Documentaries can sometimes make their points in a very concise fashion. That doesn't mean that the films are unimportant. Each of the Oscar nominees for Best Short Documentary treats a very serious topic in a moving way. I've only had the chance to see three of these films, so my comments on two of them will be based on what I've read.

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement introduces us to James Armstrong. You may not know his name. He was not one of those who became famous in the struggle to vote and for full civil rights, but he was, along with many others, an important part of that struggle. He was the kind of person who was at Bloody Sunday, and then was there again on Monday, and Tuesday, and... While we see his elation at the election of Barack Obama, we are reminded that these men and women "foot soldiers" are aging and dying. They are a resource that this film celebrates.

Incident in New Baghdad tells the story of Ethan McCord who suffered from PTSD and guilt after returning from a tour in Iraq. As he puts it, he was only being used. "There was nothing patriotic about what I was doing in Iraq." The key event that changed his life there was the killing of several civilians and the wounding of children. He was not the one doing the killing, but was on the scene soon after.

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom opens with the devastating tsunami in Japan a year ago. It is amazing to watch the surge of water destroying a town. The first part of the film is both depressing and fascinating. We see the rescue workers and those who shift through the rubble looking for things families might want if they have survived. The turning point in the film comes when spring arrives and the cherry trees come into bloom creating a tremendous sense of hope and new life.

I haven't been able to see Saving Face about women from Pakistan who have been disfigured by men who have thrown acid on them. About 100 such attacks occur each year. This film tells the stories of some of the survivors and their search for justice and healing.

The other film I haven't been able to see is God Is Bigger than Elvis, the story of Dolores Hart, an actress in the 1950s and 60s. She gave Elvis Presley his first on-screen kiss in Loving You and appeared with him again in King Creole. She starred in Where the Boys Are. Now she is known as Mother Dolores, the Prioress of a Benedictine Abbey in Connecticut. How does one get from the Hollywood scene to being a cloistered nun? Ah, some things are more important than fame.

I have to admit that God Is Bigger than Elvis intrigues me a great deal, but when I saw The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom earlier in the year, I was absolutely captivated by it. The early part shows destruction beyond imagination. That the film turns all this into an uplifting and affirming experience is a bit of cinematic magic.