BACKSPOT: 2 ½ STARS. “choppy examination of the pursuit for excellence.”
LOGLINE: DJ, drummer, writer, director, and web series creator D.W. Waterson makes their feature directorial debut with “Backspot,” the story of a cheerleader (Devry Jacobs) whose perfectionism manifests itself with compulsive behavior. When she and her girlfriend (Kudakwashe Rutendo) are selected to be part of an elite squad, under the eye of an uncompromising coach (Evan Rachel Wood), the anxiety attacks intensify.
CAST: Devery Jacobs, Kudakwashe Rutendo, Evan Rachel Wood, Wendy Crewson, Shannyn Sossamon. Elliot Page is listed as one of the film’s producers.
REVIEW: Like a riff on “Whiplash” set against the rigors of elite cheerleading, “Backdrop” is a choppy examination of the pursuit for excellence. With a restless, jittery camera, Waterson captures the “no apologies, no fear” intensity of the training sessions and the frenetic excitement of the cheerleading performances, even if their fondness for close-ups over establishing shots gets in the way of showing those performances to full effect. But it’s in the actual storytelling where the film fails to stick the landing. Issues of respect, body image and abusive relationships are broached, but never meaningfully examined. Instead, the movie skims along the surface, leaning into its maximalist style, entertaining the eye, at the expense of engaging emotionally.
