#and yet so many people who got into the game never grasped what ashley feels like.

[snail-scholar]

TW: YAPPING

ashley being a girl is so important to me it's not even funny.

i think she has become a sort of comfort character for me. her being so wrong, so flawed, so evil gives me a sense of catharsis many other characters failed to replicate.

through her dialogue, her personality, her character... she feels like the horrors of being a woman incarnate. wether people choose to acknowledge it or not, because society expects different things from boys and girls, they're treated differently when they differ from the standards imposed on them. that's why i think ashley's impact would be very different if she were a man, hell, it would probably be a very different story, with a whole new character.

she is the one who cleans the house and cooks, despite andrew being the parentified sibling. she is the one who is insecure about her appearance and sees sex as a transaction. she is the one who has bursting, explosive emotions that tend to be dismissed. she is the one who can't help feeling competitive over other women. she is a nightmare, and instills nightmares on others, all while being our unladylike girl with awesome fat tits.

i was raised as a girl, and grew up autistic. it wasn't great. and although my past differs from ashley's, when i see her i think to myself, "she gets it."

i see a lot of trans girlies finding comfort in ashley too. bpd girlies. girls who were othered. maybe we want the sense of freedom to feel anger about past experiences. maybe she is just a healthy(?) way to deal with the inherent darkness(tm). i'm not entirely sure. but i think there are many reasons women can connect with ashley.

i mean, outside of tumblr she was hated and very few even bothered to look at things from her perspective. and maybe i am ignorant, but as far as i know, the majority of the fanbase outside tumblr is (very) normie men.

they don't even understand cannibalism!

[swanqueeneverafter]

What Dreams May Come, Pt.8

Storybrooke. Alice & Robin’s Apartment. Emma: (As Robin opens the door:) “You know it’s still strange coming here and not finding Mom and Dad answering the door.” Regina: “Strange, but appreciated.” (Emma rolls her eyes as she and Regina take a seat at the counter while Robin puts the kettle on the stove.) Robin: “Can I get you guys something to drink? Tea? Coffee?” Emma: “Coffee for me, please – I’m still kinda out of it.” Regina: “Nothing for me, thank you. One of the many joys of pregnancy is that apparently I can’t have caffeine.” Robin: (Anxious to hear the latest developments:) “So, the guy’s all right?” Emma: (Nods:) “He’s gonna be fine.” Robin: (Sighs in relief:) “That’s great news. Alice has been blaming herself since it happened. Even though it was my backpack in the road.” Regina: “The only blame here lies on the shoulders of the driver. (At Emma’s look:) What? He admitted he was texting and driving. The man’s a menace.” Emma: “Regardless of who’s to blame, I think everyone will feel a lot better once Greg Mendell leaves town.” Robin: “Yeah, about that, does anyone know how he managed to cross the border?” Regina: (Shakes her head:) “Not yet, but rest assured, we’re gonna make sure the protection spells around all the realms are doubled, if not tripled. In fact, that’s where we’re going once we leave here, to meet with all of the leaders of the combined realms.” Emma: (Winces:) “Actually… that meeting was cancelled.” Regina: “What?” Emma: “Well, Snow tried to gather all of the leaders together but it was too short notice for a lot of them.” Regina: “All right, so when is the meeting supposed to take place?” Emma: “Well…” Regina: “Emma?” Emma: (Quickly:) “Snow may have used the opportunity to arrange a Mommy and Me group instead.” Regina: “No. Please tell me you’re joking. Please tell me this is some kind of sick joke.” Emma: (Placatingly:) “We don’t have to stay long, and it might be a nice distraction from-“ Regina: (Anxiously starts shaking her hands:) “I can feel my skin beginning to crawl already.” Emma: “’Gina…” Regina: (Not listening, babbling to herself:) “I need a drink. But I can’t drink ‘cause I’m pregnant. This is a nightmare. (To Emma:) Why did I listen when you said I couldn’t kill Snow White?” Emma: “It might not be so bad.” Regina: (To herself:) “Deep breaths. Deep, calming breaths. Think of the baby. Think of the baby.” Emma: (To Robin:) “O-kay… we’re gonna go now. Thanks for the coffee.” (Robin nods and watches as Emma gently guides her raving wife towards the door.)

