"4 Months" doesn't make Academy's "short list"

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One of the biggest outrages in the history of the Academy's foreign film committee -- a scandal fed by deficient taste and myopic, mule-like obstinacy -- has just happened with the release of the nine-film short list that doesn't include Cristian Mungiu's widely hailed 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days. The people who pushed for this decision need to be identified and, with all charity and compassion, expelled from this group for life. What will it take? Torches and pitchforks at the corner of Wilshire and La Peer at 8 pm this evening?

4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days star Anamaria Marinca

The foreign-committee nominators were in no way obliged to salute this landmark film as their absolute favorite, but to not even put it on the short list (much less include it among the five nominees, from which the winner of the Best Foreign Language Feature Oscar would be chosen) is intolerable and inexcusable. This is truly a Day of Infamy. I'm not trying to be Franklin D. Roosevelt here, but these people have embarassed themselves and the Academy and reflected on the industry as a whole...it's laughable.

A "name" player associated with the foreign branch shared the following a few minutes ago: "I'm embarassed. I think it's humiliating and unfair, and I'm shocked...shocked at this omission."

Among other prizes, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days won the '07 European Film Awards' Best Picture prize, the '07 Cannes Palme d'Or, and it was named Best Foreign Film by the National Society of Film Critics, the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Toronto Film Critics Association. It also won the Bronze Horse For Best Film and Best Actress from the Stockholm Film Festival 2007.

The films chosen for the nine-film short list are the following: The Counterfeiters, The Year My Parents Went on Vacation, Days of Darkness, Beaufort,, The Unknown, Mongol, Katyn, 12 and The Trap. Yes, that's right -- Persepolis, the French entry, also got the boot, and so did Juan Antonio Bayona's absolutely brilliant The Orphanage.

Laura Vasilu, Vlad Ivanov

Somewhere between 300 and 400 people voted for the nine films. Exaggerating only slightly, a veteran marketer described the foreign film branch this morning as "all retired, their median age is 75, a lot of them are on walkers and they have very conservative tastes."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on January 15, 2008 at 11:36 AM

comment #1

Gaydos says ...

No justice, no peace.

Posted by Gaydos at January 15, 2008 12:09 PM

comment #2

Walter Sobchak says ...

This is worse than the Holocaust.

Posted by Walter Sobchak at January 15, 2008 12:10 PM

comment #3

Josh Massey says ...

Damned intolerant blue-staters.

Posted by Josh Massey at January 15, 2008 12:13 PM

comment #4

John Y says ...

They didn't include "The Orphanage" or "Persepolis" either! The foreign-language committee (as well as the documentary feature committee) are an utter disgrace.

Posted by John Y at January 15, 2008 12:18 PM

comment #5

Dan Revill says ...

Life on earth is over as we know it!!!

(Seriously, a gross oversight though.)

Posted by Dan Revill at January 15, 2008 12:18 PM

comment #6

ArchiveGuy says ...

From the blog (http://kenru.net/movies/2007-8_academy_foreign.html) of the Academy member who actively screens the Foreign Film submissions:

"Trap" - ***3/4
"Beaufort" - ***1/2
"Counterfeiters" - ***1/2
"Katyn" - ***1/2
"Unknown" - ***1/4
"Darkness" - ***
"Parents" - ***
"12" - ***
"Mongol" - **3/4. And then:

"4 Months" - ***1/4
"Persepolis" - ***1/4
"Orphanage" - **1/2.

Other films he rated higher than Mungiu's: "I Just Didn't Do It" (Japan), "The Edge of Heaven" (Germany), "Silent Light" (Mexico), "Ben X" (Belgium), "The Witnesses" (France), "The Class" (Estonia)

So there you have it. He found 10 films (at least; I didn't count the ones that tied the star rating) that he liked better. If every Academy member did likewise (gravitating, I suspect, towards more conventional/feel-good/familiar/uplifting/comfortable/non-challenging material), is it any wonder "4M3W&2D" found itself in the middle of the pack?

Posted by ArchiveGuy at January 15, 2008 12:21 PM

comment #7

facls says ...

I've seen Brazil's entry, The Year My Parent Went on Vacation, and it's very good, though far from great. I think its story fits the preferences of the Academy foreign language committee perfectly and it's a strong candidate for a nomination, and who knows, maybe even to win the thing.

However I am a bit ashamed that my country's first Oscar might come from a movie nowhere as good as other films from the same year such as Persepolis or 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days. I remember my outrage when City of God, a masterpiece, wasn't even nominated.

The Academy's foreign language committee needs some major change.

Posted by facls at January 15, 2008 12:21 PM

comment #8

Dan Revill says ...

The Edge of Heaven was really good - I'm somewhat surprised it didn't make the short list too.

Still, the Academy failed to nominate City of God back in the day until a year later in other categories, so anything's possible.

Posted by Dan Revill at January 15, 2008 12:25 PM

comment #9

qwiggles says ...

