Spring Break
Oscar nominated short live action films bring European art to the big screen
Marjorie Hamburger
Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: Verve
Going to the pictures these days is an epic endeavor. Many films run from two to three hours, leaving audiences feeling restless and often sore in the tush. For those with a limited attention span or those who just want to keep their circulation going, I suggest viewing the five short films that were nominated for best short live action feature at this year's Oscars.
The Lyric Cinema Café, located on Mountain Street in Old Town, is showing a special screening of all five shorts back to back until March 12 for audiences to embrace a unique form of cinema. These five short films are all from foreign countries including Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, France and Ireland.
"Spielzeugland" ("Toyland") -- Germany
From director Jochen Alexander Freydank comes the story of a young boy named Heinrich whose childhood is intertwined in WWII Germany. The Nazis are taking his close Jewish friend and his friend's family away to somewhere he can't go. To shield Heinrich from the harsh reality of his friend's fate, his mother explains that the Jews are going to a place called "Toyland."
"Auf der Strecke" ("On the Line") -- Germany/Switzerland
Reto Caffi directs this unsettling drama about a department store security guard who falls for a woman working at the department's bookstore. He later witnesses a horrible crime on a subway, which he chooses to walk away from rather than intervene with. Later he discovers the relationship that the individual scrutinized on the subway has to his bookstore crush, and his conscience takes a downward plunge.
"Grisen" ("The Pig") -- Denmark
This Danish comedy by director Dorthe Warno Hogh is about an elderly man's stay in a hospital as the doctors figure out whether or not he has cancer. During his stay, the only thing giving the man comfort is a painting of a pig on the wall. One morning he wakes to find the painting gone, resulting in his obstinate attempts to regain what he calls his "guardian angel pig."
The Lyric Cinema Café, located on Mountain Street in Old Town, is showing a special screening of all five shorts back to back until March 12 for audiences to embrace a unique form of cinema. These five short films are all from foreign countries including Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, France and Ireland.
"Spielzeugland" ("Toyland") -- Germany
From director Jochen Alexander Freydank comes the story of a young boy named Heinrich whose childhood is intertwined in WWII Germany. The Nazis are taking his close Jewish friend and his friend's family away to somewhere he can't go. To shield Heinrich from the harsh reality of his friend's fate, his mother explains that the Jews are going to a place called "Toyland."
"Auf der Strecke" ("On the Line") -- Germany/Switzerland
Reto Caffi directs this unsettling drama about a department store security guard who falls for a woman working at the department's bookstore. He later witnesses a horrible crime on a subway, which he chooses to walk away from rather than intervene with. Later he discovers the relationship that the individual scrutinized on the subway has to his bookstore crush, and his conscience takes a downward plunge.
"Grisen" ("The Pig") -- Denmark
This Danish comedy by director Dorthe Warno Hogh is about an elderly man's stay in a hospital as the doctors figure out whether or not he has cancer. During his stay, the only thing giving the man comfort is a painting of a pig on the wall. One morning he wakes to find the painting gone, resulting in his obstinate attempts to regain what he calls his "guardian angel pig."
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