Backspot

Backspot features an incredible well-realized main character. One who I found highly personally relatable. However, I wish this excellent lead character was in a story that felt a little more focused.

At the start of the film, Riley is a mid-level cheerleader on a team with her girlfriend, Amanda. When spots open up on the advanced cheer squad, Riley, Amanda and another of their teammates are chosen to join. But the already high-strung Riley now has additional pressures. Much of the pressure Riley puts on herself comes from her admiration of cheer coach, Eileen. Riley idolizes her. But the more she tries to impress her coach, the more she spirals into anxiety.

What a character Backspot creates with its lead. Writer/director D.W. Waterson and lead actor and producer Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs really bring this character to life. She’s well realized, engaging to watch and again, deeply relatable. But that might just be a “me” thing, as an anxious lesbian who was briefly a cheerleader. One great thing about Backspot is that it shows how far we’ve come in queer representation. Riley’s sexuality is not the sum total of her personality. It’s not even the cornerstone or starting point. This is a character with personality, traits and conflict that primarily don’t relate to her sexuality. Backspot is not the first film to do this. But is part of the continuing progression of queer representation onscreen. In this regard, the film does feel like it advances the conversation.

The issue I have with the movie is that it felt unfocused and aimless. I’m just not sure what Backspot is “about.” Is it a character study of Riley? A standard sports movie about overcoming obstacles? A story about the internal pressure and struggle of anxiety? Or is it a long-form commercial for how fulfilling it is to be employed by Cineplex? The way the story is structured doesn’t allow Riley to grow much over the film. Which admittedly, might be the point. But that does make the film feel aimless or even pointless. Instead of showing growth, it feels like the character ended the film in such a similar place to where she started.

D.W. Waterson shows a lot of potential in this film. But they are not a director who shows up creatively fully formed in their feature film debut. The camerawork in Backspot is a main sore spot for me. I understand it’s meant to be frenetic, engaging and always moving. But so much of the film is handheld shaky cam and often, an emphasis on closeups so strong it feels like they’re trying to conceal the larger setting of scenes. Backspot features a lot of energy, a lot of potential and a lot of creativity. But Waterson’s creative vision in this film does feel a little unfocused. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do next. But for Backspot itself, I hope to look back on this film as something of an early experiment in Waterson’s career.

In this final paragraph, I want to shout out Elliot Page. Page produced this movie, for some reason. So, thanks for the lesbian cheerleader movie, Elliot! Backspot has a lot of strengths. Primarily, the rendering of its main character and the incredible performance from Jacobs. But the film is a touch uneven and unfocused. This is a film that I really enjoyed because of it’s relatable to me and because I think cheerleading is a great thing to watch. But drilling down into the actual filmmaking leaves room for improvement in the director’s followup projects.

Overall rating: 5.8/10

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