Debuting at SXSW, Amy Wang’s “Slanted” delivers a sharp and fearless take on identity, assimilation, and self-worth, wrapped in dark humor and body horror. The film, which won Best Narrative Feature, cements Wang as a filmmaker to watch, tackling heavy themes with a biting satirical edge. Anchored by Shirley Chen, McKenna Grace, Vivian Wu, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and Amelie Zilber, “Slanted” takes well executed risks in its storytelling and execution.
The premise alone is bold: Joan Huang, an insecure Chinese American teenager, undergoes an experimental surgery to physically transform into a white girl—all in a desperate bid to win Prom Queen. Fans of “The Substance” will recognize a similar idea of self-reinvention through body horror, but instead of youth and beauty, Wang turns the lens on race itself. The result is unsettling, satirical, and disturbingly relevant.
Audiences at SXSW fully embraced the film, making its Best Narrative Feature win feel inevitable. The humor landed, the horror shocked, and the film resonated far beyond its central premise. At the heart of it all is Shirley Chen, who delivers a career-making performance. After standing out in a supporting role in “Didi,” she proves she’s a leading actress to watch. It’s not just the big, dramatic moments—Chen shines in the subtle beats, like her reaction to a wealthy customer of her dad’s or the effortless chemistry in her banter with best friend (played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). She commands the screen in a way that should have casting directors in Austin taking note.
Beyond its genre elements, “Slanted” cuts deep for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t belong. For Asian Americans, themes of assimilation and internalized shame are familiar, but Wang’s film speaks to a much broader audience. Everyone has experienced insecurity. Everyone has felt like an outsider. That’s why the film hits so hard. Wang herself explained: “I remembered waking up for years thinking, wouldn’t life just be easier if I was white?” A brutally honest thought, and now the backbone of a film that refuses to look away.
Then there’s Vivian Wu, who plays Joan’s mother—a presence that underscores just how far the industry has come in telling Asian American stories. Wu starred in “The Joy Luck Club,” which hit theaters over 30 years ago, and Hollywood largely ignored stories about Asian families for decades after. It took “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once” to finally open doors for meaningful representation. Wu’s role in “Slanted” is a testament to that shift—there are finally complex roles for actresses like her to play, and it took far too long to get here.
Watching “Slanted” at SXSW, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own experience. Earlier this week, I found myself at an activation surrounded by tall, blonde, effortlessly cool festivalgoers—and I felt completely out of place. That feeling? That’s “Slanted.” Every Asian American instantly understands the weight of that title. Thousands still undergo double-eyelid surgery to appear more Western. But the film’s brilliance is that it’s not just about race—it’s about the universal human need to belong. That’s why “Slanted” will stick with audiences long after the credits roll.
Amy Wang spoke to Awards Focus about the film’s origins, balancing satire with social commentary, and the overwhelming response at SXSW.
Awards Focus: Hi Amy. Congrats on having your film selected for SXSW. What led you to write and direct this film? I know from the Q&A post the premiere screening that it comes from a personal place.
Amy Wang: Absolutely. It came about back in 2021. There was the Atlanta spa shooting where a group of Asian American women were killed. That tragedy brought back a lot of memories for me. First, it made me really scared because I was living in LA at the time. But second, it forced me to remember my childhood—the fear I lived in. It wasn’t constant, but as a teenager growing up in Australia, I experienced a lot of racism.
I remember feeling ashamed of how I looked, of my language, of my culture. I wanted to shed all of it and be as white as possible. I spent years waking up thinking, Wouldn’t life just be easier if I were white? That’s a dark thought to have, especially as a kid. Now, as an adult, I’ve come to terms with my identity, but I know so many teenagers, even today, still struggle with those same feelings—whether they’re Asian, Black, Hispanic, or any other minority. If you look different, you feel left out. You don’t feel like you belong.
That’s where “Slanted” came from—the idea of what if? What if a Chinese American teenager actually transformed herself into a white girl? And what if that dream-come-true turned into a nightmare?
AF: The film explores extreme physical transformation as a way to chase acceptance, which feels both far-fetched and unsettlingly relevant. How did you decide that satire was the right approach? And beyond that, was it challenging to balance the film’s message while making sure it still worked as entertainment within the satire genre?
Wang: Yeah. I think the idea of a Chinese American girl turning white was so extreme that it naturally felt satirical. The absurdity of it made me think, This has to have a darkly comedic edge.
At the time I was developing the script, I had just seen “Triangle of Sadness,” and I’ve always been a huge fan of Ruben Östlund’s films. “Sorry to Bother You” was another big inspiration. There was also this incredible movie, ”Sick of Myself,” by Kristoffer Borgli, who later made “Dream Scenario.” “Sick of Myself” was a major influence because it was so satirical, so exaggerated, yet still felt grounded. That’s what I wanted for “Slanted.”
