Bleecker Street has released the first trailer for Slanted, a new satirical body horror film arriving in theaters on March 13. The movie stars Shirley Chen (Dìdi), Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever).
The story follows Joan Huang, a Chinese-American high school student who feels invisible. Joan wants to be prom queen, but she believes she cannot win because she does not look like the white girls on the “hall of fame” posters. To fix this, she visits a mysterious clinic called Ethnos that offers experimental surgery to make people of color appear white.
“Mean Girls” meets “The Substance”
Early critics are already comparing the film to recent hits like The Substance. While those films focus on aging, Slanted uses body horror to examine race. Joan wakes up from her procedure as a blonde, but her new appearance comes with terrifying side effects.
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The film currently holds an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Some festival reviews suggest the satire is a bit “superficial,” but many praise the film for its bold take on how society pressures people to fit in.
Director Amy Wang says the story comes from her own life as a Chinese-Australian woman. She explained her motivation for the project:
“As an immigrant, l’ve always been aware that I looked different. As a teenager trying desperately to fit in, I used to wake up and wonder, wouldn’t life be easier if I were white? Slanted is a satirical exploration of whiteness that challenges that question. It examines the cost of chasing acceptance, and what it means to abandon yourself in the process.”
The Horror of Fitting In
The trailer shows a mix of high school drama and surgical gore. It highlights the “Ethnos” clinic as a sketchy, corporate villain promising a “better” life through bone-breaking procedures. Wang hopes the film helps viewers face their own insecurities. Wang said in a recent statement.
“My first feature film offers a searing view of race. At the heart of this movie is a Chinese girl who wants to feel accepted as an American. I made this movie in the hopes that by exposing my wounds, I can help others heal their own self-doubt,”
