A Lien
A Lien | |
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Cinematography | Andrea Gavazzi |
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Running time | 15 minutes |
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A Lien is a 2023 American short drama film written and directed by David Cutler-Kreutz and Sam Cutler-Kreutz and executive produced by Adam McKay. The film had its world premiere at the Flickerfest on January 23, 2023, in the Best Of International Shorts 3 – 2023 program.[1]
The film received positive reviews and was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards.[2][3]
Summary
[edit]The film showcases a young couple facing up to and dealing with a dangerous immigration process.[4]
Cast
[edit]- William Martinez as Oscar Gomez
- Victoria Ratermanis as Sophia Gomez
- Koralyn Rivera as Nina Gomez
Release
[edit]The film had its world premiere at the 32nd Flickerfest on January 23, 2023, in the Best Of International Shorts 3 – 2023 program.[1] The film was showcased in the 30th Austin Film Festival on October 29, 2023, in Shorts Program 5: Survival Instincts.[5] This was followed by screenings at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2024.[4] It was released onto YouTube and Vimeo on August 12, 2024, and was named a Vimeo Staff Pick, as well as being featured on Film Shortage and Short of the Week.[6][7]
In February 2025, the filmmakers teamed up with the ACLU for a marketing partnership inspired by the themes of the film as part of their Academy Awards campaign.[8]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Indie Shorts Mag gave the film a rating of 4.1 out of 5 and wrote "A Lien escalates its tension to breaking point and does so with skill. It sums up in fifteen minutes the exhaustion of living under the constant existential threat that is at the core of immigrant life in America. When the tension does break, the numbness is steep and all-pervading, so that going through the motions is all anyone can muster the strength for."[9] Leonard Quart of The Berkshire Edge wrote "The film is shot with consummate skill, avoiding explicit messaging and allowing the action to speak for itself, with the intimate close-ups, long corridors, bare lighting, and editing of the characters’ chaotic movements capturing the intense stress that permeates the situation in which they find themselves ... A Lien is a film that leaves you angry and aware that, with Trump in office, U.S. immigration policy will only get more arbitrary, frightening, and inchoate."[10]
The Cinema Group gave the film 4 and a half stars and wrote "As the Oscars approach, A Lien stands as one of the most vital and affecting nominees in the Live Action Short category. It is not merely a film to be watched — it is a film to be felt, to be sat with, to be grappled with. In a year where conversations around identity, displacement, and systemic power have ever felt more urgent, A Lien is both a warning and a plea: to recognize humanity behind every case number, and to understand the greatest cruelty of bureaucracy is not in its rules, but in its refusal to see the people it governs.[11] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian named the film his personal favorite of the 2025 Best Live Action Short Oscar nominees, calling it "a film which speaks to modern America."[12] Film Shortage wrote that the film "stands out as a deeply impactful and visually stunning piece of cinema, making it an unmissable entry in this year's awards season."[6]
Accolades
[edit]Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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Austin Film Festival | November 2, 2023 | Narrative Short, Film Competition | A Lien | Nominated | [13] |
Academy Awards | March 2, 2025 | Best Live Action Short Film | David Cutler-Kreutz, Sam Cutler-Kreutz | Pending | [2][14] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Best Of International Shorts 3 – 2023". Flickerfest. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ a b "The 97th Academy Awards | (2025)". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ González, David (23 January 2025). "Emilia Pérez leads the Oscar nominations". Cineuropa. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
- ^ a b "A Lien". Seattle International Film Festival. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Best Of International Shorts 2 – 2023". Austin Film Festival. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ a b "A Lien (Oscar Nominee) - Drama". Film Shortage. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ "A Lien - a short film by Sam & David Cutler-Kreutz". Short of the Week. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ "Oscar-Nominated Short 'A Lien' Joins With ACLU on Impact Campaign for Immigrant Rights". Variety. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ "A Lien: Shattering Drama on US immigration and the Home that is No More". Indie Shorts Mag. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ "FILM REVIEW: David and Sam Cutler-Kreutz's 'A Lien'". The Berkshire Edge. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ "A Lien Review – A Haunting Portrait of Bureaucratic Limbo and the Fragility of Identity". The Cinema Group. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter. "Oscars short films 2025 review – from immigration hell to kiss-averse kids and inspirational octogenarians". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ "2023 Program Book: Narrative Short". Austin Film Festival. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (23 January 2025). "Oscars: Full List of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- A Lien at IMDb
- A Lien at Indie Shorts Mag