Shok

Two boys, one Serbian and one Albanian, are friends despite the war and you see about this portion of their lives through a flashback that involves a bicycle. But it's hard to remain friends when the Serbian kid is being pulled one way and the Albanian the other. The climax comes like a brick against your skull and left many in the audience on the verge of tears.

I have seen quite a few films about the civil wars that tore Yugoslavia apart. None of them are pleasant and really cannot be. However, this one stands out because the acting by the kids is very nice and the story very well directed and paced. It's hard to pick the best of the five nominees and after a lot of thought, I think this one is best. Will it win the Oscar, I have no idea. As I already mentioned, there are three depressing films (including this one) and they might tend to take votes from each other.

I'll be updating this review after the Oscars are announced on February 28th.

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

Shok (2015)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Set during the Kosovo war, this short deals with the friendship between an Albanian boy and a Serbian one. The two boys share a common bond of a bicycle and soon this here could lead them to tragic results.

This short was shot in Mitrovica, Kosovo and really isn't the most pleasant film that you're going to watch. It seems when you go through the Oscar-nominated short films they are from filmmakers who want to do something series and tackle very dramatic and sometimes tragic events. Director and writer Jamie Donoughue certainly paints a rather tragic picture with this one and there's no doubt that the emotional punch is right on the mark. Setting a film during the war and involving kids can always be tricky but this short manages to get its point across without being preachy. The story itself is quite simple but the director does wonders with it and turns in a very depressing and bleak film.

Shok takes place during the brutal Kosovo War, a war which divided Albanians and Serbians. Writer/director Jamie Donoughue showcases the war through the eyes of two young Albanian boys, Petrit and Oki (Lum Veseli and Andi Bajgora), who are harassed by Serbian soldiers one day, which results in Petrit making a deal with one of the soldiers that involves selling Oki's bicycle. Disgusted at his friends' compliance with the enemy, the two briefly separate before realizing that they are all they have in a war-torn land.

Rather than revolving around a coming of age narrative that is ripe for yet another tired showcase of innocence lost, Donoughue is diligent with emphasizing friendship and the need for trusting someone when everyone but your family seems like the enemy. There is a constant feeling of dread throughout the entire picture, and just when you feel the short will end rather inconsequentially, it hits you with a riveting and unexpected sequence that will affect the lives of the boys forever.

Shok nicely paces itself in that it almost forces you to let your guard down as a viewer, forgetting to expect the unexpected, before hitting you with an emotional punch that comes effectively in the latter half of the short. While Donoughue enters the narrative from a fairly easy point of entry - focusing on two young, innocent boys - comes with a story to tell and not with an agenda, which is all too easy to do with short films like this one. It's all worth it for that riveting and heartwrenching final shot that feels burned into my retina, at least temporarily.

A truly touching tale that really helps one to better understand the privileges many of us have. Freedom from oppression, freedom from hate, and relative acceptance of religion and nationality is something truly to be treasured as "Shok" shows us through it's heart warming and heart breaking tale of friendship. The cinematography was near flawless and every moment of the film was filled with tension. The boys friendship is something that almost all can relate to and their connection in such a bleak world is such a wonderful thing to see. Living in a country in which I can say anything I please short of threatening the safety of the public and go unharmed tends to blind us to the issues that many others suffer through every day due to something that is out of their control. I would highly recommend that everyone of every walk of life watch this transformative film.

A VERY IMPORTANT FILM

SHOK is one of the best short films I have ever seen. A story most excellently delivered. Beautifully Directed, shot and acted. A very important film that fulfils the noble task of educating mankind to the plight of the Albanians.

I was first exposed to Shok when it was submitted to me as a judge at the 2015 Hollyshorts International Film Festival. Shok won best short film at Hollyshorts and went on to win many other awards. I predicted back in Aug 2015 that Shok would be nominated for an academy award. And I predict now that it will win. I have seen the other 4 nominees and I feel that Shok stands well above the competition. Not only in terms of its flawless delivery but also the importance of a story that the world needs to see and know.

sincerely

Stephen C Page