That Wasn't Me

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Audience Member Esteban Crespo's Academy Award nominated short film Aquel no era yo beats you over the head with it's child soldier awareness campaign with arguably too heavy of a hand. The film is technically solid and has a nice story to it, but there's far too much emotional weight for it to be a well rounded film. Bottom line, this is a story that everyone should hear, but it could be delivered in a much better package. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member For an Oscar-nominated short that had framed itself as a call for attention towards African child soldiers, Aquél no era yo was neither a quality film nor a step forward regarding its political cause. This film is an embarrassing cliché of the White Savior narrative; it isn?t about the soldiers (or even where they?re from- the country they are fighting in is unspecified), but about the selfless white people who insist on trying to save them, without first gaining any understanding of or sense or respect for the history and culture they have invaded. It relies entirely on bloated emotional appeals and over-exaggerated violence to communicate how terrible the experience was for the aid workers, sacrificing any remnants of developed characters, effective dialogue, coherent plot, or even an established setting. Unless you enjoy being bombarded with poor direction and racial stereotypes, don?t waste your time. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Dramatic, tragic and occasionally exciting with some great performances. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Powerful! Heart-breaking and desperate, yet hopeful. As one who worked with emotional healing for child soldiers as young adults, this rings true. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Heavy short about three child soldier relief workers that get kidnapped. CDW Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Oscar nominated live-action short. Spanish aid workers, children soldiers, explosions, gun play, rape- dark themes. Well made, but where is the emotional connection? Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews

That Wasn't Me

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