Among the Academy Award nominees each year, the live action shorts are probably some of the least seen, especially when there's a Hollywood movie where Tom Cruise narrowly avoids all danger. A real pity, because "Le pupille" ("The Pupils" in English) is one that everybody should see. Alice Rohrwacher's short depicts a Catholic boarding school in WWII-era Italy. The nuns try to keep the girls in line, but there's a girl itching to rebel.
It's appropriate that Rohrwacher's short is nominated in the same year as "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio", also set in fascist Italy. Both movies depict a desire to reject a strictly enforced order. Above all, this short reminds us that kids are often smarter than we give them credit for. I haven't seen the rest of the nominees for Best Live Action Short, but I'd say that this one would be fully justified in winning. Definitely check it out if you get a chance.
It's appropriate that Rohrwacher's short is nominated in the same year as "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio", also set in fascist Italy. Both movies depict a desire to reject a strictly enforced order. Above all, this short reminds us that kids are often smarter than we give them credit for. I haven't seen the rest of the nominees for Best Live Action Short, but I'd say that this one would be fully justified in winning. Definitely check it out if you get a chance.