There has been an increase in LGBTQIA+ sports films to be released to larger audiences. Films like Love Lies Bleeding (2024), NYAD (2023), and Crush (2022) have been making an impact on audiences and D.W. Waterson is the next to hook the audience’s attention. The film is produced by Elliot Page’s Page Boy Productions. D.W. Waterson’s coming-of-age queer story makes its solid directorial debut with Backspot. Riley (Devery Jacobs) is a tough and ambitious young woman whose passion is competitive cheerleading. She lives a pretty happy life eating junk food and singing to the Legally Blonde: The Musical soundtrack with her girlfriend Amanda (Kudakwashe Rutendo). Once there is a chance to join an all-star competitive squad called Thunderhawks, Riley takes on the opportunity along with Amanda and their friend Rachel (Noa DiBetro). However, Riley and the other girls are pushed to limits that includes tough and demanding practices filled with lots of stress. Their coach is the elite Eileen McNamara (Evan Rachel Wood) who comes on to be extremely demanding and expects a lot from her squad.
In the world of cheerleading, the role of the backspot is often the leader and there to help the flyer feel safe and make sure the flyer is balanced and secure in the air. There is a lot of pressure on the role of the backspot and the film brings on the pressure. Waterson is not exactly breaking ground with their film, but starts a discussion on mental health and the side of the competitive sport of cheerleading that looks at body image, the immense pressure to give a good performance, and the anxiety it causes. Wood’s character is an intense and brutal cheerleading coach, just imagine a slightly less harsher version of J.K. Simmons’ character Terence Fletcher from Whiplash (2014). She also is not a nice person and tells the girls to stop treating her like their mother. In fact, she says, “You wouldn’t look at Bill Belichick that way.” Talk about brutal! Major credit goes to Wood for giving a performance whose unbelievably ruthless.
The film can also be seen as a character study as the looks at Riley and her mental health. Jacobs gives an incredible sympathetic performance whose character has ultimate willpower and wants to prove to impress Eileen. Riley’s anxiety and stress becomes so intense she plucks at her eyebrows as she sees her character go through such a rigorous sport. It does become slightly annoying as the audience needs to be constantly reminded about Riley’s eyebrows. The sport event of course strains the relationship with Rachel, but mostly with her girlfriend Amanda. Rutendo’s performance is really sweet as they share super chemistry together.
Waterson co-wrote the film alongside Joanne Sarazen whose story is not different from films of an athlete going through the pressure and also explores teen anxieties and whose messaging is quickly put together at the end of the film. The idea is not to lose happiness and the joys of life and not having to put pressure on yourself. This film is slightly predictable given the character’s actions. Waterson is not presenting audiences an innovative film with their storytelling, but as an artist, it makes them worthy to acknowledge their presence and they are ready to tell more queer stories.
I give this film a 6.5 out of 10.