4 Months... is the best film I have seen all year, and I am so disappointed to see it left off this list while my own country, Canada, gets a potential nod with the thoroughly mediocre Days of Darkness.

Posted by qwiggles at January 15, 2008 12:30 PM

comment #10

JD says ...

Silent Light is a far greater oversight than 4 Months in my opinion, but what do you expect, it's the Oscars. This isn't the award for "greatest work of art in a foreign language," it's the award for "most familiar, conventional, and accessible movie with subtitles."

Posted by JD at January 15, 2008 12:34 PM

comment #11

MilkMan says ...

Flanders.

Posted by MilkMan at January 15, 2008 12:34 PM

comment #12

JD says ...

Flanders is right up there with SL and 4M3W&2D, but they're all Cannes-style art films, not crowd pleasers.

Posted by JD at January 15, 2008 12:37 PM

comment #13

Armin Tamzarian says ...

what JD said. SILENT LIGHT was fanfuckingtastic.

Posted by Armin Tamzarian at January 15, 2008 12:38 PM

comment #14

typicalbuttrue says ...

The academy is officially out of touch with film today. What, was the subject matter of 4 Months too harsh? Was Persepolis too young? New voters wanted. No, demanded.

Posted by typicalbuttrue at January 15, 2008 12:38 PM

comment #15

MoroccoMole says ...

Appalling. Too bad IFC doesn't have the deep pockets to shoot for a Best Picture nomination.

Posted by MoroccoMole at January 15, 2008 12:39 PM

comment #16

Mike Ock says ...

If David Fincher and Zodiac get dissed by the Academy, I'm considering taking that day off from work, and planting myself in front of my laptop reading Hollwood Elsewhere all day, hitting F5 in between laughs.

Seriously.

Posted by Mike Ock at January 15, 2008 12:47 PM

comment #17

PerfectTommy says ...

The nomination system for this catagory is idiotic from top to bottom. I've never understood why we let countries nominate their own choices. Do we really think Iran or China will send the best film if it happened to conflict with government policy or values?
Should the domestic nominees for best picture be nominated by the congress or the president or the supreme court?

Posted by PerfectTommy at January 15, 2008 12:49 PM

comment #18

Gaydos says ...

Compare and contrast: Two reviews from Variety

By DEREK ELLEY
The message is diluted by the medium in Denys Arcand's "Days of Darkness (The Age of Ignorance)." ...intermittently entertaining but nowhere near as sharp or funny as it should be. Way better than Arcand's superficial parody of celeb culture, "Stardom" (2000), but lacking the spark and banter of his Oscar-winning "The Barbarian Invasions," ho-hum Cannes closer... becomes repetitive and tedious, sapping the central story of its juice."

By DEREK ELLEY
The point at which a good director crosses the career bridge to become a substantial international talent is vividly clear in "The Edge of Heaven," an utterly assured, profoundly moving fifth feature by Fatih Akin. Superbly cast drama, in which the lives and emotional arcs of six people -- four Turks and two Germans -- criss-cross through love and tragedy takes the German-born Turkish writer-director's ongoing interest in two seemingly divergent cultures to a humanist level that's way beyond the grungy romanticism of his 2003 "Head-On" or the dreamy dramedy of "In July" (2000)."

Guess which film made the Acad shortlist?

Posted by Gaydos at January 15, 2008 12:54 PM

comment #19

hanimal says ...

no Silent Light
no The Edge of Heaven
no 4 Months
no Persepolis
no Secret Sunshine

WTF? WTF?

Posted by hanimal at January 15, 2008 1:02 PM

comment #20

YND says ...

Does anyone know what the release plan is for 4 MONTHS in L.A.? I know it played a week at the end of December to qualify for awards (to no avail), but what now? Does the lack of Academy recognition affect my chances to see it on the big screen? If so, DAMN THEM!

Posted by YND at January 15, 2008 1:06 PM

comment #21

Terry McCarty says ...

At the risk of being a Philistine, I found PERSEPOLIS to be a film easier to respect than to love. But I wouldn't mind if it won Best Animated Film.

I wish THE ORPHANAGE had made the shortlist, but (as was mentioned in an earlier post) it was probably dismissed as nothing more than a well-made genre film.

And I'm looking forward to seeing 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS to discover how off-the-mark the Academy's foreign-film nominating committee was.

Posted by Terry McCarty at January 15, 2008 1:09 PM

comment #22

jeffmcm says ...

Always with the pitchforks.

Posted by jeffmcm at January 15, 2008 1:31 PM

comment #23

BurmaShave says ...

Jesus, this just reinforces my belief that the elderly should not be allowed to do anything. They shouldn't vote, shouldn't drive, and certainly shouldn't fuck, ew.

Posted by BurmaShave at January 15, 2008 1:32 PM

comment #24

lawnorder says ...

