THE STORY – Joan Huang idolizes the popular girls and dreams of being prom queen, but fears the only way to win is to look like all the past queens whose portraits line her high school halls. Enter Ethnos: a mysterious cosmetic surgery clinic that makes people of color appear white. Joan undergoes the procedure and wakes up a beautiful blonde destined for the crown, but at what cost?
THE CAST – Shirley Chen, McKenna Grace, Vivian Wu, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Amelie Zilber, Fang Du, Elaine Hendrix & R. Keith Harris
THE TEAM – Amy Wang (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 102 Minutes
Body horror has become an increasingly popular genre in recent years to express complex feelings of self-hatred, rage, and the messed-up nature of our society. Amy Wang’s directional feature debut, “Slanted,” is the perfect vehicle for diving into rich topics such as assimilation, beauty norms, cultural clashes, and surviving high school. With a fascinating melting pot of stories at play (imagine a “Mean Girls,” “The Substance“ and “Dìdi“ blend with a bit of “Get Out“), it’s a bold debut from a new filmmaker, even if it does fall into predictable territory.
When little Joan (Kristen Cui) moves to the United States, she sees an overly exaggerated (maybe not, depending on where you are) image of American life. Stores and billboards boasting American ideals, like gorgeous blonde women, guns, “thoughts and prayers,“ are all over the place, and it makes quite an impression on the young girl. It certainly beats having everyone look at her, make fun of her slanted eyes, and ignore her for being Chinese. Even more impactful is when, during her father Roger’s (Fang Du) cleaning shift at the high school, she sees them crown the next prom queen: a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. That is what Joan, now a teenager herself (played by Shirley Chen of “Dìdi“), is chasing. Posters of Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift line her bedroom walls as she tries to follow the latest makeup trends to become the It girl. Except, of course, her eyes, black hair, and Asian heritage are her biggest enemies and stand in her way of fully ascending to the throne.
Chen’s performance resonates so strongly with the experiences of many immigrant children. They don’t want to stand out—Joan trades her traditional Chinese dishes with her friend Brindha (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) for more “normal“ school meals—and she desperately wants to look like and be among the cool kids, led by queen bee Olivia (Amelie Zilber). At first, she decides to dye her hair blonde, although the facade quickly cracks. But true results come in the form of a shady business called Ethnos, which can switch someone’s race permanently to white. The company’s motto is, “If you can’t beat them, be them,“ and that’s too good an offer for Joan to pass up. Soon enough, she becomes the beautiful blonde she’s always wanted to be, now named Jo Hunt (played by McKenna Grace). But as we’ve seen in films such as “The Substance“ and “The Ugly Stepsister,“ transformations can take cruel turns for the worse.
Wang’s take on assimilation, beauty standards, young women’s experiences, and racism is a fascinating watch, especially because you can tell so many personal anecdotes made it into the script. In one scene, Joan tries to get on Olivia’s good side by getting her the “locals“ discount at an Asian-run nail salon. The desperation on Joan’s face and the way she practically begs the salon owner for that discount are deeply felt. Who among us hasn’t tried so hard to impress someone? But when Joan undergoes the quick, painless transformation and emerges as a new person, the wackiness turns up a notch, even if the story becomes fairly predictable. The overly excited white faces around Jo are hilarious, if a bit creepy (Zilber’s stare is one for the books), and her first trip back home is quite memorable. Grace juggles an impressive balancing act, keeping up a bubbly persona on the outside while still battling many insecurities on the inside.
This film leans into its transformation-gone-bad body-horror tropes, with some impressive makeup work. It’s always entertaining to see just how far films are willing to push the envelope, but it leads to a pretty obvious conclusion here. The more interesting conversation that doesn’t get as much of a spotlight is the cultural identity Joan/Jo loses in the process. One of the most heartbreaking scenes is when Roger tells his daughter that he used to see her grandmother’s eyes and spirit in her, and now she’s just a stranger.
Throughout the film, Wang celebrates Chinese culture through Joan’s parents, who, despite living in the United States for 10 years, have not given up their Chinese New Year traditions or their use of Mandarin at home. Even when Joan frequently speaks to her parents in English or ditches them to spend time with the white kids, they never falter in keeping their sense of community alive in their home. It’s similar to Sean Wang’s “Dìdi,“ in which a teenage boy tries to shed his identity to become like the older kids, only to hurt himself and his mother in the process. But it’s exactly these differences that make the world, and more specifically the melting pot that is the United States, such a fascinating and rich place. Joan doesn’t fully appreciate or understand all of that. While one might expect her to realize that self-acceptance is more important than external validation, she remains preoccupied with her deteriorating appearance throughout the film. It’s a missed mark in an otherwise solid film.
“Slanted“ has many interesting elements at play, not only in its own story but also in the films it draws inspiration from. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t go far enough in the end. There’s a lot Wang juggles here, and by focusing so much on the beauty elements rather than other themes, she loses a bit of what made this film so unique to begin with. But regardless, it’s an impressive debut from Wang, who will hopefully keep pushing the envelope in years to come.
