An independent feature or short film that can pass as a Hollywood production is truly special. They exist though they are rare, even most times still using sophisticated editing and special FX. Every once in a blue moon however, a project comes a long that sells itself in every aspect without the use of any of that. A few years back, a short that was three years in the making hit festivals with a bang and is now streaming on their website for free. Clocking in at twenty-five minutes, the futuristic Slice of Life is actually taking things back in time in terms of how movies are made.
Slice of Life could almost pass a new age silent film, being that there is no dialogue and most of the story is told visually.
Slice of Life could almost pass a new age silent film, being that there is no dialogue and most of the story is told visually. The main characters only listed as ‘The Hero’ and ‘Dirty Cop’ are the center of the story. The Hero is played by Anton Svetic, and he’s a drug dealer who is making an attempt to change his life for the better. His aim is to get a ticket to leave Earth to go ‘Off World’. Everything changes when he meets the Dirty Cop, who has his own plans in mind. Written and directed by Dino Julius and Luka Hrgovic, Slice of Life is a short story that pays homage to classics such as Blade Runner whilst closely rivalling the production quality of shows like Altered Carbon.
Fans of any 80s Sci-Fi films are likely to enjoy this short. The best part is there use of FX, or, lack thereof. The directors created their entire world inside of a garage using miniatures and practical effects, as opposed to spending thousands of dollars on CGI. In doing so, they created a dark noir style dystopia that looks as though it was edited by Ridley Scott’s production crew. The story is basic and the plot isn’t over ambitious, but the manner in which everything is executed is what makes it impressive. On the part of the acting, Anton Svetic does a well enough job to convey his intentions without speaking. Due to the nature in how everything was shot, he’s constantly and visibly living in his imagination until the inevitable physical conflict is directly in front of him. The same can be said for the Dirty Cop (Ivica Pusticki) though his time onscreen is much more physical rather than emotional. Together, this small team of actors and creators made a short film that if anything, should have their phones ringing off the hooks for job offers.
If only more projects were approached with such expertise, the movie industry might look like a different place right now. Slice of Life has plenty of flaws sure, but for what their team had to work with, it’s easy to say overall it was a job well done. The short, as well as the making of the project can be found on sliceoflifefilm.com or on YouTube, both for free. So, enter a new dimension with this resourceful team.
