Reviewing the 2025 Best Live-Action Short Film Nominees

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Telling a complete story in less than 30 minutes is no small feat, even if the shorter runtime may seem to tell you otherwise. Adequately developing your characters and themes while establishing a strong visual language in a short timeframe takes a skilled hand; the hardest part of all is combining all of this into a fully satisfying narrative that doesn’t leave the audience wanting more.

So, while they may not have the time to tell the entire story, short filmmakers usually focus on the experimental concepts and themes that can be explored since telling a traditional long-form narrative is out the window. With concepts like immigration, child labor, artificial intelligence, poaching, and ethnic cleansing being examined, these five short films are global and far-reaching, relevant to all of us in some way, no matter where or when we come from.

A Lien

A Lien follows American woman Sophia Gomez (Victoria Ratermanis), her undocumented husband Oscar (William Martinez), and their daughter Nina (Koralyn Rivera) on the way to immigration offices so Oscar can get his green card. During Oscar’s meeting, ICE performs a sting operation and begins arresting undocumented immigrants, causing Sophia to panic and try to prevent Oscar’s arrest.

Written and directed by David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz, A Lien is an incredibly tense 15 minutes that starts off frantic right off the bat and never lets up. Employing a shaky, handheld camera style with lots of cuts, it felt very reminiscent of Paul Greengrass’ Bourne movies, where things are chaotic yet coherent. A similar washed-out color palette is also implemented here, which makes the movie look quite drab, but I suppose that does match the hopeless situation.

The increasing anxiety Sophia and Oscar feel seeps through the screen, where you feel just as on edge as they are. The heartbreaking lead performances from Victoria Ratermanis and William Martinez are incredibly authentic and they come off as if they are a real family being torn apart. Whether they were behind the camera or in front of it, everyone involved here put in the effort to make this feel like the living nightmare it is for so many families in real life.

As it goes with some short films, I would have liked to have seen a more concrete resolution for these characters, but A Lien is one of those shorts that makes its point, makes it boldly, and elicits an emotional response out of the audience it’s going for. I can see this winning the Best Live Action Short Film Oscar because it’s not just a great short film, but the topical subject matter gives it an edge.

My rating: 8.5/10

Anuja

Anuja (Sajda Pathan) is a young girl growing up in India with her older sister Palak (Ananya Shanbhag). An incredibly intelligent child stuck working in a sweatshop, Anuja gets the chance of a lifetime when she’s given the opportunity to take an exam and attend school. Now, with two paths to take in life, Anuja must make a decision that will change her and Palak’s lives forever.

Produced by Mindy Kaling and written and directed by philosophy professor Adam J. Graves, Anuja explores the lives of young children, particularly girls, and how their labor is exploited by the Indian government and businesses. It’s not too different from other stories about growing up poor in India, but the atmospheric presentation and talented young cast are engaging.

Graves captures that feeling of childhood innocence where Anuja is just a bit too young to know better and realize how she’s being taken advantage of. From her point of view, both her boss at the sweatshop and the schoolteacher who wants her to take the exam are basically the same: male authority figures who think they know what’s best for but are saying different things. She has no choice but to let Palak guide her and inspire her to go with her gut.

The performances from Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag are incredibly endearing, especially for such young, inexperienced actors. They’re both charismatic and carry the scenes that don’t feature any dialogue, showing a strong sisterly chemistry. Even if the environment they’re growing up in is far less than ideal, they maintain their charming, childlike innocence and can hold onto hope during it all.

Similar to A Lien, I would have preferred a more concrete resolution to the journey of Anuja, but the subject matter is important and well-woven throughout the brief narrative. This was produced with the assistance of actual organizations in India that fight for children’s rights, so if some awareness can be spread and a positive impact can be made from these kinds of films existing, then the filmmakers more than did their job.

