Slice of Life

Such a cool SF short! It's an homage to the science fiction movies of the 80's, so if you're a fan, this will be a dream come true, and if you don't care for the genre, you'll be astonished by the sheer brilliance of the filmmaking in this movie. The esthetic is amazing, all done with practical effects and miniatures... storytelling is Hitchcockian - show, don't tell. It hits all the right notes for suspense and puts you in the middle of dystopian vortex of despair. This movie left me wanting more, sure hope I get it.

What can two guys working in a garage on their passion project in Croatia do? A lot apparently. What started as a short film that was completely self funded ended up being one of the most successful short film Kickstarter campaigns, and for a good reason. Hrgovic and Julius made more than a fan film, they took everything they love and admire from their favorite directors and movies and made it their own. Miniatures, matte paintings and the "old school" way of doing things is, in their case, a strength and what gives this short film its magic and charm. The making of videos on their Youtube channel could easily be a series on their own. Looking forward in seeing what will happen once they get the acknowledgment and recognition they deserve.

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 refreshing to see, that this group of filmmakers used so many old school techniques to make this film just as good as a professional Sci fi movie, where everything is almost made by CGI.

The work with the practical miniatures is so well done. With a minimal amount of resources, they achieved a very moody and dystopian Sci fi look.

This movie is only told by action of the actors and not by talking and they sold the stories so good, that there is no need for the actors to talk. What we see on screen says enough to tell the story. You can feel the emotions of the main character and the struggle he is going through.

Very well done and a must watch for every Sci fi fan.

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!