Ahead of the Academy Awards, we’re reviewing every short film in each category: Animation, Documentary, and Live Action. Follow here this week. Below are the Best Live Action Short nominees: A Lien | USA | 14 minutes Would Sam and David Cutler-Kreutz’s A Lien be better if it went even darker?

The five films hail from Croatia, South Africa, India, the Netherlands and the U.S., tackling a multitude of hot-button topics currently plaguing the globe.

Oscar season is one of the few times that short films get the spotlight. From established filmmakers to exciting up-and-coming talent, the short film

The five Oscar-nominated live-action short films each tackle urgent sociopolitical issues. By placing us in the shoes of people on the front lines of them — even in a sci-fi pseudo-comedy — they promise to shake viewers.

While the numerous Oscar precursors have given us an idea of what might be out front for the big prize in many categories, the same can’t be said for the short-film categories. With hardly any precursors to use,