Mean Girls meets A Different Man with a hint of The Substance in Slanted, the comedy-drama by Amy Wang, which also won the Narrative Jury Award at the 2025 South by Southwest Film and TV Festival.

Slanted begins with 8-year-old Joan (Kristen Cui) and her dad (Fang Du) heading to his cleaning job at a high school. On their way, Joan observes the sights: American flags fluttering in the wind, stores with names like “Prayers and Ammo” and billboards showing blonde-haired white women in bikinis. 

While her dad is busy, she wanders into the high-school prom, illuminated by disco balls and magical atmospheres. The prom queen is announced and is, as you might expect, a slender, white, blonde girl in a long, flowing dress. Her Barbie-like friends surround her. Joan watches the spectacle in wonder. 

Fast forward to Joan in high school (played by Shirley Chen), who, like most teens today, is obsessed with filters on Instagram and wears more makeup than she probably needs. We find out she is a little infatuated with the popular girl, Olivia (Amelie Zilber), who isn’t running for prom queen because it conflicts with a TV show she’s on. Joan thinks she might have a chance to win, changing her appearance to improve her odds, including bleaching her dark hair blonde. 

She begins to attract attention from the popular crowd, but only for their own self-interest. When she is contacted by a company that created a popular filter on Instagram, she visits Ethnos, which will change her life forever.

This is when we see her become Jo Hunt, played by McKenna Grace. I’ll leave the rest of the chaos that follows for you to see for yourself.

Written, directed and produced by the talented Amy Wang, I loved the way this movie was shot. It’s whimsical yet heartbreaking, especially after the racial modification surgery. The film feels ethereal and dreamlike at times, highlighting the struggles of people of color. 

There’s a line Joan’s mom says at one point that really resonated with me: “Being Chinese is what makes us special.” As a white woman, I will never fully understand the struggles faced by people of color. However, a movie like this helps me gain a teeny-tiny understanding, especially when it comes to being stereotyped. 

The script and story move at a quick pace, keeping me engaged the entire time. The process from being Joan to becoming Jo happens rapidly, and you have to accept this world in which Ethnos exists. There are these videos of others who have undergone the racial modification surgery playing in the waiting room that are so ridiculous, it’s funny. But the reality of what they are saying is genuinely scary about getting better opportunities, treatment and privilege. 

Every performance is stellar, especially that of Shirley Chen and McKenna Grace. I know Grace from the newer Ghostbusters movies, so I was excited to see her. 

But the practical effects and the body horror are where this movie truly excels, creating a visceral and unsettling experience. At first, the horror manifests as simple peeling skin, a disturbing yet somewhat manageable image. However, as the story unfolds, the transformation becomes increasingly grotesque, with the changes in appearance growing more elaborate and appalling.

Grace, who handles most of the prosthetic work, wears makeup and masks that emphasize the horror’s escalation, making each scene more visceral than the last.

While it doesn’t reach the level of grotesqueness found in films like The Substance, the movie still delivers a compellingly gross experience that keeps viewers on edge. 

Full of enough pop music to match the energetic and catchy soundtrack of a film like Mean Girls, the scene is further intensified by a nerve-wracking score. This musical backdrop heightens the tension and amplifies the cringeworthy moments of Joan’s final transformation, making it an emotionally charged and memorable sequence. 

But there is also a lot of heart in this film, both warming and heartbreaking. When Jo’s dad no longer sees his mother’s eyes in his daughter, I was deeply moved. Flashbacks to Jo’s childhood also add a heartfelt element that really resonates with me as a parent. You want the best for your child, but for them to completely erase their heritage… I can imagine that is devastating. 

Overall, I rate Slanted four and a half out of five stars. This movie is full of heart and tragic moments, showing how one’s decision can ripple through their family and friends, especially those of color. I may never fully understand the struggle, but I am grateful to Amy Wang for giving us a glimpse into the hardships of coming to America and being a minority. I hope this film will entertain and also help open the eyes of people who may not be as welcoming to others as they should be. 

Thank you to the Nashville Film Festival for bringing this incredible gem of a film to us, offering an unforgettable experience for all attendees!