Oscar docs not short on emotion

Don't let this teen-ager's smile fool you, the Oscar nominated shorts contain lots of tough material -- and a fair measure of inspiration, as well.

If you're looking for an emotional workout, you'd be hard pressed to do better than the five documentary shorts that have been nominated for this year's Oscar. From the loneliness of aging to the difficulties of coping with breast cancer to problems faced by the impoverished in New York City, the five nominated shorts are as emotionally demanding as they are rewarding.

Although these movies don't qualify as standard-issue escapism, they make for an involving look at issues that shouldn't be ignored. And at least two of the films -- Inocente and Open Heart -- are not without inspirational uplift.

Because each of the films averages about 40 minutes in length, the program runs long. All five films will show in one program at the Sie FilmCenter, making for a three-hour and 26-minute viewing time.

Here's quick look at all five:

Kings Point. Director Sari Gilman takes a refreshingly clear-eyed look at a Florida retirement community where a variety of refugees from New York City are living out their golden years. At first, it seems as if Gilman's movie is going to be a real-life version of a Seinfeld episode. But as the movie progresses, it develops a sad undertow. The people in Gilman's film face the problems of aging with equal amounts of determination and resignation and -- at least in one instance -- plenty of spunk.

Mondays at Racine. Director Cynthia Wade follows a group of women who are struggling with breast cancer and related issues. Wade finds a focus for her film at Racine, a Long Island salon that sets aside the third Monday of every month to help cancer patients dealing with hair loss as a result of chemotherapy. The movie shows how cancer can fracture a marriage, but also introduces us to a family that bravely copes with possible loss. Psychologically astute and undeniably moving, Mondays at Racine, affirms the importance of shared experience while pulling no punches.

Inocente. Directors Sean Fine and Andrea Nix tell the story of a homeless San Diego teen-ager who finds salvation in art. Inocente is at once a story of a trauma and triumph, a look at how a young woman survives a family broken by an abusive father. Inocente, who likes to paint her face, as well as canvases, paints her way into an art show, and, more importantly, develops a powerful sense of self.

Redemption. No this is not a religious documentary. Directors Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill document the lives of unemployed New Yorkers who have turned to redeeming cans and bottles for small amounts of money. Redemption offers a fascinating look at people on society's fringe, all of them engaged in an exhausting scuffle to survive.

Open Heart. If you're a kid with heart disease in Rwanda, you'll probably have trouble finding help. Director Kief Davidson introduces us to eight Rwandan children who are fortunate enough to be flown 2,500 miles to the Sudan, site of the only cardiac surgery hospital available to them. These young people travel with Rwandan translators, enduring separation from kith and kin as tireless doctors and dedicated doctors -- working with inadequate funding -- try to save their lives.

Short in length, but long on impact

This year's Oscar-nominated documentary shorts make for powerful viewing.

If you have to choose between the various categories of Oscar-nominated shorts, I'd opt for the documentaries. I don't mean to shortchange the other two categories (features and animation), but the documentary shorts constitute the strongest of the three groups, at least in my view.

The five nominated documentary shorts are The Barber of Birmingham, Incident in New Baghdad, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, Saving Face and God Is the Bigger Elvis, which is not part of the package available in theaters and which tells the story of Delores Hart, an actress who gave up a successful career to become a Benedictine nun. I hope it's as good as the rest of the shorts because the overall quality of this year's package is especially impressive.

For those who like to play the Oscar guessing game, it's worth knowing that the competition may narrow to two films, Lucy Walker's The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom and Daniel Junge's Saving Face.

I have to admit to some bias here because Junge lives in Denver and has been building an estimable career that includes feature-length documentaries (They Killed Sister Dorothy and Iron Ladies of Liberia), as well as The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner, which was nominated in this category last year.

Junge's new film deals with the plight of Pakistani women who have been the victim of acid attacks, mostly by unrepentant husbands. Junge's revealing film tells us lots about Pakistani attitudes toward women, which, thankfully, seem to be evolving.

Junge and his co-director, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, build their film around strong characters -- not only the women whose stories they tell, but Dr. Mohammad Jawad, a British plastic surgeon who travels to Pakistan to offer his services to women who've been attacked with acid.

The collaboration between Junge and Chinoy has produced a film that's not always easy to watch -- and shouldn't be, but which introduces us to women of courage and persistence who have suffered greatly and who are working to change a society in which male-domination can reach grotesque proportions.

If I had a vote (which I don't) I'd cast it for Saving Face -- not only because I know and respect Junge, but because I found his film to be the most powerful of the four that I saw, which is no knock on the other films in this admirable category.

The opening of Walker's Tsunami -- a four-minute look at the destruction of a small Japanese town is unforgettable; Incident in New Baghdad takes a sobering look at a horrible 2007 incident in the Iraq war and what it did to an American soldier who witnessed it; and Barber of Birmingham introduces us to James Armstrong, a Selma barber and foot soldier in the Civil Rights struggle.

All of these films prove that you don't necessarily need major time to make a big statement. And know this: Watching these films just might give you more by way of substance and emotion than you'll find in many commercial features.*

In Denver, the documentary shorts package is playing at the FilmCenter Colfax, 2510 East Colfax Ave. Watch for it at art houses in your city. In Denver, the animation and feature shorts can be seen at Landmark's Chez Artiste.