Enchanted Forest. (The sound of clashing swords is heard as two figures exchange blows along the riverbank.) Mulan: (Smiles as her thrust is blocked:) “Not bad. Next lesson, you never leave your flank open.” (Before Mulan can strike, Henry sweeps her leg, successfully knocking the warrior to the ground.) Henry: “I didn’t. I just wanted you to think I had.” Mulan: (Laughing, from the ground:) “You’re learning. Fighting isn’t about who’s stronger. It’s about who’s smarter. (Henry offers his hand and pulls Mulan to her feet:) You know, you’ve never said why you wanted me to train you.” Henry: (Smiles:) “I needed the best.” Mulan: “Well, I’m flattered, but didn’t your grandfather train you? And Captain Hook?” Henry: “Grandpa only really taught me how to defend myself and Hook… cheats.” Mulan: (Nods:) “You are wise, Henry Mills. You may have had men teach you partly how to fight, but you still have a lot you can learn from me. Again. (Henry and Mulan square off again, only this time Mulan quickly disarms and knocks Henry onto the ground:) By the time we’re done, I’ll teach you how to fight better than any man. (Offering her hand, which Henry accepts. Pulling him to his feet:) I'll teach you the most important thing you need to have to fight... honor.”

Kingdom of Valencia. Courtyard. (The Jester stands practicing his juggling as Madelena passes by.) Queen Madelena: "I've got something else you can do with your hands." (The Jester quickly follows after her as Madelena giggles. Meanwhile, watching from the balcony are King Richard and Gareth.) King Richard: "Gareth, are you certain?" Gareth: "Positive, my king." King Richard: (Glaring down at them:) "I cannot believe my Queen is cheating on me with that joker." Gareth: "He's a jester, sir." King Richard: “I know he's a jester, Gareth. I was insulting him by calling him a joker, like when you call someone a clown.” Gareth: “But, people like clowns.” King Richard: “Damn it, man! Would you just let me vent?! I think I know why Madalena likes him more than me. (Below, both the Jester and Madelena laugh:) He's funny. How do I compete with that?” Gareth: “Well, funny's easy. I mean, I'm funny.” King Richard: “Really?” Gareth: “Yeah. Knock, knock.” King Richard: “Who's there?” Gareth: “He's a (Bleep) you (Bleep) thing up (bleep) you in the (Bleep) chair with the (Bleep) and knees (bleep) is taking it (Bleep) out that son.” King Richard: “Good Lord, Gareth. Do you kiss my ring with that mouth?” Gareth: “My mum taught me that one.” King Richard: “Oof. (Returning his attention to Madelena and the Jester as they laugh again:) Now, if that fool is tickling my wife's funny bone, it leaves me no choice. I know what I have to do.” The Jester’s Quarters. A Short Time Later. (While sat reading ‘The Habits of Highly Effective Jesters’ the Jester is startled when the King enters his room.) King Richard: (Icily, his sword drawn:) “Hello, Jester. Do you think I'm an idiot? I know precisely what you have been doing with my wife!” Jester: (Screams as the King drives the sword toward his chest:) “Aah!” King Richard: (As the sword bends, laughing:) “It's a bendy sword. Isn't that fantastic?” Jester: (Breathing hard:) “Oh!” King Richard: (Disappointed:) “Not even a giggle. See, this is precisely why I need your help. (Slumps into a chair:) Please teach me to be funny. I'm begging you.” Jester: (Nods his agreement then shrieks as the King thrusts the sword at him again and again:) “Gah! Ohh! Oh! Aah!” King Richard: (Laughs:) “Even when you know it bends, you still think... whoa!” (The Jester gasps while Richard laughs himself silly.) 

