Slanted
Chinese American teen Joan Huang just wants to fit in at her high school, but when she hastily undergoes an experimental medical procedure to become Caucasian, the consequences could be devastating in this biting speculative fiction satire. SXSW Grand Jury winner.
Director Amy Wang scheduled to attend.
Tickets
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Saturday, May 24, 2025
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
Sunday, May 25, 2025
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
Since she was little, Joan (Shirley Chen, Dìdi (弟弟)) wanted to be prom queen. But her Chinese American features just don’t mesh with the blonde-haired, blue-eyed portraits of past royalty that line the halls of her high school. No matter how hard she tries, she simply can’t get “in” with the popular crowd. What Joan can do, however, is post selfie after selfie, made lighter-skinned and wide-eyed using the photo filter app “Ethnos.” When Ethnos, actually a mysterious company focusing on ethnic reassignment procedures, reaches out with an offer for Joan to participate in a groundbreaking experimental surgery to “whiten” her Asian features, Joan jumps at the chance. As her proud immigrant parents struggle to comprehend what’s happening, Joan becomes Jo (Mckenna Grace, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), the picture-perfect, white, all-American beauty—an excellent candidate for prom queen. That is, until her face starts falling off. Director Amy Wang’s SXSW-winning debut feature is a satirical and grotesque look at racial discrimination, the privilege whiteness affords others, and the oftentimes tragic end of forced assimilation. Slanted’s elements of body horror feel right at home against the backdrop of high school, where the horrors of existing in almost any human body begin to truly come to light, and the performances by Chen and Grace will leave you rooting for Joan through all of the heartbreak and decay. Winner of the SXSW Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature.
—Emalie Soderback
- Director: Amy Wang
- Principal Cast: Shirley Chen, Mckenna Grace, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Amelie Zilber, Fang Du
- Country: USA
- Year: 2025
- Running Time: 104 min.
- Producer: Amy Wang, Mark Ankner, Trevor Wall, Adel Nur
- Screenplay: Amy Wang
- Cinematographers: Ed Wu
- Editors: Ryan Chan
- Music: Shirley Song
- Awards: SXSW 2025 (Grand Jury Award: Narrative Feature)
- Filmography: Debut Feature Film
- Language: English, Mandarin
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- Format: DCP