Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Chantel Contreras It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Day One" is an American 25-minute short film from 2015. It was directed and co-written by Henry Hughes and he scored his first Oscar nomination for that. Actually, it is only his second work and second short film as a director, so quite a success I guess. The film is partially in the English language and also in Dari, so you may want a good set of subtitles. This is the tale of an interpreter who faces the most unusual first day at work in her new profession. The plot already summarizes it. She and her unit of soldiers meet a group of enemies, possibly terrorists. They may have bombs with them. A women of the enemy group is pregnant, on the verge of giving birth. The interpreter has to help her with giving birth. The child is presumed dead. Apparently there is no heartbeat. Then the child is suddenly alive, but another character is suddenly dead. And let us keep in mind: This is only the very first day of her work. So realism is a crucial component or I should maybe say the lack of realism unfortunately and this is what eventually destroys the movie. At some point it felt just like one dramatic scene chasing the next, so it all was very much for the sake of it and the authenticity was kinda gone. Lets be honest here: The action would even be over-the-top for a 90-minute film, let alone for a film under 30 minutes. Overall, I don't think this is a bad film. it has its moments and strengths, like the atmosphere or the contemporary relevance and others, so I am still a bit curious about Hughes' future works. But this one here has weaknesses that should have kept it from getting recognition at any awards body, especially the Oscars. I don't recommend the watch.

rinehart-18048 This is perhaps the best short film that I have ever seen. Great script, incredible acting, and simply (a must see gem)! I have watched thousands of hours of supposedly "great" films, and have never seen anything so well crafted, emotionally involving, and fundamentally human as this. It is simply "the best of the best"!

Michael_Elliott Day One (2015) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Of all the live action Oscar nominated shorts this one here from Henry Hughes is certainly the most unpleasant. It deals with a woman named Feda (Layla Alizada) who is on her first tour in Afghanistan working as an interpreter. She ends up at the home of a bomb maker where she's just expecting to translate but soon the man's pregnant wife goes into labor.DAY ONE is a fairly grim and graphic tale that could have very well gone down the road of exploitation and been one of the more disgusting entries in that genre. However, it doesn't go down that path and instead turns into a pretty frank and brutal character study as we get to see various obstacles this woman goes through on her first day on the job. What really helps the movie are the terrific performance by the entire cast. It's certainly not a very easy film to watch but it really pays off in the end.

MartinHafer This film was definitely the most difficult to watch of all the nominees for Best Live-Action Short. It's quite timely and very well done but I noticed a lot of folks cringing and reacting viscerally to this film. The fact that it made such a big impact is a good thing...but some will find this all a bit unpleasant.The story is set in what you assume is Afghanistan--though I don't recall the film even mentioning where the American soldiers were stationed in that general area. A new female interpreter has just arrived and is about to go on her first assignment. Unfortunately, this first encounter will clearly be among the most traumatic and difficult of her military career. This is because not only is one of the men killed by some sort of explosion but subsequently they come upon a family and the wife is dying because of a very, very complicated pregnancy. So not only will the interpreter have to interpret but because of the Muslim culture, the men in the group are not allowed to see the woman in labor. But it's a very, very bad labor and the interpreter cannot imagine anything good coming out of this...and she's probably right. It's going to be a horrible day.As I said above, this is a very traumatic film and one I would not want younger viewers to see. I could say more but you'd just have to see it for yourself to know what I mean. The film is not gratuitous in its violence but it's a situation that is bleak and depressing...but also exceptionally well made and one of the most unusual shorts I've ever seen.UPDATE: "Stutterer" took the Oscar for Best Live Action Short.