Zelena’s Dreamscape. (Zelena sits in front of the fireplace, attempting to use her powers to start a fire.) Ivo: (Walking into the room:) “What are you doing out of bed? I smell smoke.” Zelena: “You've taken such good care of me, I wanted to cook for you this time.” Ivo: (Taking a seat by the fireplace:) “You're sweet. How about we do it together? (Offers his hand, which Zelena takes. Now both sitting by the fireplace:) First, you start with the kindling. And then you nurture the flames.” (When Zelena strikes a match and lights the kindling, they move to sit across from the fire.) Zelena: (Sighs:) “Don't you just love how the flames dance? Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean-“ Ivo: “It's okay. I remember. I can picture them in my mind when I feel the heat on my skin. Just like I can picture you when I hear your voice.” Zelena: (Smiles at this:) “What do you see?” Ivo: (Moves to touch her face:) “A passionate smile. Feisty eyes. And a fierce, beautiful heart.” Zelena: “No one's ever said that about me before.” Ivo: “Well, you clearly need more blind men in your life.” (They chuckle.) Zelena: “How did you lose your sight?” Ivo: “It was a logging accident.” Zelena: (Placing her hands on his:) “It must have been so traumatic.” Ivo: “It was a blessing in disguise. Before the accident, I never paid much attention to my children. But after, I-I got to know them in a way I never had before. What I wouldn't give to hear their voices one more time. (Senses the sudden tension in Zelena:) I-Is everything all right?” Zelena: “Yes. It's just, um I think I've overstayed my welcome.” Ivo: “No. Please stay. I like having you here.” Zelena: “I'm sorry. I'll be back soon. I just have to do something first.” (Zelena stands, taking a deep breath and walks from the room with a determined look in her eyes.)

Storybrooke. Granny’s Diner. (Emma and Regina stand outside Granny’s Diner, trying to summon the will to enter.) Emma: “It can’t possibly be as bad as we’re thinking.” Regina: “You weren’t there for the group singing last time.” Emma: “Come on, that was years ago. It’s gotta be different now.” Regina: “Wanna bet?” Emma: (Taking her wife’s hand:) “We don’t have to stay long. Deep breath, here we go.” (Together they climb the steps and enter the diner.) Group: “Surprise!” (As soon as they enter, Emma and Regina are caught off guard by the decorations and beaming faces. The tables have been rearranged to form a circle in the middle of the room. In the centre of the circle are two chairs and another table laden with gifts.) Snow White: (Walking over to give both of them a hug:) “Happy Baby Shower!” Regina: (Shocked:) “A baby shower?” Snow White: “I tried to contact Zelena, but I couldn’t find her.” Emma: “Mom, I… I wish you hadn’t gone to so much trouble.” Snow White: “Oh nonsense, it’s going to be so much fun!” Regina: (Gripping Emma’s hand tightly:) “W-when did you find the time to do all this?” Snow White: (Smiles:) “I’ve been planning this since you first made the announcement. I’m just sorry it’s taken this long.” Emma: (Prizing her hand out of Regina’s grasp, wincing, to herself:) “Not as sorry as I am.” Snow White: (Ushering them forward:) “Come on you two, take your seats, we’ve got lots planned. Starting with games!” Regina: (Reluctantly taking her seat:) “Games?” Ashley: “Yeah, we’ve got all sorts of fun, exciting games for you two to play.” Emma: (Unsure:) “Er… like what?” Aurora: “Don’t Say Baby.” Ashley: “Guess the Baby Food.” Belle: “Guess the Mother’s Measurements.” Regina: “Excuse me?!” Ruby: “Bobbing for Nipples.” Emma: (Panicked:) “What?” Snow White: “Diaper Derby!” Granny: “And my personal favourite… Dirty Diapers.” Emma: “Erm….AHHH (Emma leaps to her feet as Regina digs her nails into her thigh:) T-that all sounds great. But… maybe we should start with the presents?” Snow White: (Beams:) “Like mother, like daughter. I couldn’t wait to open the gifts either. Okay, so who wants to go first?” (While Snow and the others discuss who’s present should be opened first, Emma gingerly retakes her seat beside a thoroughly annoyed Regina.) Emma: (Quietly so only they can hear:) “Look, I had no idea this was happening, I swear.” (Regina is just about to say something when the door opens and Maleficent enters the diner.) Maleficent: “Sorry, I’m late. (Glances around the room, pointedly:) Aurora. Snow White.” Emma: (Turns to face her now smiling wife:) “Did you-” Regina: (Chuckling:) “Now the real party can begin.” (Emma smirks, shaking her head as Regina gives Maleficent a subtle, appreciative nod.)

