Backspot

After hearing the news that the esteemed high school cheer squad Thunder Hawks have new spots opening, the mid-level ranked Riley (Devery Jacobs) and her girlfriend Amanda (Kudakwashe Rutendo), apply, making the elite team.

The high level perfectionism dictated by their coach Eileen (Evan Rachel Wood) impact the newcomers and Riley’s interior world begins to crumble like a cheer squad pyramid gone wrong. The days of blanket forts and queer bliss for Riley and Amanda is tested by the rigours of gruelling practice and dopamine highs. With a high energy soundtrack by Casey MQ along with amusing singalongs from Legally Blonde: The Musical, Backspot backflips the formulaic cheerful cheerleader genre tropes of Bring It On, landing a blister-making, compulsive narrative by non-binary, first time feature helmer, and electronic music producer, D. W. Waterson. Jacobs (Waterson’s partner in life) also acts as one of the producers along with Elliot Page (Executive Producer). It’s also worth a mention of the wonderful Shannyn Sossamon as Riley’s mum. Anchored, literally, by Jacobs' driven performance as the squad’s backspot, Backspot will cartwheel into your heart with a physicality and rawness so rarely observed in queer sport cinema.