Slanted (2025)

Slanted is an American body horror film.

It’s described as a mix between Mean Girls (2024) and The Substance (2024). I really liked the first one, but I absolutely hated the second. Both have a great cast! The star-studded trio in the first film consists of Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Amanda Seyfried. As for the star-studded trio in the other, Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid take center stage.

However, I have no idea what Mean Girls 2 (2011) is like. Not all sequels are terrible, even if they often have a reputation for being so.

This film is very good. The lead actresses include Shirley Chen, Mckenna Grace, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. I loved the couple/duo playing the parents, Vivian Wu and Fang Du—both were fabulous.

If you’re watching this movie for Shirley Chen, be aware that she disappears after about forty minutes. If you’re watching this movie for Mckenna Grace, it’s good to know that she doesn’t appear until forty-five minutes in! As for me, she’s the reason I watched it. I’d watch any movie for her, because she’s by far one of my favorite current actresses and singers. And she certainly didn’t disappoint me in this film.

Shirley Chen does a solid job playing the tortured teenager who’s extremely uncomfortable in her own skin.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan does a particularly good job playing the best friend. I wish we saw a little more of her. Plus, she ends up disappearing without us ever really knowing what became of her. Such a shame!

Amelie Zilber is a very pretty actress, but she’s so thoroughly evil here that she becomes repulsive and frightening.

Body horror films are movies like the remake of The Fly (1986), Society (1989)—which actually inspired The Substance—Together (2025), and so on. There are always physical transformations that turn into drama, turning into nightmares and absolute horror.

The story flows pretty well. The dialogue is good. You always find yourself wondering what you would do in the protagonists’ shoes. I always wonder if these are good ideas.

In a series like Black Mirror, for example, they show inventions that could exist in the future. At first, we’re drawn in, but these films and series demonstrate just how badly things would go if they actually existed. A good idea can only be good on the surface—and certainly not in the long run.

It’s funny: there are posters of Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Sabrina Carpenter in the main teen’s bedroom—she’s very obsessed with American and white Western beauty.

You reap what you sow.

A film that condemns racism, but in a rather subtle way. True, brainless racists won’t realize that we’re openly mocking them! To get that, you first have to learn how to use your brain.

But white people aren’t necessarily the most beautiful! Love yourself just the way you are. Everyone can contribute to the beauty of the world with a little self-confidence. And always be careful what you really wish for!

No, changing your appearance isn’t the solution! Acceptance isn’t easy, but it remains one of the keys to happiness.

The ending—that is, the final scene—is pretty bloody and gory. But the very last few seconds are quite poetic and leave a nice little glimmer of hope.

Worth watching if you like this kind of movie—not too violent overall, but quite thought-provoking, while being unsettling, of course, but not necessarily traumatic.