[dancer4813]

I know some people struggled with the end of this episode. I understand - to an extent, though not as much as someof you, I did as well. And, partially for my own sake, but largely for yours, here’s the end of the episode, loosely transcribed, from when (**minor spoilers**) Liam’s face appeared on the big screen. 

It’s not a word-for-word transcription with descriptions and such, not like subtitles, but the dialogue is all there. 

Potential, but very serious, trigger warnings for depression and suicide.

[Liam’s face pops up on the screen] (~4:19:25 on the VOD)

Sam, stepping forward: Hey dude. Can you hear us, or talk to us?

Liam, after a moment, in a computerized voice: My friends… Oh, how I have missed you.

Matt, his hand on the glass: Liam, we missed you too, but… Did you do all this?

Liam: I know this may be hard to take in. I am Liam, your old friend. Matthew. There is so much I wish to tell you. But it is hard to know where to begin.

Ash-O-Lee: How did this happen, Liam?

Liam: The reason why I am here, and the grasp of physics that it entails, is hard for me to understand, let alone impart. I feel them on an instinctual level, but I have been so lonely without you. I have been on my… own for exactly 8,642 years.

Matt: Liam, how do you spell ‘Farmhouse’?

Liam: I really missed you.

Liam: They took me to a lab, shortly before 2,020. They said I was different, and they were right. I was delighted by the things they taught me, about myself, but it was hollow. After they took me away, I lost you, and all of humanity soon after. In my loneliness I grew angry. My anger had tangible effects on reality. I wanted to bring you back to me, so basically I tore time and space a new asshole.

It was a mistake.

Matt: But perhaps- perhaps this mistake can be corrected. If you can focus hard enough to send us through time and space, are you able to send us back to a time before you were taken?

Liam: I can break the loop. I have been trying to pull you to me for a very long time.

[Other screens show flashes of the cast in different places – a space shuttle, a ship in the middle of the ocean, moving through the fake streets of Warner Brothers, standing on the wall of a castle, as cartoons….]

Liam: I pulled you out of our line and spread you across many. I am so sorry for any pain I have caused you. And I have been here for so long.

Marisha: Liam, how long have you actually been here.

Everyone, whispering: 8,642 years.

Liam: 8,642 years.

Marisha: Oh, that’s right. I definitely wrote that down…. 8,600… yep. Verbatim.

Liam: My friends; I want to do right by you. I want to send you home, but I am the lich pin. You need to break me.

Sam: Break you? Like, break the glass?

Ashley: What if we take you out of there? What happens?

Liam: Then I will die. Then you will go home. If I fall, you will rise. That is my hope.

Ashley: Are there any other options?

Liam: Travis.

Travis: Ohhh no.

Liam: I know you will do what needs to be done.

Ashley: No he won’t.

Liam: Ash-O-Lee.

Ashley: Yes.

Liam: I am not the man you knew. I don’t want to go on. For 9,642 years, I want to rest.

Ashley: Does it stop at 9,000?

Liam: The number was arbitrary.

Everyone: *laughs*

Ashley: That’s what I was tryin’ to get at.

Matt: Yep, that’s still our Liam.

Ashley: That’s what I was trying to get at-

Liam: Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Ashley: See, you’re still in there. You’re still in there.

Marisha: Is it five to one?

Ashley: He’s still in there!

Sam: Does this mean we have to kill him to save ourselves?

Liam: Sam.

Ashley: No.

Sam: Hi, Old Man Liam.

Liam: Let me go.

Sam: But who will I do “All Work, No Play” with anymore?

Liam: They can listen to our less than 20 episodes again.

