Boogaloo and Graham

The concluding short in the Shorts HD sponsored special of the Oscar nominated live action short films of 2015 is also the most narratively and thematically simple. Boogaloo and Graham focuses on two young brothers, Jamesy (Riley Hamilton) and Malachy (Aaron Lynch), from Northern Island, who are gifted two baby chickens by their father (Martin McCann) at a young age. The two brothers nurse, care for, and love their chickens with all their hearts, using them as a distraction from the repercussions of military-occupied Ireland.

When their father and mother (Charlene McKenna) announce they are expecting a baby, that means the two beloved chickens - named Boogaloo and Graham - need to go, much to the dismay of the boys. This short, while admittedly slight fluff, shows how occasionally fair and blatantly unfair adults can be, not providing justification for their actions nor thinking through what they are teaching their children. Boogaloo and Graham functions in that cute and nostalgic feeling of childhood whimsy and optimism, despite this particular short being set in a place evidently burdened by an outside force. Because it gets an uncommon idea right, it deserves to at least be seen; being nominated is a different story.

Starring: Riley Hamilton, Aaron Lynch, Martin McCann, and Charlene McKenna. Directed by: Michael Lennox.