Today I went to the annual showing of the Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts. I've gone to these showings for at least a decade and must admit that this year's batch was the most god-awful films....all of them very depressing and a few so depressing that I left the theater wanting to shoot myself!! Of the five, "Marguerite" was the least depressing...and it revolves around a woman who is nearing her own death!
Marianne Farley wrote and directed this French-Canadian short. It's a daring film in many ways, as I have noticed that society is afraid to look at aging and death...and Marguerite is elderly and obviously approaching the end of her life. It also has an LGBT theme....not so daring when it comes to Oscars, though daring as far as finding an audience for such a film.
The best things about this film were the acting by Béatrice Picard and Sandrine Bisson. Picard, in particular, impressed me as she allowed herself to be filmed naked in several scenes (they were tastefully done) as well as having close-ups of her wrinkles and weary self. Additionally, the story is interesting and simple...and worth seeing.
Will this one win the Oscar? Probably not, though Hollywood has seemed to have a lot of interest in LGBT themes in recent years....so who knows. Is it the best of the lot, in my opinion, no...though it is still quite good and only somewhat depressing.