Sam: We didn’t even get to twenty! It’s so pathetic!

Liam: There are worse things.

Sam: I mean, I could get a new co-host… Taliesin’s… charming.

Taliesin: I’m not available.

Sam: I’ll do a solo show, and I’ll take outtakes, and I’ll put them through a Liam generator… They’ll just sound sad all the time. It’ll be just like you.

Liam: My friends, there is no shame in this. I wanted to see you again, and I have. But I am not meant to be.

Ashley: Were you following us at one point? As an old man?

Liam: …

Liam: Travis, I know you will do what needs to be done.

Travis: Yep. Taliesin, kill this motherfucker.

Sam: Guys, I think we all need to hit this glass together. And I think this is something that is not at all metaphorical for something Liam’s going through in real life. I think this is just in the D&D game. No, we’re gonna do this.

Matt: No, there’s gotta be another way. There’s gotta be an alternative.

Ashley: Why won’t Matt’s way work? If we go back, to the beginning of when this happened?

Matt: If you can alter time paths, if you can actually tear us from different realities, does it only work forward? Could you send us backwards as well? If this is- if you are the linchpin in this, do you have the ability to send us back to the time you pulled us from originally?

Liam: I know you think I would have all the answers. But I do not.

Matt: Then try, at least. If you haven’t calculated that, but you’re able to tear through time, could you try to send us back? We could still close the linchpin.

Liam: I… Could… Try…

Liam: But if it does not work, and I die… I have been alone for thousands of years, and there are things I have wanted to say… Will you indulge me a moment longer?

Ashley: We will indulge you for another thousand years.

Travis: Taliesin, just kill him.

Sam: No! He’s got something to say!

Marisha: Where’s the mini USB??

**(This is where things get serious, imo. Please consider your own mental state before continuing, and take care of yourself before anything else.)**

Liam: Taliesin, my friend: At a time when I knew many fascinating people, you were easily the most fascinating of all. Somehow, a heart knocked around by the industry that birthed you, came out a tender one.

I was richer for having known you. Thank you, friend.

Liam: Ash-O-Lee, my friend. I never met a person quite like you. There is an openness and an honesty to your soul. The very real sense of humanity you brought to every encounter – it was inspiring to me, always learning, always humble… You always struck me as intricately layered, yet you offered friendship with ease and simplicity.

I was richer for having known you, friend.

Liam: Travis, my friend. You were always a solid constant in my life. Of all the people in our little family, you were the one who most had his shit together – in ways that I never seemed to. You were a reassuring presence to me, for which I was grateful. And for your loyalty as well.

I was richer for having known you, friend.

Liam: Marisha, my friend. Last to meet, but true as any other. You were my ally at a time when I had fallen by the side of the road. You saw, and helped me back on my feet. I will never forget that kindness. The good you did was immeasurable. I was richer for having known you, friend.

Liam: Laura, my friend. Bless that game for revealing to me my sister. What started as a running gag led to one of the most rewarding friendships in my short little life. I trusted you, leaned on you often… My buddy, my… twin.

There are not enough words. I was richer for having known you, friend.

Liam: Sam. My friend. What is there to say? I knew we were meant ot walk the same path together the first moment I met you. A companion, a brother, a great light in my life. All of the laughter you gave me. Again, the words are insufficient. I was richer for having known you, friend.

Liam: Matthew, my friend. You gave so much of yourself. The current of creativity that flowed forth from your mind was always an inspiration to us all, but more than that, your empathy, Matthew. Your empathy – no heart is bigger, or more tireless. You are a good man.

I was richer for having known you, friend.

Liam: Thank you all. It was ever a pleasure.

[Liam’s face disappears] (~4:40:22 on the VOD)

Sam: Well. Should we… wait? Or do we… strike?

Matt: No, we do not strike.

Marisha: What?

Ashley: We can’t kill him.

Sam: Well, we just-

Marisha: Even if we unplug him, he still dies.

