REVIEW: “Slanted” (2026)

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From the beginning, the film “Slanted” faced a challenge with its unusual premise. It’s a very personal story that tries to be a sharp satire and a scary horror film all at once – a bold effort from writer-director Amy Wang, who used her own life as inspiration. However, the film doesn’t quite succeed in blending these elements effectively, ultimately feeling superficial.

In “Slanted,” Wang explores themes of identity, culture, and what happens when people try to fit into a new society. On a more personal level, the film delves into feelings of insecurity, self-doubt, and the need for acceptance. While the film doesn’t always fully develop its ideas, Wang occasionally succeeds in making her points. However, her broader criticisms – particularly about white culture and American identity – don’t quite work. They’re presented in a way that’s too extreme to be taken seriously and lack the detail needed to be truly meaningful.

Okay, so one of the things that really stood out to me in this movie was Shirley Chen’s performance. She plays Joan Huang, a Chinese-American teenager who’s always felt like an outsider looking in at the popular kids – a group that, let’s be honest, is pretty overwhelmingly white. Joan and her parents, Roger and Sofia, moved here from China ten years before the story starts. The director throws them into this totally over-the-top version of America, where you see stores with names like AR-15 Foods and ‘Merica Liquor – it’s ridiculous! It feels like the movie is saying that just being white automatically means you’re living in some perfect, carefree world, and it’s a really striking image.

Joan is a teenager who goes to a predominantly white high school. She tries to fit in with the popular girls, copying their clothes, the way they talk, and even their self-centered attitudes. She’s particularly fascinated by Olivia, the school’s prom queen and a social media star. At home, her walls are covered with pictures of white models, and she goes to great lengths to change her appearance – she even uses a clothespin to try and make her nose look smaller and uses filters on her photos to appear lighter-skinned.

Joan struggles to balance her desire to fit in at school with her family’s expectations, causing tension with her parents. This is particularly noticeable with her mother, who wants to share their cultural heritage but is often met with Joan’s teenage resistance. Even though Joan is close to her father, she feels ashamed of his job as a janitor and can’t hide it well. These internal and external conflicts are when the story, “Slanted,” truly shines, and the widening gap between Joan and her parents is deeply moving.

Joan’s life is unexpectedly altered when she learns about a company called Ethnos. They advertise themselves as a place to help people achieve their full potential. Intrigued, Joan visits their office and meets Dr. Willie Singer, who explains a revolutionary new surgery. This procedure permanently changes a person’s skin color, facial features, body shape, and even their voice – effectively making them appear white. The doctor, with a sly smile, explains their philosophy: “If you can’t beat them, become one of them.”

Joan goes through with the surgery and emerges looking beautiful, blonde, and now identifying as white. Played by Mckenna Grace, she begins to pursue the life she’s always dreamed of. However, she faces challenges, especially with her parents and her best friend Brindha (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), who might be the only other person of color left at school. Joan achieves the popularity she craved, even joining Olivia’s group, but these newfound gains are eventually put at risk by unforeseen and troubling events.

When Grace takes over the role, she brings new depth to the character, and both she and Chen deliver strong performances that help us understand Joan’s emotional arc. Du and Wu are also excellent and play a vital role in making the story feel human. However, despite these good performances, the story doesn’t quite come alive. The script doesn’t explore important ideas thoroughly enough, and the plot feels disjointed. Even the horror elements, when they finally appear, aren’t impactful enough to leave a lasting impression.

While “Slanted” shows creative promise – like its use of changing screen sizes to reflect the main character’s journey from feeling trapped to free – it ultimately falls short. Strong acting and the director’s clear passion aren’t enough to save a film that struggles to deliver its message effectively, lacking both the bite of satire and the impact of horror. The film hints at a potentially powerful story about cultural identity, but it doesn’t fully explore the topic, relying instead on simplistic stereotypes and a superficial understanding of American culture.

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2026-03-13 17:58