The Oscar-nominated Best Documentary Short films I saw, naturally, at the Spectrum Theatre in Albany just before the Academy Awards.
Instruments of a Beating Heart (Japan, 23 minutes) – Children moving from first to second grade in a Tokyo public school audition to be in a rudimentary orchestra to perform “Ode to Joy” for the incoming first graders. They SO want to perform well, and are rooting for their friends in their audition process. The teachers work hard to motivate. Sweet. Watch at the New York Times website.
Incident, (United States, 30 minutes): A police shooting of a black man in Chicago in 2018 is told through footage from security cameras and police body cams. Director Bill Morrison makes the viewer uncomfortable. Was the man going for his gun, for which he had a permit, or did the probationary officer overreact? Are the cops protecting themselves by rationalizing and covering up what happened? The community around the event is rightly furious; this was the local barber, not a gangbanger. The viewer feels powerless, which might be the point. Watch on the New Yorker website.
I Am Ready, Warden (United States, 37 minutes): John Henry Ramirez committed a heinous murder in Texas and then escaped to Mexico. He is caught, convicted of murder, and sentenced to death. In prison, he becomes a changed man, with his adopted godmother, who he met pastoring him behind bars, believing in his transformation. The local district attorney has his doubts about capital punishment. The victim’s son, who was 14 when his dad died and now is the spitting image of his dad, is less forgiving. A balanced look at capital punishment. It’s available on Paramount +.
Instrumental
The Only Girl In The Orchestra (United States, 34 minutes). In 1966, Orin O’Brien was the only female in the New York Philharmonic, playing double bass, under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. Her parents were Hollywood actors George O’Brien and Marguerite Churchill, so she had a peripatetic upbringing.
She liked playing the her instrument because it wasn’t an instrument with a lot of solos, but rather an integral part of the whole. Conversely, she hated being the center of attention mainly because of her gender. A Time magazine article mentioned the fact that she was as curvy as her double bass back in the day; when that was noted, the audience audibly groaned.
She has retired after 55 years but is still busy teaching students and attending concerts. Her niece Molly O’Brien made the film about her aunt because Orin was the adult she most admired.
I SO adored this film, which illustrates the transformative power of music. It’s on Netflix.
Death By Numbers (United States, 33 minutes): A Parkland shooting survivor, Samantha Fuentes, contemplates life after the February 14, 2018 incident. The numbers in the title are the room number where she was shot, the number dead (17) and wounded (also 17), and so on. She is scheduled to testify at the sentencing phase of the trial. This allows her to confront her trauma while examining the nature of hate and restorative justice.
The story tends to meander, but Sam’s unflinching victim impact statement was compelling.