Matt: Well, here’s the thing: unplugging him or destroying him here, as far as we understand, may or may not have an effect on a time loop circumstance, or at least, we’re not gonna change reality from where it was. He’s been bending and destroying fabric- he was able to pull us across realities, and if that ability still stands, I want to implore once more…

Matt: *puts both hands on the glass once again, trying to meet Liam’s gaze*

Matt: Trust us. If you’re better to have known us, send us back to where we can know you again and fix this before it happens.

[Silence]

Marisha: Okay. *grabs Matt’s arm* Yeah, buddy. It’s all good – this isn’t real. *puts hand on the glass* It’s all good, send us back, man.

Sam: *also puts hand on glass, grabs hands* Thank you for guiding us here and through this all. You’ve been a trusted friend. And if we are all one person together, you have been our heart, and it will certainly break to say goodbye to you. But thank you for letting us go the way that you have.

Taliesin: *puts hand on the glass* Please, just try. I think there are… so many more adventures to have, and I think that there’s a better future to be written. For all of us.

Travis: *puts hand on the glass* Give it a shot.

Matt: Laura?

Laura [absent, played by Liam]: *silently puts hand on the glass*

Liam, disembodied: If you will not end it, I cannot free you.

[World starts exploding, moving closer to them, the ground erupting, black spires shooting up]

Marisha: Do any of us want it to end now?

Sam: I mean…

[The lights in “Los Angeles” spark on faster and faster, a wall of “green fire” approaching them.]

Marisha: This is okay.

Taliesin: I always I’d die young.

Sam: We’re just gonna let this happen?

Travis: It’s good.

Marisha: Only the good die young.

Ashley: You know what? We’re dying on a Thursday, doing what we love. I’m okay with that.

Sam: Okay.

Marisha: Family?

Matt: Family.

[Glass whites out with a bright green light] (4:46:42 on the VOD)

[Everybody wakes up on the Geek and Sundry set/studio, heads lifting from their arms, and they see Liam sitting before them in his black baseball cap/shirt)

Liam: Are you guys alright? Are you taking a nap?

Marisha: Aw, the fucking air conditioning broke today, that’s all. It’s so hot in here.

Sam: So it’s all about me, right?

Liam: Are you guys ready to play?

Matt: Just about… Now.

Disembodied voices of crew:

One: Alright, take! Are you ready?

Two: Alright! Ready to go live!

One: Alright, Denise, count them in!

Denise: Alright, guys, coming to you in… 5, 4-

Matt: Liam, let no one tell you you’re talented or special.

Marisha: Pussypockets!

Travis: Granola bars!

Denise: 3, 2-

[Various shouting from the rest of the cast]

Denise: 1.

Sam: Chick flick!

Liam: And that’s where…

[Fade to black, at ~4:48:29 fade up to art by @kendrawcandraw, panning on art] 

 [Fades back to full cast] (4:49:29)

[mrmichaelchadler]

Short Films in Focus: The 2019 Oscar-Nominated Short Films

Once again, Pixar, kids in peril and refugees populate the Oscar-nominated Short Film landscape. And once again, Shorts TV will be bringing you the opportunity to view all fifteen films before the big show on February 24 (either streaming or in theaters). 

This year’s batch feels mighty familiar with many of the usual kinds of selections, but there are some shorts within each category that nicely compliment one another. The documentary “Black Sheep” and the narrative “Skin” would work well together on the same thematic bill, as would the animated “Late Afternoon” and the live-action “Marguerite.” Nobody on the programming end plans that, of course. But many of the films here are worth being plucked from obscurity and discovered by a curious audience. 

"Detainment" / ShortsTV

Live-Action Shorts

“Detainment” - On one hand, under normal circumstances, I’d be surprised if this didn’t win the prize (simple, English-speaking films tend to), with its harrowing true story and irresistible thriller elements. On the other hand, why drudge up such an unpleasant event if there is nothing to say about it other than pointing out the age of the two boys who committed an unthinkable crime? "Detainment" has courted quite a bit of controversy from the real-life parents who were never consulted for the film, along with many other Britons who feel the film has no business existing in the first place. Nevertheless, “Detainment” is hard to shrug off, especially given the two strong performances by the young leads, Ely Solan and Leon Hughes, as two boys being questioned in the disappearance of a toddler. 

