\u201cBackspot\u201d does for competitive cheerleading what \u201cThe Novice\u201d did for rowing: It depicts the pursuit of athletic excellence to the point of obsession through a specifically queer lens. Both sports may look refined on the outside, but they require grueling effort and intense dedication. And for us as viewers, they offer an intimate glimpse into an elite world we can admire without driving our bodies to the breaking point.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Non-binary director D.W. Waterson clearly appreciates what these young female athletes can do \u2013 and make no mistake, they are athletes \u2013 while also examining the inherent contradictions of their sport. These teenagers must be pretty and powerful, sparkly yet steely, feminine yet\u00a0muscular. Waterson announces this contrast early with an opening sequence from the point of view of a cheerleader performing a series of back handsprings across the floor. From inside this tumbling pass, it\u2019s dizzying, but the tumbler herself is in complete control.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
No one is more preoccupied with control on this team than Riley, whose position gives the film its title. The backspot is both the leader and anchor for all those elaborate stunts: She\u2019s the one on the ground who ensures the tiny girls land safely after twisting and flying to the sky. Similarly, Devery Jacobs serves as the sturdy base of this movie, even as her character is going through some emotional acrobatics of her own. The \u201cReservation Dogs\u201d and \u201cEcho\u201d actress presents a facade of unstoppable ambition, while insecurity and anxiety roil underneath.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Riley, her girlfriend, Amanda (Kudakwashe Rutendo), and their mutual best friend, Rachel (Noa DiBerto), get the opportunity to cheer for the more prestigious Thunder Hawks squad in their Canadian neighborhood, they jump at it, both literally and figuratively. The team\u2019s leader is the exacting Eileen, played deliciously by a withering Evan Rachel Wood. Thomas Antony Olajide gets some choice one-liners as Eileen\u2019s supercilious second in command, who will only allow himself to show so much sympathy: \u201cDon\u2019t call me sir, I\u2019m 32, that hurts my feelings,\u201d he warns the newbies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
you\u2019ll find little of the knowingly playful behavior you\u2019d see in a movie like \u201cBring It On.\u201d This is deadly serious business, where anything short of absolute victory is considered a failure. That pressure heightens whatever instincts already existed in these girls, for better and for worse. Glimpses into their home lives are efficient and revealing: Riley\u2019s emotionally distant mom (Shannyn Sossamon) maintains a tidy, modern kitchen, and her dad is constantly absent. No wonder she seeks the approval of her icy coach. Meanwhile, the more level-headed Amanda lives in a cramped, working-class home that\u2019s abuzz with kids and laughter. The reckless party girl Rachel serves as an amusing counterpoint to the two of them, and DiBerto\u2019s lively performance offers welcome comic relief within this toxic environment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cBackspot\u201d does for competitive cheerleading what \u201cThe Novice\u201d did for rowing: It depicts the pursuit of athletic excellence to the point of obsession through a specifically queer lens. Both sports may look refined on the outside, but they require grueling effort and intense dedication. And for us as viewers, they offer an intimate glimpse into …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-1285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-drama-movies","tag-drama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.celebrity2000.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.celebrity2000.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.celebrity2000.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.celebrity2000.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.celebrity2000.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/us.celebrity2000.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1285\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/us.celebrity2000.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.celebrity2000.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/us.celebrity2000.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}