Ave Maria

Ave Maria (2015)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Oscar-nominated comedy about a group of nuns living in the West Bank and three Jewish folks who end up on their door step after a car wreck.

This French comedy certainly isn't any sort of masterpiece but if you enjoy watching shorts then there's certainly enough here to keep you entertained. I think director Basil Khalil does a good job in structuring the story and getting it across. I also thought the short was extremely well-made and there's no doubt that the performances were fine. Did the subject make me laugh as much as I should have? Probably not but it's still worth watching.

And not just worlds: no pun intended. The inciting (car) accident (I know it is supposed to be incident, bear with me) kicks off quite a few things. Just don't lose your head - or your tongue. It is quite fun to see religions and habits or rules clash. Be open minded and try to understand why things have to be way more complicated than they needed to be.

Believe what you will as they say - just don't impose it on others. I would not have guessed this to be an Oscar nominee if you had asked me, but we do not have to understand everything (that's what He would say anyway I assume). All kidding aside, this is short (movie) and light - just watch it as a snack ... may be helpful to each other.

France's Oscar-nominated short film Ave Maria is a screwball comedy of sorts, with its main idea revolving around religious tolerance and a desire for conflicting theologians to come together and realize the common good of reaching a goal. Revolving around a group of Israelis that break down in Palestine, Ave Maria depicts contemporary Israel/Palestine relations by having the gang of individuals look for assistance from five nuns.

As one can predict, comedic circumstances do ensue, particularly when the Palestinians are hesitant to even let the Israelis use their telephone. However, once they realize that they can do more by helping the innocent people of Israel rather than further hurting or tormenting them, some cooperation begins to occur. The unsubtle themes of Ave Maria almost effectively undermine the entire film, despite its mildly amusing comedic setup and its strong, albeit flaccid, core theme that emphasizes togetherness rather than further separation. The entire short is quietly entertaining, but questionably Oscar worthy.

This film was made in the Palestinian territory and is a comedy about three Jewish people who become stranded there when they smash into a statue of the Virgin Mary at a small nunnery. The problem is that the nuns have taken a vow of silence and the Jewish folks are very observant...so strict as Jews that they cannot use telephones to call for help! What are they to do?

I enjoyed this film and it made me smile. I found the ending a bit predictable but a finely acted and clever short. While I don't think it's the very best of these shorts, it is unusual and sometimes happy films have an edge in winning simply because Academy voters seem to prefer nice shorts as opposed to down-beat ones...and three are very, very downbeat.

Whether or not this one wins, I'll update this review about this. If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on this short--though as I said I don't think it's the very best of the lot.

UPDATE: "Stutterer" took the Oscar for Best Live Action Short.

Although it did elicit at least one actual laugh from me, and a number of quiet chuckles, I wouldn't say this short is overly funny though it IS amusing.

It's a cute little short about a family of Israeli settlers whose car breaks down outside a convent of 5 nuns who have taken a vow of silence, inadvertently crashing into the nuns' statue of the Virgin Mary, and the lengths they all go to uphold their religious beliefs (the Sabbath has just taken effect so the father can't operate a telephone, amongst other things, while the nuns have to weigh the responsibility of their vow of silence against the family's need for their help.

Whilst it's not overly memorable, nor is it entirely forgettable as the characters are all well written and well acted.