The directorial feature debut from Nyla Innuksuk, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Ryan Cavan, Slash/Back is a fun film that benefits from a central cast of great young talent. It's just a shame that it's not all as well executed as it could be, but I will get to that soon enough.
Set in Panhnirtung, an Inuit hamlet in the Qikiqtaaluk region of Nunavut, itself a part of Canada, this is the tale of some young girls banding together to face an alien menace. The two nominal leads are Maika (Tasiana Shirley) and Uki (Nalajoss Ellsworth), but their group also includes Leena (Chelsea Prusky), Jesse (Alexis Wolfe), and Aju (Frankie Vincent-Wolfe). A mix of ages and interests means some tension between the girls, whether it's about a boy that more than one of them is attracted to or being tasked wih caring for a sibling. They all have to work together, however, when an alien invades their small community, the timing especially inconvenient while almost every adult seems to be away at some local dance.
If this film didn't have such winning performances from the leads, as well as some excellent special effects throughout, then it wouldn't be getting some of the praise that I've been seeing it receive recently. Cavan and Innuksuk have written something that shows, at best, a good does of naiveté and, at worst, a lack of ability or care. First of all, getting almost every adult out of the way feels like a bit of a stretch, although it may not seem that way to people who have grown up in such a small, tight-knit, community. Second, the actions of the alien creature(s) seems completely randomised, viewers being shown that it can kill a man in a second, but doesn't act so dangerously when facing the retaliation of young girls. Third, there's no genuine tension here. It all disappears when the alien becomes known to our leads, which is surely the opposite of how this should play out.
There are also choices made with the supporting performances, as well as the audio mix, that feel very odd, with the more bizarre elements of the film being reacted to in a way that just feels far too calm and low-key. The first main set-piece aside, none of the action feels exciting or visceral enough, and the final face-off is a proper anti-climax, considering how many different directions this could have gone in.
That cast though, Innuksuk needs to thank their lucky stars that they got that cast in place. All of the youngsters are good, all have a certain screen presence, but Shirley and Ellsworth give the kind of performances that you suspect/hope will signify the start of a lengthy career in the acting world. Shaun Benson is the best of the adults, playing a horrible local policeman, Officer Lefebvre, who turns into an even bigger threat when the girls most need help.
Other things the film gets right are some enjoyably unsettling visuals, one of the best scores/soundtracks I have heard in some time (credit due to Michael Brook and The Halluci Nation there), and a nice look at the conflicting feelings of a generation encouraged to embrace their heritage, which they view as weighty anchors, while they are experiencing the standard teenage desire for more freedom.
Slash/Back isn't a bad film, and people should have fun if they decide to give it 86 minutes of their time, but it's a close call. In fact, it's much closer than it should be, and I have to put the blame for that on director Nyla Innuksuk. It will be interesting to see how much they improve by the time they make their sophomore feature.
6/10
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