Thanks to Renato Bratkovič while attending Alibi-Fest.com I got to see writer Zoran Benčič and producer Tomi Matič present their new crime film, Psi Brezčasja / Case:Osterberg on Saturday night at Kino Slovenska Bistrica. Although my Slovenian is practically non-existent and there were no subtitles, I had no trouble following the story because the visual storytelling was so good. It’s the directorial debut for Matej Nahtigal, who teamed up with Benčič, the frontman of the seminal Slovenian rock’n’roll band Res Nullius, to adapt his 2012 novel with the same name. Nahtigal did so much with what was a ‘no budget’ film (many big name actors worked for nothing): the neo-noir style was spot on and it looked far more assured than you’d expect from a debut.
Vrhovec brings a dogged determination to Rok Osterberg as he stumbles down the dark alleys and grimy streets of the city. He can’t really trust anyone, of course — this is noir! — and violence breaks out at the drop of a hat, portrayed in all its wincing painfulness. There’s a switch of perspective about 2/3 of the way in: a tough thing to pull off and yet it’s done effortlessly. Fans of noir will not be disappointed. Indie filmmakers will be impressed: it raises the bar. If you can catch it on the circuit, do.
Synopsis: This is the story of Rok Osterberg (PRIMOŽ VRHOVEC), who returns to his hometown after years of living abroad to find out who had killed his brother and why. Rok’s personal investigation into his brother’s murder leads him through the underbelly of the city, where he has to face friends and enemies, old and new. He finds that Katarina (BREŽE), his ex girlfriend, is now the wife of the leading candidate for the town’s new major. The murder of Maks Osterberg is mystery to everyone, especially to the police and Rok realizes that the way to solving it stretches out of the dimly lit streets of the underworld up to the highest echelons of society.
Po knjižni predlogi/ inspired by novel: Zoran Benčič, Psi Brezčasja
Režija/director MATEJ NAHTIGAL
Zgodba /Story ZORAN BENČIČ
Izvršni producent/executive producer TOMI MATIČ
IGRALCI/ actors:
Rok Osterberg PRIMOŽ VRHOVEC
Katarina VIDA BREŽE
Inšpektor Kramer/inspector Kramer IVO GORŠIČ
Spaski IVO BARIŠIČ
Đango PREDRAG PEĐA MITROVIĆ
Inšpektor Polak/inspector Polak BLAŽ SETNIKAR
Kovač starejši/ Kovač senior RADKO POLIČ RAC
Aldo AKIRA HASEGAWA
Pavel BORUT VESELKO
Roksana VALENTINA PLASKAN
Lili ANDRIJANA BOŠKOŠKA BATIČ
Odvetnik Bernard Lam/lawyer Bernard Lam PRIMOŽ PIRNAT
Inšpektor Štajner/inspector Štajner MARKO UJC
Inšpektor Holz/inspector Holz EMIL CERAR
Marcel Bach VLADO G. REPNIK
Ivan DEJAN HERMANN
Polakova spremljevalka/Polak’s companion on bal: MARINA GREGOREC
Obritoglavec 1/skinhead 1 TOMI MATIČ
Obritoglavec 2/skinhead 2 LJUBISAV LJUBO ŠTICA
Taksist 1/ taxi driver 1 GORAN PETRAŠEVIČ
OSTALO:
Scenarij/ screenwriter’s: ZORAN BENČIČ & MATEJ NAHTIGAL
Supervizor montaže/supervisor editor: ANDRIJA ZAFRANOVIĆ
Asistetnt supervizije montaže/assistant editing supervisor : PETER BAN
Montaža/ editors: MATEJ NAHTIGAL & ZORAN BENČIČ
Direktor fotografije /director of photography: VLADAN JANKOVIĆ
Producentka/producer: ŽIVA ČONKAŠ
Asistentka režije/assistant director: NINA TRATNIK
Tajnik režije/director secretary: ŽAK DAKOTA LEKŠE
Mojster luči/gaffer: DRAGO JARIČ
Asistent osvetljave/best boy: JURIJ VIŽINTIN
Scenografija/production designer: URŠKA MAZEJ
Kostumografija/ costume designer: SANJA GRCIĆ
Vodja scene/ grip: IVO PETRETIČ
Filmska tehnika/film equipment: FS VIBA FILM, ARRI ALEXA XT
Tonska tehnika/sound equipment: FS VIBA FILM
Graham Wynd 
Looks fun! Looking forward to when this comes out here (with subtitles).
Yes! I hope it does reach a wider audience soon.