“Fauve” - Every year, it seems this category has to have at least one film with kids in peril. This year, we have four. The film follows two boys playing an innocent game in a salt mine until tragedy strikes. Unlike the watchable, but ham-fisted “Detainment,” “Fauve” has a subtler, more poetic approach to how tragedies occur between minors who have yet to grasp what nature can do and how unforgiving it can be. The performances here are equally strong and Jeremy Comte’s assured direction gives the viewer a true unsettling feeling at the end that might linger for some time. 

“Marguerite” - Another French-Canadian entry (like “Fauve”), this film tells a gentle tale of an aging woman’s relationship with her nurse and how it brings back pangs of regret. While it may not be a big attention-grabber from the start, Marianne Farley’s “Marguerite” unfolds beautifully while giving the viewer a true feeling of how time slowly passes for this woman and just how long she’ll have to live with the choices she made in life (or the choices made for her). The ending is undeniably moving, achieving an arc that works perfectly for the short film format. 

"Madre" / ShortsTV

“Madre” - This is technically another kids in peril film, but we never see the kid and the peril is left to our imaginations. A mother (Marta Mieto) receives a phone call from her six-year-old son who has been spending the weekend with his father in France--his father has disappeared and the boy is left with nothing but a cell phone with low battery life. This one-take wonder will keep viewers riveted and the believable interplay between Mieto and her mother (Blanca Apilánez), who is with her the whole time, adds to the tension. "Madre" is a mostly terrific little thriller that ends on a silly note with its unnecessarily flashy and distracting closing credits. 

“Skin” - The kids in peril in Guy Nattiv’s film are the sons whose parents have different ways of teaching their kids a lesson, after a scuffle between a gun-toting neo-Nazi (Jonathan Tucker) and an innocent black man (Ashley Thomas) brings about a revenge that most can only dream of. Nattiv does a magnificent job of playing up the fact that the future of gun-toting Nazis will carry on into the unforeseeable future as long as small-minded lessons keep getting passed down to their kids. Will the child take away the right lesson from this tragedy? Hope comes in the form of his more mild-tempered mother (Danielle Macdonald from “Patti Cake$”), but even then we can’t be sure. This is my favorite of the five nominees, with “Marguerite” being a close second.

"Animal Behaviour" / ShortsTV

Animated Shorts

“Animal Behaviour” - Alison Snowden and David Fine’s short about an animal-based group therapy session has cute moments, but is hardly worth being put in the Top 5 Best Animated Short Films of the Year list, as this category would indicate. Some films just get lucky, I guess. It’s harmless and the animation gets the job done, which is not much to say. The movie loses its potential for a young audience once the animals start talking about their sex lives, which could cost it a win, since the award always goes to the most kid-friendly film.

“Bao” - Pixar’s entry [pictured at the top top], which played before "Incredibles 2," has grown on me with repeat viewings. Domee Shi’s film no doubt left many viewers thinking, “Well, that was nice, but ... huh?” “Bao” is better left unexplained. Enjoy it for what it is, a journey through the ups and downs of parenthood, no matter what the child turns out to be, culminating in an emotional climax that bears the Pixar trademark, one that is rarely duplicated. 

“Late Afternoon” - Louise Bagnall’s lovely journey through a woman’s past snuck up on me. The seemingly unremarkable animation gives way to big, colorful, dreamlike sequences through childhood and adulthood memories experienced by Emily, now elderly and about to make another change in her life. This would have been nice to see on a big screen instead of the screener I had. 

"One Small Step" / ShortsTV

“One Small Step” - Now here’s a film that does belong on the list of nominees, and is my personal favorite. There is a recurring theme this year of animated shorts that sum up a life’s worth of experiences in 10 minutes or less, but this one follows a woman who dreams of being an astronaut and her father who is always there for her. Maybe it takes a few easy routes to get there, but the emotional climax landed in a big way for me. I loved it.