As for the body horror, that evolved naturally. I kept thinking, What happens after she turns white? Her transformation can’t be this perfect, flawless thing. It has to go wrong. Her face has to start rotting because this change isn’t something she was meant to have. It should become a nightmare. That’s where the horror element took shape—it felt like the natural consequence of her actions.
AF: How do you feel about the state of the industry for Asian filmmakers today compared to when you were growing up? Even looking back just a few years, it feels like a lot has changed.
Wang: Absolutely. I am so, so grateful to be coming up now compared to back in the day. I grew up watching the Coen brothers, Alexander Payne, Paul Thomas Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, and David Fincher. And what do they all have in common? They’re all white men. I love their films, and I’m glad I was able to shape my voice through that kind of storytelling, but there weren’t many filmmakers who looked like me.
These days, it’s a completely different landscape. Seeing the success of the Daniels with “Everything Everywhere All at Once”—which is one of my favorite films of all time—has been incredible. Then you have Chloe Zhao, Celine Song… “Past Lives” had me gasping for breath and sobbing in the theater. And Lee Isaac Chung, who directed “Minari” and is now helming “Twisters.” They’re all huge inspirations to me, and it’s so exciting to see these filmmakers thriving.
And it’s not just that we’re seeing more Asian filmmakers—it’s that they all have such distinct voices and styles. There’s no one way to tell an Asian story. That’s what makes this moment so exciting. It finally feels like there’s space for all of us. And for me personally, it’s just really, really awesome to be in their company.
AF: Shirley Chen was great in “Didi,” and she shines even brighter in her performance here. Can you talk about the casting process and what made you choose Shirley, McKenna, and the rest of the ensemble?
Wang: Yeah, absolutely. I had always known about Shirley because I saw her short film “Krista.” Her first feature, “Beast,” was based on that short, and it played at SXSW a few years ago. I remember just being blown away by her performance in both “Krista” and “Beast.” She was always at the forefront of my mind.
When we were looking at auditions, I specifically asked, Is Shirley Chen going to audition? Because I needed to see her. And she blew me away, just as I knew she would. Casting her as the lead was a no-brainer.
After we cast Joan, I needed to find someone who could match Shirley’s energy and physicality. I had seen a lot of McKenna’s work—”A Friend of the Family” on Peacock, “Ghostbusters,” “The Handmaid’s Tale.” She has this ferocity and energy that really stood out. When we had lunch, she told me how much she related to the themes of the film—growing up as a teenager, questioning how she looked, her body type, and just struggling with identity in general. After that conversation, I knew she was the right person for the role.
Maitreyi was similar. Her Netflix show [“Never Have I Ever”] is one of my favorites, and honestly, I kind of wrote the part with her in mind. She was the only person I could think of who is spunky, cool, and completely comfortable in her own skin. She absolutely kills it in the film.
And finally, for Amelie, who plays Olivia—that’s such a complicated character, without giving too much away. My casting director saw thousands of auditions—it was insane. I watched the top 100 or so, and without a doubt, she stood out. She had so much depth. She’s stunning, but beyond that, she just had exactly what I was looking for in the role.
I’m so happy with all four of them. They’re all incredibly talented, and it was such a blast working with them.
AF: What surprised you the most about the audience’s reaction at the premiere screening during SXSW?
Wang: I was honestly shocked. We had done a couple of test screenings in LA with friends and people in the industry, so I had a sense of where the laughs would land. There were a handful of moments where I thought, This is going to hit big, and thankfully, those moments did.
But what really surprised me was how much more the SXSW audience responded. There were moments where people didn’t laugh at all in LA, and here, they were howling. That made me so happy—seeing that energy, that connection.
Then there was the emotional side of it. I heard people sniffle all around me. Later that night, just walking from my hotel to the after-party, I got stopped four times by strangers—some of them in tears. And what really stuck with me is that they were all white. They told me how much they resonated with the film, which was so meaningful because, yes, “Slanted” is about race, but at its core, it’s about something bigger—it’s about feeling like you don’t belong. That’s something everyone has experienced, whether you’re a person of color, whether you’re young or old. That’s why this movie is for them too.
I’m also really proud of the family dynamic in the film. It’s so personal to me—it’s rooted in my relationship with my parents. I used to be ashamed of them. They don’t speak English that well, they have thick accents, and as a kid, I was embarrassed by what they represented. That’s in the film. Seeing audiences connect with that has been incredible.
Honestly, this whole experience has been overwhelming in the best way. It’s been cathartic. I couldn’t have asked for a better premiere. These past few days have just been… yeah, absolutely insane.
AF: I appreciate you for making this type of film, and I very much thank you for the time today. Congratulations on the film’s success!