Written and directed by Amy Wang, the co-creator of the short-lived Michelle Yeoh Netflix series The Brothers Sun and writer of the upcoming Crazy Rich Asians sequel, Slanted is the type of high-concept genre picture that had the potential to either be great or a total flop. Playing like a mix of Get Out and The Substance, Slanted is a smart, funny, and surprisingly emotional satire despite its occasional adherence to formula.
Slanted Review
Slanted follows an Asian-Amerian teenager who decides to take drastic measures to become popular and win the title of prom queen: she gets an experimental surgery that changes her appearance to make her look white. Blending body horror with fish-out-of-water comedy and high school teen drama, Slanted hits a lot of familiar tropes, but in a way that doesn’t quite feel derivative.
As is often the case with genre films, there’s little subtlety to be found in the satire of Slanted. The central metaphor hits you over the head like a ton of bricks, and it doesn’t really challenge the audience to interrogate their preconceived notions of “whiteness” and “otherness.” However, even in her overt commentary, Wang creates a moving, heartwarming reminder of the meaning of community and identity.
Wang explores her themes through the cinematic medium in a way that is obvious, yet effective. She uses aesthetic differences like an aspect ratio change and lighting changes to create worlds that feel entirely different depending on which version of the protagonist we spend our time with. Wang also shows her cleverness through elements like a hilarious music video of a jingle called “It’s Good To Be White.”
Although Slanted leans more into its comedic elements than the inherent body horror of its premise, there are certain moments in which it embraces The Substance of it all. The make-up work, particularly in the third act, is quite impressive — being just disturbing enough to be effective without going so grotesque as to be unpalatable for the younger pre-teen/teen audience that the message about embracing one’s cultural identity should resonate with the most.
Shirley Chen’s performance in the lead role is excellent. She is at once charming, vulnerable, and funny. It feels like she is giving a turn that is in the tradition of the great teen heroes while also making the archetype feel entirely her own. The angst of the performance can get a bit excessive at times — particularly in contrast to the subtlety of the adult performers — but Chen imbues the character with a decisively lived-in quality.
As the caucasian version of Chen’s protagonist, McKenna Grace is less impressive. Dual performances like this work best when one performer is essentially imitating the other (at least to some extent), and while there are supposed to be drastic differences between Chen and Grace’s versions of the character, Grace could have better used mannerisms to make her performance seem like a take on Chen’s character.
And even though the role might not be overtly sexualized, it’s at least a little bit awkward to see an actress like Grace — who has still been presented as a child in her work as recently as last year’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire — in a role that centers around the commodification of her body, however satirical that objectification may be.
The focus of Slanted may be on the satirical aspects, but what really allows the movie to work is the endearing coming-of-age story at the film’s core. Wang gets the audience very invested in the relationship the protagonist has with her parents in the first third, which allows the decisions she makes in the back half of the story to carry much more emotional weight. Although the beats it hits are pretty conventional, it’s charming nevertheless.
Much of this success is thanks to excellent performances by Vivian Wu (Dídí) and Fang Du as the protagonist’s parents. They both bring a warmth to their roles that allows the family drama aspects to stand out. Fang, in particular, is excellent, getting more than a few scenes in the movie that will shatter your heart to pieces and put it back together.
Is Slanted worth watching?
Indeed, Slanted manages to find the right balance between its comedic, dramatic, and horror elements to make it a refreshing entry into its genre. Although Amy Wang’s debut may not be the most original, it has such an authentic voice that it feels like a unique spin on the tropes it uses, cementing her as a promising voice in genre filmmaking.
Slanted premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, which ran March 7-15 in Austin, TX.
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