This year's batch of Oscar nominated live action shorts is exceptionally strong. Because of this, it's hard to say who the odds on favorite should be for award, though I think "DeKalb Elementary" would not be a bad choice.
The story is very simple. A young, troubled man walks into the office of an elementary school and whips out an AK (I am no expert and can't tell if it's an AK-47 or one of the later models). He fires a few shots but inexplicably does NOT go off on a murderous rampage. What follows is a troubling story about the 'death by cop' phenomenon as well as the incredibly brave woman who helped to de-escalate this awful situation. And, it's apparently based on a real story.
Why did I love this story so much? Well, there were two reasons. First, it was not yet another film about a gun massacre...there's more to it than that. Second, and more importantly, the acting was shockingly good...which also says a lot about the direction of "DeKalb Elementary". I would sure love to see more from these folks.
