You won't be disappointed!

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

A film that has amazing scope for its short duration and modest budget. On the one hand, it's a wonderful tale of friendship, forgiveness, and finding hope in darkness; juxtapositioned with a story of racism, cruelty, and ultimately tragedy. I always find it incredible when films can intertwine normal human interaction (such as fighting and making up with a childhood friend) into extreme circumstances like wartime. It reminds us that no matter the time or place, we all still have the same fears, loves, relationships, and feelings. The film pulled off this authenticity because of the stellar acting by the two young main characters.When the character we see at the beginning returns at the end, you look at him with a new perspective. This time his eyes cut right into you and you feel the cost of war. Rest in peace to all of the innocents whose lives were taken in the Kosovo War, and hopefully this film can impact future dialogue and the pursuit of other films on the topic. If I had been running the show at the Academy this year, "Shok" would have certainly walked away with the Best Short Film prize.

Shok (2015) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Set during the Kosovo war, this short deals with the friendship between an Albanian boy and a Serbian one. The two boys share a common bond of a bicycle and soon this here could lead them to tragic results.This short was shot in Mitrovica, Kosovo and really isn't the most pleasant film that you're going to watch. It seems when you go through the Oscar-nominated short films they are from filmmakers who want to do something series and tackle very dramatic and sometimes tragic events. Director and writer Jamie Donoughue certainly paints a rather tragic picture with this one and there's no doubt that the emotional punch is right on the mark. Setting a film during the war and involving kids can always be tricky but this short manages to get its point across without being preachy. The story itself is quite simple but the director does wonders with it and turns in a very depressing and bleak film.

Shok takes place during the brutal Kosovo War, a war which divided Albanians and Serbians. Writer/director Jamie Donoughue showcases the war through the eyes of two young Albanian boys, Petrit and Oki (Lum Veseli and Andi Bajgora), who are harassed by Serbian soldiers one day, which results in Petrit making a deal with one of the soldiers that involves selling Oki's bicycle. Disgusted at his friends' compliance with the enemy, the two briefly separate before realizing that they are all they have in a war-torn land.Rather than revolving around a coming of age narrative that is ripe for yet another tired showcase of innocence lost, Donoughue is diligent with emphasizing friendship and the need for trusting someone when everyone but your family seems like the enemy. There is a constant feeling of dread throughout the entire picture, and just when you feel the short will end rather inconsequentially, it hits you with a riveting and unexpected sequence that will affect the lives of the boys forever.Shok nicely paces itself in that it almost forces you to let your guard down as a viewer, forgetting to expect the unexpected, before hitting you with an emotional punch that comes effectively in the latter half of the short. While Donoughue enters the narrative from a fairly easy point of entry - focusing on two young, innocent boys - comes with a story to tell and not with an agenda, which is all too easy to do with short films like this one. It's all worth it for that riveting and heartwrenching final shot that feels burned into my retina, at least temporarily.

A VERY IMPORTANT FILMSHOK is one of the best short films I have ever seen. A story most excellently delivered. Beautifully Directed, shot and acted. A very important film that fulfils the noble task of educating mankind to the plight of the Albanians.I was first exposed to Shok when it was submitted to me as a judge at the 2015 Hollyshorts International Film Festival. Shok won best short film at Hollyshorts and went on to win many other awards. I predicted back in Aug 2015 that Shok would be nominated for an academy award. And I predict now that it will win. I have seen the other 4 nominees and I feel that Shok stands well above the competition. Not only in terms of its flawless delivery but also the importance of a story that the world needs to see and know.sincerelyStephen C Page