You have to be a true cinephile to stay out until 11:30 PM on a weekday to see a program of not just short films but short foreign-language films ... after one of them had already been chosen as the Oscar winner (removing any benefit of winning your Oscar prediction pool!).
I'm proud to say there were about 30 of us at my local art-house cinema tonight. All five of the nominated films were very good, but we broke into applause after just one -- TIMECODE.
If you see a lot of movies (Friday I'll see my 100th film released in 2016), you place a high value on seeing a story you had never seen before or even imagined. Other reviewers acknowledge how delightful the film is, but they seem to be indifferent to the fact that the very premise is delightful.
And finally, unlike some of the other contenders, there isn't an ounce of predictability, sentimentality, or credulity-straining plotting. It starts out fresh and surprising, and remains so at every turn.
