The Three Sisters (2025)

There are two stories here for this short animated film that was nominated in that category for the 2026 Academy Awards. The first is the story itself, told in 2-D animation and perhaps the most whimsical and weird of the five nominees. It imagines the isolated life on an island shared by three sisters when a stranger arrives and changes their day-to-day in unexpected ways. He's a burly sailor and, well, these ladies have been living alone for quite some time, so they find themselves each drawn to him, changing their appearance and doting on him in ways they haven't had a reason to before. It is without dialogue but with plenty of expressive animation, we come to appreciate these three sisters and their desire for more on this little island of theirs. Our dashing interloper is just that, however, and as the women have to face reality, it could be we're all headed for heartbreak. The second is that the film was submitted under a fictional name. Russian animation director Konstantin Bronzit, who is a celebrated animator from a shunned country may have been seeing if quality is identified or he may have feared he would have been side lines based on his country of origin. Afterall, if there is an anti-Russian documentary on offer, it is more likely than not to win, so he may have a point. In any case, he outed himself before the awards, and this was not a winner--nor was it my first or second choice.