Science-fiction takes a lot of forms, from fantastical tales of derring-do to serious dramas about the impact of technological advancements. But no matter how far into the future we’re flung, every story is about what’s going on now. Cautionary tales about where we’re going, reexaminations about where we’ve been, allegories for contemporary issues — sci-fi tackles all these topics by giving audiences a little more distance and perspective than we’re used to. And this is true whether the sci-fi story is good or bad.
Writer/director Amy Wang’s feature debut “Slanted” has grim things to say about the past, present and future of the immigrant experience, and about the whole of American culture. The film acknowledges that this country was established to benefit white people and keep everyone else down, so whatever progress we’ve made — and whatever progress the current administration is trying to unmake — it’s just not fair out here. “Slanted” has some good things to say about the subject. It also has some sticky, debatable things. And unfortunately, sometimes that’s unfortunate.
Shirley Chen stars as Joan Huang, whose Chinese parents moved to the United States when she’s just a child. There’s something different about this place. All the billboards have happy white people in them. All the white people mock her culture, her food and her appearance. But instead of hating her new home, Joan becomes obsessed with fitting in. She stumbles into a high school prom and decides this is the magical place where she belongs, and she’ll get there by any means possible.
Ten years later, Joan dyes her hair and pinches her nose, just to fit in with her white classmates. It doesn’t work. They exploit her heritage to get discounts at local spas. She’ll never make prom queen at this point. Then she receives an offer from a mysterious new company, Ethnos, which can do something about that. They can make her hair blonde, forever, so no one will ever see her roots. They can change the color of her skin, permanently. They can make her white.
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Joan tricks her parents, Roger (Fang Du) and Sofia (Vivian Wu), into signing the permission slip, and returns home looking like Mckenna Grace. Her parents don’t recognize her, and it takes a lot to convince them she’s the real Joan. When they drag Joan back to Ethnos to reverse the procedure, they’re told the procedure can’t be undone. Joan looks white now, and she doesn’t understand why her parents are so mad.
The rest of “Slanted” follows Joan — now calling herself “Jo Hunt” — as she ingratiates herself into the local “Mean Girls” social clique, and manipulates her way into prom queen contention. The most popular girl in school, Olivia (Amelie Zilber), has abdicated the throne to focus on her acting career, and Jo needs her endorsement, like an ambitious civil servant. She sells her soul, betrays her friends and discovers too late that the treatment has side effects she wasn’t warned about. So, if she’s not careful, it looks like her face could literally fall off.
It’s tempting to compare “Slanted” to the recent Oscar-winner “The Substance,” since both films are about sci-fi technology physically transforming a woman who thinks it will lead to a better life. Wang’s film has different dimensions, focusing on youth culture more than the injustices faced by older women, and also the perils of assimilation. Joan’s parents weep when they discover that she no longer looks Chinese, and has abandoned their whole culture. Joan is certainly on a path to learn that running from her problems into a whole new identity was wrongheaded, and she will probably want to change back sooner than later.
But although “Slanted” is an interesting film when viewed through its own, clearly presented lens, its approach to personal identity evokes similar issues faced by the real trans community, and that’s where it runs into trouble. Joan became white because she thought it would be convenient, but people who transition to match their gender identity go through a very different experience.
Those scenes where Joan’s parents berate her for changing her body probably aren’t intended as trans allegories, but they play that way, so the film loses its thematic clarity. From the perspective of the plot “Slanted” clearly sides with the parents, but in the closest real-world version of this interaction, those parents would be interacting with a child bringing out the real version of themselves, not hiding behind a superficial façade. So, those parents would not be sympathetic in a context many of us would recognize.
“Slanted” never addresses this particular dichotomy. It never directly differentiates Joan’s experience from the trans community’s, so it may be hard for some of us to get on its wavelength or, at least, to fully agree with the film’s thematic conclusions. The disconnect doesn’t, sadly, make “Slanted” feel more complicated. It feels like they overlooked a giant elephant, right in the middle of the room.
Shirley Chen, who already shined in the excellent coming of age drama “Dìdi,” should be on her way to superstardom. It’s an intricate role and she plays it perfectly. When she’s replaced by Mckenna Grace it’s a little disappointing, even though Grace also has talent to spare, but that’s either a clever side effect of the premise or just kind of ironic. The whole cast is spot-on, no notes, excellent work all around.
It’s only the plot that runs into trouble, since it leads “Slanted” to carefully tackle some serious issues, but overlook or airball some others. When viewed from different angles the film is either a fascinating success or a gigantic misfire. Then again, “Slanted” suggests we should abandon such polarizations. Is it good? Yes. Is it bad? Also yes. Is it interesting? Sure. Is it messy? Aren’t we all, I suppose, but that’s not always a good excuse.
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