Slanted

Description

Slanted is a social drama with body horror elements that exposes modern values imposed by society and the performative lifestyle of Instagram models.

Upon arriving in the US, the American dream swallowed a little Chinese girl named Joan whole. She’s trying her best to blend into American society. She eats hamburgers, admires the happy faces on billboards.

As she grows up, the desire to fit in with white Americans only gets stronger. And what is this, if not a sign from above — the potential prom queen drops out of the voting because she’s shooting a new project. Isn’t this Joan’s chance to become prom queen, get everything she’s ever dreamed of, and finally step out of oblivion?

But can a girl with Asian features reach those heights and become prom queen? Just dyeing her hair and slapping on a ton of makeup isn’t enough. So Joan decides on an experimental plastic surgery that will swap her Asian features for a European-type face.

It’s all pretty sad and disgusting, honestly. People, trying to find themselves, following false values, imitating others, falling under social pressure, mutilate and disfigure themselves to fit some imposed standards. Sure, we’ve seen this before in dozens of other films, but Slanted portrays it most realistically.

I had to hold back my gag reflex. Exactly like the main character’s best friend had to hold herself back while watching Joan’s obsession with joining the local elite and being just like the school’s main bitch.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a hardcore body positivity advocate with unshaved armpits. I believe you should take care of yourself, but within reason. Although who knows, maybe I’ve also fallen under social pressure, which is why I have about 20 jackets in my closet. But I’ll be honest with you: I last counted them a few years ago, and I’ve bought more since then.
I won’t even try to count how many pairs of sneakers I have.

What am I trying to prove, and to whom? I just like to look stylish. After all, I love shopping and get pleasure from it. And yes, this doesn’t really align with my eco-activism and environmentalists’ recommendations to buy only what’s necessary. In general, I’m not the best example to talk about social pressure and beauty standards.

But I do have one excuse: I never chase, or almost never chase, brands. I try to buy lesser-known brands (except for sneakers) without flashy logos. And I prefer to wear t-shirts that reflect my vision or love for something. Yes, I have Rick and Morty merch. And I’m absolutely sure you can look stylish while spending pennies.

And now, after writing a bunch of words unrelated to the plot of Slanted, I want to talk about the visual style and how it slants away from the norm. How cleverly I tied it all together, huh? You get it? It’s all about the slanted visual style, deviating from filmmaking standards.

Slanted is shot in 4:3 aspect ratio, with heavy grain, lots of close-ups, and a shaky cam (you know, like in The Office). Stylish, high-quality, for visual aesthetes and true art connoisseurs.