Slice of Life

The attention to detail in this production is second-to-none. Even the musical score and set dressing in the night club scene is accurate to the film that it pays tribute to. How is it that a super low-budget independent production like this was able to accurately capture the style of the 1982 Blade Runner film effects and sets while every multi-million dollar Hollywood attempt to do something like Blade Runner has failed miserably?

People who see Slice of Life owe it to themselves to also check out the behind the scenes videos that outline the research that went into this production and the process that the film-makers used for creating the shots. It's like handing someone sticks, stones, a few pieces of string, and a $20.00 bill while telling them to make something with scenes that stand up to the cyberpunk world of Blade Runner. Impossible? Apparently not.

Kudos to the patience and raw talent displayed in this work of art. The major studios would be insane not to hire these people.

It's not accurate to say that "Slice of Life" is inspired by or is an homage to "Blade Runner" - simply, it is a story that exists on its own in the BR universe. There are far too many markers to say other wise... Everything from the almost trademark cinematography to its identifiers like advertisements to "off-world" colonies, dining at the White Dragon, Deckard's gun, spinners, nods to Atari, etc... right down to the "One More Kiss Dear" sound-a-like sound track on the end credits. Make no mistake about- this is supposed to be Deckard's LA in 2019.

That having been said, this is quite the Herculean task- a small limited budget short film that set out to tell a story set in one of the most iconic, influential, Si-Fi universes of all time. A landscape that is incredibly layered and detailed and "atmospheric". Slice certainly did so very successfully and impressively.

It was a smart choice to have a lack of dialogue and instead let the atmosphere speak for itself. It is reminiscent of the short films that were released ahead of BR 2049 featuring some of the characters in the film. Same universe, just different stories. My only qualm, without spoiling anything, was I wish there was something more to the story itself. At the end of the day, a strong story and strong characters (in my opinion) need to be the bedrock on which to build everything else.

However I really did enjoy this love letter to BR and I applaud the incredible effort!

Visually I would give the film a perfect score, especially given that it was made in humbler surroundings and not by some Hollywood studio. However, I didn't feel the look was something that was new to me if I search outside the local cinema. I understand that filmmakers probably didn't intend to bring something completely new to the table and instead wanted to make an homage. That is perfectly legitimate but it stops me from wanting to give it the highest grade. I felt the main actor didn't perform perfectly either but overacted at times. Having said that, I still think the film offered more than most other films made in our country and overall the people who made it should be congratulated; hopefully we'll see more things from them.

It's clear that this short film was heavily inspired by Bladerunner but it seemed too much like a rip-off of both Bladerunner films and the Cyberpunk game combined, only on the aesthetic and sociological level. It is lacking in the philosophical depth of Philip K. Dick and other works associated with science fiction and the cyberpunk genre, which is probably an unfair criticism based on the high bar set by such writers, but it's worth noting. Fully aware that this would be hard to achieve within the confines of a short film, I do feel that even if this story was given a feature-length opportunity and budget I still believe it would fall flat.

Aesthetically very slick and cool while maintaining the dirty underground feel it successfully executes, but some of the corny imagery and particularly cheesy soundtrack takes away from what would otherwise be a rewatchable sci-fi short.

Given the criticism, I am however impressed with what was achieved on this reportedly limited budget, and would certainly give other films by Luka Hrgovic and/or Dino Julius a watch to see how they each develop their craft.

Very impressive production. I am in awe by the film makers and also watched how they shot it :D Incredible! Really, really proud of the guys and the dedication they put into it.