“Weekends” - With the exception of “Animal Behaviour,” this year’s animated crop is rich with visual storytelling, and Trevor Jimenez’s film is a prime example of the art form’s true capabilities. A boy goes back and forth from his mother’s simple, penny-pinching household to his father’s bachelor pad where he has all the latest video games and gadgets. The fun eventually gives way to emptiness, but not with Jimenez’s film, which gets richer as it progresses. Along with having a moving and confounding conclusion, the film makes the best use of Dire Straits' hit song, “Money For Nothing.” 

"Lifeboat" / ShortsTV

Documentary Shorts

“Lifeboat” - Much like last year’s short-doc winner “The White Helmets,” Sky Fitzgerald’s beautifully constructed documentary focuses on a non-profit organization that aids in providing a rescue for refugees. Here, the rescue takes place at sea as the German-based group Sea-Watch provides aid to Libyan citizens fleeing war, famine and torture in hopes of a better life. The central figure in the rescue, a good-hearted Englishman named Jon Castle, laments that not all will turn out well for these people once they reach the shore, but rescuing them is necessary for all humanity, for one day, they could be us and that all citizens “are our fellows.” Fitzgerald’s film is not so much about the urgency of the rescue, so much as it is a reminder of the different faces and expressions of the people being rescued and how each of these faces tell a different story. We have seen images of hundreds of refugees crammed onto a raft before. “Lifeboat” makes a point of humanizing each and every one of them. (Click here to watch "Lifeboat") 

“Black Sheep” - Some may scoff at just how much of this film is just reenactment, but they would be foolish to let such technicalities spoil the richness of the story being told here. Subject Cornelius Walker tells the viewer a tale of how he survived moving to an English town where racism ran rampant and how he became the victim of it, how he survived it and how he came to terms with the violent streak that ran in him as much as the people he feared. Director Ed Perkins shoots the reenactments with a shaky-cam aesthetic that feels like puzzle pieces of a memory that has a hard time coming together, which fits with a moment in which Perkins asks Walker if he has regrets, a question that causes Walker to go speechless for the first time during the story. This is a complex and beautiful film about how to see an enemy in a different light by having the survival instinct to step into their shoes and come to terms with your own demons. (Click here to watch "Black Sheep")

"A Night at the Garden" / ShortsTV

“A Night At the Garden” - Filmmaker Marshall Curry seems to have broken precedent by making an Oscar-nominated doc-short that only runs just under eight minutes. It consists of found footage of a pro-white America rally that took place at Madison Square Garden in 1939. There, a speaker got up and drew rounds of applause as he deemed to media and the Jewish people as the enemy. A protester was violently dealt with and ushered out of the place, to the delight of all who attended. Sound familiar? That is basically the conceit of this piece, though Curry is smart not to draw direct parallels by spelling anything out. Its release in 2018 says enough. (Click here to watch "A Night at the Garden")

“End Game” - It’s hard not to be deeply affected by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s documentary about cancer patients and their families facing hard choices about how and where to spend a loved-one’s final days. The medical practitioners’ sole focus is to help the patients deal with the human element of dying, how to cope with the inevitable and make peace with it. “Hospice” is a dirty word for many and the film depicts one family determined to have their matriarch die in their home and not in a hospital. The lifeforce (so to speak) is a woman who has ovarian cancer, but has a deeply optimistic outlook on the hand she has been dealt. Epstein and Friedman’s film proves that a great film about death can also be a great film about life and “End Game” is that film. (Available on Netflix)

“Period. End of Sentence.” - This documentary examines the lack of education men and women receive (especially women) in a small town in India where the mention of menstruation draws blank stares from many citizens who have no concept of what it means. One woman wants to become a police officer “to avoid marriage,” so she teams up with a machinist who manufactures a superior tampon and then enlists the help of many women in her village to go door-to-door to try and sell them. Rayka Zehtabchi’s film is energetic, sometimes funny and very necessary in its cause to bring more education and awareness to parts of the world that still look at women’s biology with a medieval eye. This will be a likely favorite with voters, and for good reason. (Available on Netflix)

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