Much like the live action and animated short fields, in order for voters to cast their ballots for the documentary short category, they have to attend screenings of all the nominees. This tends to make these categories a bit tougher to predict, because they are frequently immune to noise in the media. You screen, you vote.

However, if you’re aware of what the committee likes, you can eventually find the pulse. In all these fields, these committees tend to appreciate doing a lot within the time frame constrictions of a short film, which is why animated shorts that resonate, live action shorts with high production value and documentary shorts that succinctly tackle a subject always come out on top.

The nominees are:

“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” (Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neil)
“The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardener” (Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher)
“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” (Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert)
“Music by Prudence” (Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett)
“Rabbit à la Berlin” (Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra)

Two of the nominees really stand out for the emotional impact they serve, the sense of immediacy they evoke and the overall issues behind the images. I would consider them the ones to watch in the category.

One of them, “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province,” is the best, most relevant of the year’s nominees and could upset the perceived frontrunner. It is heavy on emotion, the filmmakers following parents grief-stricken by the loss of their children in Sichuan’s May 2008 earthquake, which reduced many shoddily constructed schools to rubble in mere seconds. Much like Spike Lee’s “When the Levees Broke,” the repetition of the piece is almost the point, as the country’s citizens seem to get nowhere with local government officials. The most powerful imagery is captured on a 70-mile march to the provincial capital, parents holding photos of their departed and arguing with government officials along the way, defiance in the face of oppression. This is the kind of film that deserves an award.

The social issue entry this year is “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner,” an account of the former Washington governor’s fight on behalf of “death with dignity,” or, to put it more bluntly, “assisted suicide.” Gardner was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease after leaving office and says repeatedly throughout the film that he wants to leave this life on his own terms, but beyond that conviction, the film rarely registers profound notes while addressing this clearly complicated issue. The filmmakers do a decent job of balancing the scales by depicting, less robustly, of course, Gardner’s opposition in getting an initiative on the state ballot, but for the most part, it attempts to be a portrait of the man and his mission. And even then, Gardner and his disposition seem a bit elusive throughout.

On one hand, it’s difficult to watch “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” without considering the fact that GM’s product is obsolete and harmful to the environment. But the filmmakers aren’t concerned with political overtones with their piece. Moreover, the film is a document of a family disintegrated, a microcosm for the threads of a nation slowly unravelling. It is a portrait of the end of an era, and as such, it speaks most directly to the here and now than any of the other films nominated. It packs an emotional if not entirely insightful punch in its depiction of factory workers remembering lives defined by their work, lost in transition. But while the film will likely win the Oscar, it’s unfortunate that its makers didn’t try for broader, more compelling commentary that would have been even more relevant.

Last year’s winner int he category, “Smile Pinke,” told the story of children deformed and hoping for a normal life through cosmetic surgery. The deformed men and women of “Music by Prudence” do not have that option, however, and find their normalcy through music and each other’s loving company. The film focuses largely on Prudence Mabhena, an angel-voiced singer and leader of a Zimbabwe-based musical troupe whose members are afflicted by body crippling conditions such as spina bifida and congenital joint impairment. The film follows the expected rhythms, but as an audience member, I found myself more interested in the infuriating story of how her parents seemingly disowned her. Regardless, the film does a nice job of capturing Mabhena’s passion for what she does.

Few will argue with the fact that “Rabbit à la Berlin” is the most unique entry in the field this year. Telling the story of the Berlin Wall from the point of view of the numerous rabbits that lived in the Potsdamer Platz between the east and west boundary walls in a lush preserve for many years, it has a nature film vibe and uses tons of historical footage. It’s nifty, and a novel way to tell a history lesson, but it certainly doesn’t have much gravitas. When you’re looking at films about a destitute economy, crooked government regulations, socio-political battles and uplifting passions against all odds, it’s tough to take this one seriously. Having said that, it is the last of the films to screen at sessions for voting members, so if anyone walks out feeling all warm and fuzzy because of the cute bunnies…

Will win: “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant”
Could win: “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province”
Should win: “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province”

Should have been here: (abstain)

What do you think deserves to win this year’s Oscar for Best Documentary Short? Have your say in the sidebar poll! (Note: I recognize most of you will not have seen all of the films and therefore don’t have an opinion on the matter, but in the service of uniformity, we’ll offer a poll anyway.)

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