Slanted

Amy Wang’s feature debut stars Shirley Chen (Dìdi) as a Chinese-American teenager who dreams of becoming prom queen, undergoing a radical experimentation surgery to appear Caucasian.

Slanted follows Chinese-American teenager, Joan Huang, who grows up battling racism and cultural clashes between her home life and school. As a 17-year-old, she is obsessed with her appearance and her desire to become more popular. When she comes across experimental organisation Ethnos through a facial altering app on her phone, she undertakes a radical surgical procedure to achieve her “white” ideal looks. This journey alienates her from her family and friends, satirising assimilation and white worship while focussing on her struggle for self-worth.

Curator's Note

Starring Shirley Chen, Vivian Wu, Mackenna Grace (The Handmaid’s Tale; I, Tonya), and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Netflix’s Never Have I Ever), in supporting roles, Australian born Amy Wang’s feature debut balances themes of class and racial discrimination with an important message of being careful what you wish for.

Snappy and occasionally tragic, Slanted won the Grand Jury prize for best Narrative Feature at this year’s SXSW Austin, gaining comparisons to Jordan Peele’s Get Out with a sliver of The Substance.

– Ella Cawthorn, Film Program Coordinator

This screening is co-presented by Screen Presence and Asian Cinema Collective. Join us after the screening for a recorded panel discussion with Amy Wang on her experiences on the film and working between the US and Australia, moderated by Screen Presence.