I'm glad to see THE UNKNOWN (or Unknown Woman) was recognized. It's a riveting and heartbreaking thriller from Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso, Malena) - with a great score by Morricone.

Posted by lawnorder at January 15, 2008 1:39 PM

comment #25

Sean says ...

Jeff - you should just stop blogging about the Oscars completely. No coverage at all. That would teach 'em.

Posted by Sean at January 15, 2008 1:55 PM

comment #26

Terry McCarty says ...

YND asked:
Does anyone know what the release plan is for 4 MONTHS in L.A.? I know it played a week at the end of December to qualify for awards (to no avail), but what now? Does the lack of Academy recognition affect my chances to see it on the big screen? If so, DAMN THEM!

As far as I know, it will open in the Valley on February 1st at the Laemmle Encino Town Center--a venue with a mostly older, conservative audience. When I saw PERSEPOLIS there on Sunday, it had been moved to the small Screen 1.

Posted by Terry McCarty at January 15, 2008 2:00 PM

comment #27

Edward says ...

Damn, being a senior citizen I'll have to run over their toes with my walker.

Posted by Edward at January 15, 2008 2:05 PM

comment #28

Mike Schaefer says ...

Is it true that "12" is a Russian remake of "12 Angry Men"? If so, Lumet could get an Oscar this year after all (well, by proxy).

Posted by Mike Schaefer at January 15, 2008 2:43 PM

comment #29

NDH says ...

I admit, I was shocked when I read the list of finalists. 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS is definitely in my Top Ten of 2007. However, I can't be completely judgmental until I've seen the films that were in fact selected. I remember being similarly shocked last year when VOLVER wasn't nominated in the category. But then I saw all five of the nominated films and found out why: they were all significantly better than VOLVER.

Posted by NDH at January 15, 2008 3:31 PM

comment #30

Jamieson says ...

John Y: They didn't include Orphanage because it's an amateurish piece of shit :P

Posted by Jamieson at January 15, 2008 3:38 PM

comment #31

corey3rd says ...

The Documentary, Foreign film and composers are always the lamest of the nomination groups. Not like there's going to be a show this year anyhow. There's enough bad blood between the writers and Jon Stewart to keep it blocked.

Posted by corey3rd at January 15, 2008 3:45 PM

comment #32

pchu says ...

Truly shocking list. I thought 4months would be there for sure and same with Persepolis.

I have seen Days of Darkness, which I thought was very good, but I don't think it would translate to well for people outside of Quebec. I thought it's very strong.

Mongol got some good reviews in TIFF same with the Counterfeiters. But this is truly a shocking list indeed.

Posted by pchu at January 15, 2008 4:41 PM

comment #33

Craig Kennedy says ...

I haven't seen all of the eligible films so I can't be super pissed that all the ones I did see were overlooked. Besides, as corey3rd just mentioned this category is always a joke. There is nothing new here.

What's sad is that an Oscar is the only way to convince most Americans to go see a foreign film in the first place.

Posted by Craig Kennedy at January 15, 2008 4:46 PM

comment #34

truefaith says ...

I saw 4 MONTHS and am not surprised that it wasn't shortlisted. It was OK but nothing special. The ending was too abrupt, and it lacked character development. Too much time was spent on the politics of Romania, such as the difficulty of trying to find a hotel room, and not enough time was spent on who these characters really were. I mean, why did the pregnant girl's friend spend almost her whole day running errands for the pregnant girl? I don't think even a family member would do something like that. Only a weakling would do that and the friend did not seem like a weakling. After I saw 4 MONTHS, hardly anyone applauded. I think the audience was still getting over the shock of the abrupt ending.

Posted by truefaith at January 15, 2008 5:52 PM

comment #35

D.Z. says ...

Persepolis is still up for Best Animated Film.

Posted by D.Z. at January 15, 2008 7:15 PM

comment #36

EOTW says ...

Gotta go with truefaith on this one, I caught it recently, and while I appreciate the whole thing aesthetically, I thoguht it was kinda bland and one note. I like the low budget arty Euro flavor as much as the next cineaste, but outside of the dinner party scene (maybe one of the great one shots in recent memory), it seemed like "been there, done that." At least they rewarded "The Lives Of Others" last year, a far superior film in every way.

Posted by EOTW at January 15, 2008 7:16 PM

comment #37

Daniel G. says ...

Nice analysis by ArchiveGuy, though I do wonder how many AMPAS members saw as many as Mr. Rudolph.

I'm starting to think we might be in for a bunch of surprises - disappointing ones - next Tuesday morning when the nominees are announced...

Posted by Daniel G. at January 15, 2008 7:33 PM

comment #38

Bob Violence says ...

I think it's been clear for awhile that the foreign film voters make their picks by looking for previously-nominated directors and pad out the list with the tired-and-true "dartboard" method.

Posted by Bob Violence at January 15, 2008 10:38 PM

comment #39