'Slots of Life' Review
- John Odette
- May 2
- 2 min read
Genre: Drama.
Director: Kevin Lau.
The Verdict: A Must-See
Filmmaker Kevin Lau has a lot to say, and he manages to pack quite a punch in his debut project as director. His new short film, Slots of Life, hints at a bigger message aching to break out. This 6-minute short is a dry run for something better to come along down the road. For now, however, the packaged message of seizing the day is sweet and hopeful.
A universal experience is that moment in our lives when we reflect on our choices and situations, taking stock of our current position. Sometimes, the past has left us breadcrumbs, dotting the trail of our journey. Occasionally, how we arrived at where we are is a mystery. Or perhaps the reflection may tell us we missed something, that our best days are behind us.
And sometimes we get inspired to pivot and realize our unrealized potential is still there. We can still find purpose; we can still be happy.
Slots of Life deftly handles this idea that the best that we can offer the world, our natural gifts, do not have a shelf life or expiration date. That everyone’s timeline is different, and finally unlocking our strengths can come from those around us, providing love and support. And that through our journey and our choices, we can achieve fulfillment.
This two-hander short features slot-machine devotee Carol (Kathy Patterson) and artsy barmaid Harper (Maisie Merlock) pondering life, its gifts, and its meaning as they smoke and vape outside a bar. The film’s tender yet direct dialogue challenges our ideas about art, our means of achieving it, and what that art could mean to others. Believing in yourself will attract others to believe in you, too.
Director Kevin Lau has taken a ubiquitous experience and asks his audience to reflect, too. To take inventory of what they have done and what they have yet to do. Slots of Life dares you to bet on yourself, even when it’s scary or uncertain. This is a solid start for Lau’s storytelling career, and I am betting on him to make something even better in the future.
