In a rare turn of events, a cursory web search has revealed that at least one of the Oscar live-action short films is online, Luke Doolan’s Miracle Fish. The animated shorts often are online, but for various reasons the live action ones don’t make it. New Boy last year was the only one of the five that was online in advance of the ceremony to my knowledge, but thanks to Qoob, which financed the film, we get Miracle Fish on our computers.

Going in to watching the short, my excitement was high. Part of the famed Blue Tongue Film family which gave us 2008 favorite I Love Sarah Jane, and featuring 2009 Favorite alum Nash Edgerton as an executive producer, Miracle Fish has great pedigree, via its association with those audacious audience-friendly films. Sadly my high expectations lead to simply greater disappointment. Were it not for the nomination I probably would not review the film for the site. What kind of film is Miracle Fish? It is a dark 16 min film about a bullied 8 year old named Joe. It’s Joe’s birthday, but that hasn’t spared him abuse at the hands of his young classmates. Feeling a bit put upon, Joe takes a time out in the infirmary and wakes to discover that his school is completely abandoned. The reason why isn’t clear until the film’s closing scene, and until then the tension is far from gripping.

In all honesty I find little about the film to recommend. It’s slow, and its payoff isn’t particularly interesting. The scenes of bullying aren’t clever or egregious, the scenes of Joe reveling in the emptiness of his school are not joyful or revealing. Whether by accident or design, Karl Beattie who plays Joe is a bland cipher—expressing almost no emotion throughout.

Frankly everything about the film expresses a bland competence. There is a base level of craft that all Oscar noms invariably possess, evident in things like floating jib shots, and great location sound, but little style. The palate of the film is drab, the editing is non-descript. The story itself is good enough, but is not supported by interesting details. At one point Joe steps over a cheap sci-fi book about alien abduction, supposedly to instill in the audience a spirit of speculation regarding the fate of his classmates. However this detail is the only one of its kind in the movie. Thus rather than getting caught in speculation I dutifully waited for the film to inevitably provide its reasoning.

I have to assume I’m missing something given the the acclaim garnered by the film, and would love to hear alternative opinions in the comments. This is the first short film Oscar nomination for the prolific Blue Tongue Films, and maybe its last, as its directors are moving on to features. So congratulations to that crew, they have really provided a well-needed jolt into the short film world, I just wish this recognition was for a film that I could get more behind.

note: I haven’t had success playing the film in Firefox, but have gotten it to work in Safari.