Time Freak, the lone U.S. film in this year’s Oscar Shorts Live Action lineup, fills the quirky indie slot occupied by last year’s Oscar-winning God of Love. And although it’s not as stellar as that gem, it still packs plenty of inventive fun.
Michael Nathanson is Stillman, a modern-day mad scientist who discovers that his dream of inventing a time machine doesn’t quite lead down the path he expected. His problems come to a head when his roomie Evan (John Conor Brooke) arrives at his lab and discovers that instead of Stillman fulfilling his desire to travel back to ancient times, he’s been stuck replaying yesterday—hundreds of times. The reason? A neurotic obsession with getting every little detail just right.
Time Freak Director Andrew Bowler vividly illustrates Stillman’s predicament in a hilarious sequence in which Stillman tries to get a conversation with a prospective love interest exactly right—and then tries again, and again, and again. Written and edited to dizzying perfection, it’s one of the best scenes in this year’s Oscar’s Live Action shorts program.
Alas, the more Evan hears about his roommate’s inability to leave the past alone, the more alarmed he gets, leading to a time-traveling conclusion that’s more satisfying than most big-budget comedic features.
Landing on the opposite end of the dramatic scale is the German film Raju. The thematically darkest of this year’s Oscar-nominated Live Action program, it’s also the best of the bunch. Jan (Wilke Mohring) and Sarah (Julia Richter) are a happy couple who have traveled to India to adopt an orphaned child, Raju (Krish Gupta). Unfortunately, their joy turns to horror when a father-son bonding trip into the city leads to Raju’s disappearance.
As Jan embarks on a desperate search through Calcutta’s back streets to find his son, Raju unspools like a thriller, with director Max Zaehle gradually revealing ugly secrets about Raju’s past. As the couple learns more, thorny moral issues arise that Jan and Sarah struggle to resolve.
Mohring is superlative in the lead role, delivering a deeply felt performance that far exceeds your typical short-film fare. And director Max Zaehle, working with director of photography Sin Huh, captures the setting and its inhabitants’ desperation with memorable style and verve. Raju's closing shot of Jan sticks with you and, like many a great short film, leaves you wanting more.
Grades: Time Freak, B+; Raju, A-
Read my reviews of the other Oscar-nominated Live Action shorts: Pentecost, The Shore and Tuba Atlantic.
The "2012 Oscar-nominated Live Action Shorts Program" opens in Atlanta on Feb. 10 at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.
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