[REVIEW] ‘Don’t Mess With The Girls From Pang!” in Slash/Back
Movie content warning: mild violence
Maika and her group of friends; Uki, Leena, and Jessie get more than they bargained for when their small Inuit hamlet is disrupted by the invasion of an alien species determined to destroy human life. It is up to the young teens to band together and protect their small town from the potential invasion and save their families from destruction. Slash/Back is a 2022 Canadian Inuit science fiction horror film directed by Nyla Innuksuk (Kajutaijuq, 2015), based on a screenplay by Nyla Innuksuk and Ryan Cavan. The film stars Iqaluit, Nunavut locals Tasiana Shirley, Nalajoss Ellsworth, Alexis Wolfe, and Chelsea Prusky as the ‘ragtag’ team of teenagers who are more than confident in protecting their town whilst also navigating the realm of teenage hood relationships, friendships, and responsibilities. This coming of age story is unique in depicting the life and interconnections of Inuit communities living in small fishing towns in Canada.
Taking their family’s fishing boat out onto the lake; Maika and her friends Uki, Leena, and Jessie are venturing through the isolated landscape that protects the inlet of their homes. After docking on a remote part of the bay, the girls are attacked by a polar bear; however, this polar bear is no ordinary bear, it is contorted, there is something wrong that it runs. Uki shoots and kills the polar bear just as it attacks Maika’s younger sister, who had joined them on their trek out on the water. Back in Pang, the teenagers face further problems, including babysitting while family is off square dancing, dealing with local authorities, teenage boys, and the return of the monster that they witnessed out on the slopes. There is nothing that the girls from Pang can’t do, banding together a bunch of makeshift weapons and demonstrating their resilience, cooperation skills, and their ability to hunt like no other.
Slash/Back integrates the local dialect of the Inuit Language native to the area of Iqaluit, Nunavut; opting to show the language first before displaying english translations of signs, symbols, and locations. Innuksuk has masterfully demonstrated the ease with which these elements of language can be incorporated into horror story-telling along with the weaving of Inuit folk horror stories. Uki leads the conversations in embraces the scary stories that she remembers from her childhood, reminding the girls about how they felt hearing their family tell them about the creatures that lurk in the dark.
Whilst some aspects of the script run into awkward moments that feel disjointed, this can easily be narrowed down to the experience of the teenagers; this being some of their first feature length work. That aside, the dynamics of the friendship group demonstrate elements of resilience, tenacity, and a fierceness that only teenagers can portray. The themes that are explored throughout reflect the social issues that are being approached in Indigenous communities, such as violence from white authorities and alcoholism. Each of these themes is shown through the perspective of Indigenous filmmakers, actors, and characters; sending the message that these stories need to be shared by Indigenous voices.
The incorporation of an alien invasion story in an isolated area makes for a creepy and terrifying story. The teens band together to face off against a shape shifting enemy that wants to take their blood for harvesting. Aliens take on the bodies of people they know; almost like Invasion of The Body Snatchers, but for modern audiences, with distorted faces and the ability to move in the most disconcerting of ways. Fight and hunting scenes are wonderfully crafted to build tension throughout and it certainly achieves its goal. The girls from Pang are stuck on their lonesome and must defend their families and home from these horrifying creatures. Equipping themselves with their weapons, Maika in a jacket that boldly yells “No Justice on Stolen Land”, the girls are able to take back their town from the bloodsucking aliens threatening their friends and family.
Slash/Back is an entertaining creature feature that blends elements of horror and science fiction broadcasting the fear through isolation. Maika is a tenacious teenager who, even though she is struggling with teenage hood, is able to be put her small—in the grand scheme of things—issues aside and fight for the group’s survival. As a debut feature from filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk, Slash/Back is a heartwarming film full of girl-gang positivity that certainly sets a top bar for future releases.
