‘Slanted’ is Powerful and Heartbreaking
Shirley Chen in Slanted
A Chinese-American teenager, Joan (Shirley Chen), undergoes an experimental surgery to become white in hopes of being accepted and becoming prom queen.
What an incredible premise!
This is the third and final movie that we watched at SIFF this year, and it was a great experience. The line for this screening wrapped around the building, and everyone was so excited to experience this film. To top it off, we were surprised by a Q&A with the writer and director, Amy Wang, after the film ended. It was so great to hear more about her story and hear about some of the intentional details she included in this film.
I think this is an important film to watch, especially for white American women. Slanted does a great job of pointing out some of the realities of American culture that are easy to miss when you’re white. It often does so through humor, which is a great way to disarm audiences, making it easier for us to accept the film's message. There are so many moments where I found myself laughing and wincing at the same time because the writing is just so insightful. I think it’s so important to watch films that allow us to walk in the shoes of someone with a different experience than our own, and Slanted is an example of the power of these types of stories.
Shirley Chen in Slanted
Slanted does an excellent job of highlighting the unhealthy beauty standards in the U.S. While there have been strides made in making what’s considered “beautiful” more accessible and inclusive, we still have a long way to go.
At the beginning of the film, Joan is watching a makeup tutorial by a white woman demonstrating a technique that isn’t as flattering for Asian features. Joan also has air-brushed pictures of white women hanging on her wall—a bunch of white heads constantly looking down on her, as if judging her for not being white. Because of the media she’s consuming, she can’t see the beauty in her features or her culture.
In one of the most powerful moments of the film, Joan is having a conversation with her father (Fang Du), where he laments her choice to undergo this surgery. He says something to the effect of, “I could see your grandmother in your face.” I thought that was such a beautiful and impactful moment. Instead of just telling Joan that she’s beautiful, he connects her beauty and her features to their shared history. I thought that was a valuable perspective on the unhealthy beauty standards of today.
As people (women in particular) seek to change their faces, we are also changing that which helps to connect us to our history. I had never thought about it in that light before.
The film also highlights the ways that social media affects our world. I didn’t have much access to social media in high school (I had MySpace and eventually Facebook), so I can only imagine how much these platforms affect teenagers. I know that too much time on social media negatively affects me, a fully grown adult. How much more does it impact impressionable teenagers?
Joan spends a great deal of time on social media, which shapes her worldview and contributes to her wanting this life-changing surgery. I love that Slanted isn’t too heavy-handed with this part of the story either—social media is a contributing factor, just one of many that influences Joan’s decision-making.
Shirley Chen in Slanted
Slanted is a thoughtful and powerful film that highlights the dangerous beauty standards of today. It’s also intentional in celebrating the beauty of other cultures. We see Joan’s mom (Vivian Wu) consistently inviting her daughter into their traditions—making dumplings, celebrating Chinese New Year, and even remembering their anniversary of arriving in the U.S. The film does an excellent job of showing the steps people take to retain their culture while also integrating into the white, American culture of this town. We see that tension and what is lost when someone chooses to forsake their history and fully adopt whiteness.
This film is funny and heart-warming and will leave you with much to think about. I hope that this film gets picked up and will become available for distribution—it’s definitely a worthwhile watch.