows us the life of Anuja, a young girl working in a garment factory in India with her sister. It’s obviously not an ideal situation, but she might just have an out : if she can pay the fee to take a boarding school exam, her whole life might change.

But of course, things are never that simple.

It’s hard to put my finger on why this film didn’t quite land with me. The visual language was different than I’m used to in some places, but that's normally something I enjoy, plus I really liked the sound design and how they chose to cast a child who was living and working on the street to play Anuja. If I had to guess, it’s that the film provided sliiightly too little information to make me connect with the story, which led to less of an emotional impact. It's not a bad film by far, but I have my doubts that it'll win the award.

The Last Ranger

Speaking of the shorts I was able to watch... What can I say about The Last Ranger? Well, not much, because it’s nowhere to be found, at least online. I guess there’s apparently a password-protected version out there somewhere, but since I don’t have the password, I'm out of luck. So instead of giving a review, I’ll take this as a brief intermission to mention that art really needs to be more accessible. If you ask me, the two most important things in life are basic survival needs and human expression, and both should be freely accessible to everyone.

Maybe nobody pays attention to the shorts category, maybe it would have been a loss of money, but couldn’t the Oscars afford exclusive distribution rights to make sure everyone could watch lesser-known nominees? If they think these films are artistic and social achievements, why wouldn’t they?

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

This is where things start to get really good. This film almost left me speechless - and spoilers, while it wouldn’t be my winner this year, it would definitely be my runner-up. It’s a slow movie that treats its dialogue like gold, with lots of lingering silences to remind us of both the banality and the deep weight of evil.

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent is based on the Štrpci massacre that took place during the Bosnian war. It’s a small event : a train is stopped at an unplanned station; a paramilitary group boards and demands everyone’s documents; a few people are taken from the train and never seen again. Most of these people were Muslims, as the event was part of ethnic cleansing, but The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent focuses on the one ethnic Croat, Tomo Buzov, who sacrificed himself in order to save a young man in his compartment.

The film perfectly captures the tense atmosphere, but more importantly it reminds us of the horror of normalised killing as well as the bravery and sacrifice needed to stop injustice. Between the film’s cinematic quality and its thematic relevance to current American politics, it’s not surprising that it was nominated. Hell, I would predict it to win… If it weren’t for the final nominee.

A Lien

If The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent almost brought me to tears, A Lien sealed the deal. Maybe it’s because I’m the daughter of an immigrant myself, or maybe it’s just because I have basic human empathy, but watching an ICE raid happen mid-citizenship interview was horrifying. The frenetic camera movements perfectly match the overwhelming panic and helplessness of the situation - I swear my heart almost stopped watching this from how anxious it made me feel - only to swing back to an aching, confusing normalcy at the end.

If I had to bet which film was going to win this year, it’s this one. It has the same emotional impact as The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent has while being more directly relevant to the current political moment in the US - and the Oscars are an American awards show, after all. If this film wins, not only does it make a statement, it also might help draw more attention to ongoing injustice. Even if it doesn’t win, though, I know it’s the film that will stick with me the longest, so it’s the winner in my eyes.

Have you watched any of the shorts yet? Which was your favourite? Also, if you don't know where to watch them, just leave a comment and I'll try to help you find them. Thanks for reading!