2026 Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts
The 2026 Oscar nominated live action shorts feature two amusing modernizations of literature from previous centuries, a well worn narrative elevated by its actors, an Israeli indictment of Palestinian oppression and France's second short in a row about an aversion to kissing.
Laura's Review: B
Director/cinematographer/editor Sam A. Davis' "The Singers" is an improvised, modern day adaptation of a 19th
century short story. In a dimly lit bar whose patrons are illuminated by the golden glow emanating from behind it, one man hits others up for money or a drink until the bartender tells him that while he is welcome, he needs to stop harassing people. The man offers him a song for a beer and the proprietor turns it into a contest - whoever is the best singer will win not only a beer, but the $100 bill tacked onto the ceiling. An old man surprises with his rendition of 'House of the Rising Sun,' the guy who started it all takes to the piano and impresses, but the biggest surprises will come from the most unlikely places. "The Singers" is beautifully shot and should leave you with a smile on your face. B+
Writer/director Lee Knight's canny casting of Miriam Margolyes gives a serious advantage to "A Friend of Dorothy," a well worn tale about an unlikely friendship between an isolated elderly woman and the young black
footballer, J.J. (Alistair Nwachukwu), who rings her doorbell one afternoon thinking his ball is in her garden (we'll see it much later suspended in a vine). The central story is a flashback sprung from the frame narrative of the reading of Dorothy Woodley's (Margolyes) will by Dickie (Stephen Fry) to her grandson Scott (Oscar Lloyd) and J.J., the former, a suited snob, constantly demanding to know why the latter is present. The flashback introduces us to a wealthy arts patron struggling to open a can of prunes when her doorbell rings. She asks unusual questions of the handsome young man, then invites him in to help her open that can and when she finds him checking out her extensive library, has him read from Matthew López's LGBTQ+ play 'The Inheritance,' her radar having surmised something about him. He learns she supports the theater and is the Dorothy of 'Friends of Dorothy,' while she finds a budding actor to encourage and the friendship blossoms quickly and deeply, J.J. visiting daily. Margolyes may as well be playing herself, her delightful frankness amusing, while Nwachukwu impresses in what may provide a breakthrough. Knight gives us a slight twist on the expected ending. It's a charmer. B
In Meyer Levinson-Blount's "Butcher's Stain" a Palestinian butcher, Samir (Omar Sameer), is an exceptional member of an Israeli supermarket, appearing well liked by the Israeli staff until he's called into the office by the
owner's daughter having been accused by an employee she refuses to name of tearing down the Israeli hostage poster in the breakroom every day. She offers to let it go if he confesses but Samir, a divorced man struggling to support his son, is astonished, vehemently denying having done such a thing. The owner tells his daughter they have no proof, not wishing to let the man go, but when Samir uncovers the identity of his accuser, a shock to both him and us, she acts on his angry outburst, firing him. Levinson-Blount finds an ironic answer to the mystery of just how that poster is ending up on the floor in his concise exploration of the effects of Oct. 7 on Israeli-Palestinian relations, but his accuser's motivation isn't well articulated. B-
Last year's short animation nominee from France, "Yuck!," was about children recoiling from witnessing people kissing at a campground until two of them discover just what all the fuss is about. This year, Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh's "Two People Exchanging Saliva" is a black and white French sci-fi film about a society so averse to kissing, those caught are put into a coffin and thrown into a pit. This nominee has an intriguing build, beginning with one of those coffins, a woman's muffled cries coming from inside, being thrown over a cliff, then slowly revealing just what is going on. Chapter 1 introduces us to Malaise ("Portrait of a Lady on Fire's" Luàna Bajrami), a pretty young woman about to turn twenty-five on her first day at a job in a department store. Employees gather in lines outside, blowing into the face of a security guard before entering. When we see Malaise serving champagne in the interior entrance, we at first surmise she was being tested for alcohol, but when she arrives back at her apartment, a horrified elderly neighbor tells her two teenagers were 'swapping spit' in the stairwell, then offers her garlic gum. In Chapter 2, Malaise puts supervisor Pétulante's (Aurélie Boquien) nose out of joint when her best customer, Angine (Zar Amir Ebrahimi, "Holy Spider"), switches her patronage to Malaise, who has a knack for choosing just the right things for the elegant client. As the two women grow closer, Pétulante grows more suspicious, especially after hearing Malaise clandestinely brushing her teeth in the ladies room. Chapter 3 reveals the dual heartbreak surrounding Malaise's 25th birthday. This odd imagining of a futuristic society features consumers sporting bruised cheeks, goods paid for by an escalating number of slaps to the face and features arresting production design, a violin score and narration by Vicky Krieps. This is my pick to win in a difficult-to-predict category. B+
Writer/directors Steve Pinder and Julia Aks chose their title quite literally. "Jane Austen's Period Drama" takes
the discomfort around discussing women's menstruation and exacerbates it by plunking into a Jane Austen 'period' parody. During a walk around a garden Mr. Dickley (Lachlan Ta'imua Hannemann) prepares to propose to Miss Estrogenia Talbot (Julia Aks), but when he gets down on one knee, he is faced by a bloody streak on her white gown. Thinking she's been injured, the alarmed man carries her back to the Talbot estate, placing her on a settee and calling for a doctor, but Essy's sisters Labinia (Samantha Smart) and Vagianna (Nicole Alyse Nelson) panic when Essy wishes to tell him the truth, advising her to tell him that she ran into a bush. A feisty chicken adds to a cheeky comedy where Mr. Dickey learns the facts of life without suffering a fainting spell. B
Roadside Attractions releases the 2026 Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts in theaters on 2/20/26. Click here for theaters and playdates.