My rating: 8/10

I’m Not a Robot

Lara (Ellen Parren) has found herself in quite a predicament: after being locked out of her online accounts and forced to reset her password, she fails the CAPTCHA verification system to prove she’s not a robot. “Well, I’m Not a Robot,” Lara logically thinks, trying the process again and again to no avail. Hmmm... maybe she is a robot…

I’m Not a Robot was easily the weakest out of the five nominees, and not because it’s bad. It’s okay, but for 22 minutes, it feels like writer-director Victoria Warmerdam doesn’t quite utilize her brief amount of time to tell a satisfying story. It starts off with a dry comedic tone when Lara keeps failing the CAPTCHA system and then has to speak with an unhelpful customer service rep, but then turns into more of a paranoid thriller after that.

The execution of it all is where it falters. The ideas Warmerdam brings up about artificial intelligence and bodily autonomy are interesting, but Lara’s character isn’t properly developed enough to explore them, especially when more characters are introduced. It’s funny that a sci-fi movie with a similar premise recently came out in theaters, but that one actually got the freedom to develop it and take it to the fullest. I’m Not a Robot, unfortunately, lands with a thud... literally.

My rating: 5.5/10

The Last Ranger

Litha (Liyabona Mroqoza) is a young girl living in South Africa with her father, Thabo (Makhaola Ndebele), who is desperate to find a job. One day, Litha is shown the majestic white rhinos by Khselwa (Avumile Oongqo), The Last Ranger who watches over them in their preserve. Later that day, Litha finds herself caught in the middle of a firefight between Khselwa and a group of poachers who have come to harvest the rhino’s horns.

This one was the best of the bunch for me, mostly because it’s the only one to really tell a complete story. Out of these five nominees, it definitely had the most time to benefit from with 28 minutes, but director Cindy Lee and screenwriters David S. Lee (who also plays one of the rangers) & Dawin Shaw & Will Hawkes make the most of it and craft a narrative with a concrete beginning, middle, and end. The setting and characters are clearly established with the actors vividly bringing them to life while inhabiting these gorgeous African landscapes.

It all leads to a tense and emotional final five minutes when the firefight with the poachers occurs. Where it’s all going to go with our characters is all a bit predictable, but the emotional weight of the events is still there, challenging the audience to ruminate on what causes poaching in the first place. The filmmakers take things a step further at the very end, with a legitimate surprise that doesn’t just enhance the film preceding it but shows what these rangers do to protect endangered species is all worth it in the end.

Animals are an easy way into my heart, and what I think poachers and black markets have done to some of the wildlife on our planet is simply tragic. The Last Ranger is a movie that inspires hope, especially when you consider it’s loosely based on a true story and real people putting their lives on the line for these animals every day. It’s an incredibly noble duty they perform, and even if protecting an animal is the greatest prize of all, their stories deserve to be recognized, especially when they’re told as well as this.

My rating: 9.5/10

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Based on the Štrpci massacre that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993, The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent dramatizes the events where paramilitary forces took 19 hostages, most of them Muslim, from a train and executed them. When passenger Milan (Silvio Mumelaš), who doesn’t have his documents, is questioned, another passenger decides to stand up for him.

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent is the shortest film here, running only 13 minutes, but writer-director Nebojsa Slijepcevic wrings tension out of every single frame of his short story. Taking place entirely on a train as its passengers are interrogated by paramilitary forces, you are trapped in this claustrophobic situation with the rest of these characters. There’s no way out and even if you’re not one of the people they’re looking for, everybody feels the same fear.

The outstanding lead actors capture this fear and uncertainty the characters feel, while others have a nonchalant attitude of “Well, business as usual.” Like I said in my review of I’m Still Here, it’s disturbing to see how casually the characters react to the persecution around them. One of the characters here is a teenage girl who is just obliviously listening to her Walkman while others are interrogated right next to her, shows exactly how oppression is able to grow and fester.

That’s why it’s important that we have people like Tomo Buzov, the man who spoke up for Milan, to stand up for others and also to inspire us to do the same. It’s not that he would not be silent, but that he could not. He was physically unable. Like the people who protect the endangered wildlife in The Last Ranger, Tomo acted as a voice for the voiceless, even if he paid the ultimate price for it. Above all, his legacy lives on.