In a blistering Oscar short film, Riz Ahmed finds catharsis

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Of all the Oscar nominees, you would hard pressed to find a more potent film than “The Long Goodbye.” It’s blisteringly visceral, harrowingly violent and desperately urgent — all in under 12 minutes.

“The Long Goodbye,” directed by Aneil Karia, starring Riz Ahmed and written by both, is nominated for best live-action short, and it stands a good chance to win at Sunday’s Academy Awards. The film is initially naturalistic, immersed in the pre-wedding preparations of a South Asian family in suburban England. The concerns are familiar. Where a chair should go. Who wrote “Blinded by the Light.”