So, it’s that time of the year again. The film industries Super Bowl. The quest for the golden man. Yes, ladies and gentleman, the Oscars are here. There’s so many big names to throw around, I know, but I would like to focus on a smaller category. The Short Film (Live Action) category is easily as important as Best Picture if you’re thinking about the future of film. It has been square one for many great filmmakers who have gone on to enjoy desirable careers. This year I was lucky enough to view them all in one sitting.

Short films are thought of by many as having little content and less than worthwhile stories, and while many do, there are a collection of them that should fall under more highly regarded standards. These films include the nominees this year — “The Door,” “Instead of Abracadabra,” “Kavi,” “Miracle Fish” and “The New Tenants” are all deserving of that honor.

The two that fall at the bottom of this very adept pack are “The Door” and “Kavi.” In “The Door,” we find ourselves in Russia at the time of the Chernobyl disaster — tlthough this isn’t very obvious until the end. A family dealing with the relocation of their livelihood, experience the darkest of times as their child becomes exposed to radiation poisoning. Prepare to squint your eyes when this short begins. It is so intensely dark the whole film that I began questioning the point of watching. I promptly cleared my mind of that nonsense and soldiered on, soon finding the disturbingly scenic shots to fit my fancy. The cinematography compelled me to draw comparisons to David Fincher films, however, the story failed to interest me in any spectacular way — although my lack of knowledge on the event at hand is partially to blame.

Last year’s “Slumdog Millionaire” dominated the Oscars. Personally, I found it to be my least favorite Danny Boyle film, but it’s quite obvious nobody shares my opinion. “Kavi” pretty much flows in the same vein of the aforementioned Oscar winning film. A young boy grows up in a life of illegal slavery as a result of his father’s ongoing debt to a malicious criminal. He desires to be free and enjoy his childhood like the boys walking home from school everyday that he admires but finds himself unable to escape his literal and metaphorical shackles. It’s just not original enough to be crowned king of the shorts.

Falling in the middle is “Miracle Fish.” This is also a story that is not quite clear at first. It seems like childhood fantasy, then it becomes evident that this is a story in disguise, as the twist hits you in an especially powerful way. There’s not much depth to the script but the overall tone and realism of the story is unyielding.

That brings me to my two favorites. “The New Tenants” and “Instead of Abracadabra” are films with completely unrelated styles.

As “The New Tenants” straddles the line between drama and comedy, it’s hard not to spot the similarities to a Coen brothers film. The intense and darkly dramatic events motivate our emotions to use laughter as a very effective defense mechanism. It was written by Anders Thomas Jensen, writer of great films such as “Open Hearts” and “Brødre.” This isn’t the first time one of his short films has been recognized by the Academy, he already has one win and two nominations under his belt.

“Instead of Abracadabra” is my personal favorite this year. Its blend of sincerity and hilarious situational comedy feels like the start of a fresh new style. It provides you with the awkwardness of a Wes Anderson film while somehow managing to appeal to an even greater denomination of misfits. I’d feel unprofessional if I left out how delightful the music made me feel in this film. The other films fail to provide any song or score that go hand in hand with the the flow of the story, whereas “Instead of Abracadabra” provides us with music that enables the story to reach it’s full potential.

I never made a point to get into the shorts before, but now that I have, I’m immensely glad that I did. As if they suffer from a Napoleon complex, these films carry a big punch in a small fist. Time is running out, check your papers, check online — you’re already there if your reading this — and find a theater near you that has the luxury of these shorts and go enjoy them.