Last week, I caught the program for Best Live Action Short Subject. I'd meant to put this in one post with the nominees for Best Animated Short Subject, but as I've only seen two of them, that will have to wait (they're all online now, though, so look for that soon).

Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw) - A man's unusual job (photographing the shadows of the deceased for a collector) leads to a turning point. Scores points for originality and emotion; the bittersweet ending works nicely.

Henry - An old man finds that his life with his beloved isn't what it appears to be. Maybe, it was the subject matter, or maybe, I guessed the twist early on, but this just didn't engage me.

Curfew - A suicidal screw-up wouldn't seem to be the ideal choice to watch after a little girl, but... WTF dance sequence aside, a very affecting little story, with fine performances and beautiful night photography.

Buzkashi Boys - Two Afghani boys are fascinated by a peculiar sport. Decent story is given a lift by a nice score and good acting by the youngsters. Best of all is the locale: taking a trip to Afghanistan is an ill-advised decision, but the place looks amazing in this short.

Asad - A South African boy's fishing trip takes an unusual turn. I found this uneven; the boy was quite good and the scenery was nice, but it kind of goes south when he stumbles upon the boat (an attempt at social relevance that fell flat for me). Abrupt ending, too.

If I had to pick one..."Curfew", though it'll likely go to "Buzkashi Boys", which I'm okay with.