"Body Team 12" is a 13-minute documentary short film from 2015 that brought writer and director David Darg his first Oscar nomination. And even if it lost to a longer film about women's rights in Pakistan, I am glad this one exists and it is maybe my winner from the nominees. It shows us the work of those in Liberia in charge of collecting dead bodies of people who died from Ebola and if these helpers didn't exist, then the country (Liberia in this case) would never even have a chance to become Ebola free. We find out some general stuff about their work, like their clothes, but also about the biggest problems they have, namely convincing the relatives that they can take the bodies away because it means they have no idea where the corpses of their loved ones are taken.
You read so often about new diseases and hundreds of people dying from them, but this film, as short as it may be, actually gives these words and figures a face. I think everything here was done right. The choice to let one helper narrate the story was a wise one because nobody is closer to the contents of this movie. Focus is very good. We don't need to know where they are taking the bodies, we find out about their work and that's it. At slightly over 10 minutes, the film reaches depth and relevance on a level that most 90-minute documentaries can only dream of. In short: This film is a triumph and I am glad it got the Oscar nomination. Also a special thumbs-up to Darg and his crew for risking their own health in making this little film. I highly recommend checking it out. Close to a must-see as this is among 2015's very best, short or not short.
You read so often about new diseases and hundreds of people dying from them, but this film, as short as it may be, actually gives these words and figures a face. I think everything here was done right. The choice to let one helper narrate the story was a wise one because nobody is closer to the contents of this movie. Focus is very good. We don't need to know where they are taking the bodies, we find out about their work and that's it. At slightly over 10 minutes, the film reaches depth and relevance on a level that most 90-minute documentaries can only dream of. In short: This film is a triumph and I am glad it got the Oscar nomination. Also a special thumbs-up to Darg and his crew for risking their own health in making this little film. I highly recommend checking it out. Close to a must-see as this is among 2015's very best, short or not short.