A Slice of Heaven

A knife in the toaster sends our lead to heaven where they are sent immediately back from the Pearly Gates to complete a final trial.

Well-acted from the lead and I always appreciate a film that runs with limited dialogue but still effectively gets its story across. The camerawork mixes some nice shots with others that aren't so sharp. There are some nice set-ups for the "accidents" and overall it's an interesting take on the COA genre.

Enjoyable and rewatchable. Nice work, Rai Valley Area School.

The father, the son and the holy toast give a young woman one last chance at redemption, only this 'back from the dead' film keeps keeps going wrong meaning the pathway to heaven might need to be re-evaluated.

I liked the corny nature of the jokes in this film, the groan inducing puns matching the silly shooting style and over the top personalities presented on screen particularly the energetic teacher Mr. Wilson.

Cartoonish in tone the edit was consistent however I was a little bewildered how this fit into the required genre though I appreciate the team was going for subversion.

My main tip would have been stopping at three to give the film better pacing balancing rather than give our lead actress a final final ultimate chance? Because it did result in the film dragging a little bit. Silly but fun.

Story: 2.5/5
Technical: 2/5
Elements: 3/5
Overall: 2.5/5

A simple and at times, nonsensical story which nonetheless has a beginning, a middle and an end, which is something not every school team is going to boast.

While some of the storytelling is a bit sloppy - I'm not quite sure how the rules work around entering into heaven, or how someone could routinely find themselves killed by toast - one aspect I really like in this film is how it is (mostly) non dialogue, save for a few important lines from St. Peter, which adds a lot of weight to the character and the stakes of the story. This is such an intelligent and specific creative decision which you don't often see in school teams, or even 48Hours in general.

Super charming, and super promising filmmaking chops from this young team. I look forward to what they crack out in 2023 and beyond.

Challenge for next year: I'd love to see you continue to put structural twist on your film (such as non-dialogue is in this one). I think this will do a great job of setting your films apart from the pack. Maybe do a single take film next time, or a black-and-white one? I hope you get musical some day.

I enjoyed this film. I thought the idea was simple but nicely done. And a nice public information film on the perils of sticking a knife into an electrical element and the hazards of making toast in general. Although, I'm not sure what the lead actress was sent back to achieve - make and eat some toast?

Technically I liked the range of shots, thought the shots were well lit and the sound was good. I was very impressed by the special effects.

I thought the acting was very good.

And I loved the twist at the end that I won't reveal.

All in all, I'd be proud of this film. Job well done.