All the 2026 Oscar-Nominated Live-Action Shorts Reviewed: Boozy Songs, Forbidden Love and Wacky Menstruation

We like to think the Academy Awards nominate the very best films of the year, and sometimes they do, but art is subjective, so let’s face it: Sometimes a few stinkers slip into the mix.

That’s not the case with this year’s Best Live-Action Shorts nominees. This category usually features a wide variety of genres and styles, but a brisk running time sometimes tricks filmmakers into going for easy and/or heavy-handed emotional beats or overbearing twists, which brings otherwise great filmmaking down a peg.