Sometimes the smallest of films make the biggest splash in a sea of cinema. Some of my favorite films out of Toronto International Film Festival came by way of first time writer/directors and on some of the more quiet blocks of screenings. “Backspot” was a hidden gem of the festival for me, a film powered by stellar performances from its leads and a breakneck pacing that thrusts you into the darker and dangerous side of cheerleading while beautifully exploring themes like identity and competitiveness to a fault. Rich with interpretative text and riveting in its struggles and framing, “Backspot” has long been a film I’ve been championing since September of 2023, and I’m thrilled it hit select theaters May 31st.
“Backspot” stars Devery Jacobs (“Reservation Dogs“) as the ambitious but anxiety ridden Riley, a young teen who strives to be the best she can be in competitive cheerleading. She has her sights set on being accepted onto the most highly acclaimed competitive squad at her school, helmed by the fearsome, take no prisoners Eileen (Evan Rachel Wood) who rules her squad with an iron fist and will accept nothing but perfection at every turn. Riley’s thirst for greatness comes with immense sacrifice as her and her girlfriend Amanda (Kudakwashe Rutendo) try navigate the cutthroat world of cheerleading but also coming of age, broken homes, and making the difficult choice between success and happiness.
Imbued with some stellar camera work that thrusts you into the dizzying spins and danger of being tossed 10 feet into the air with nothing but arms to catch you just right lest you risk irrevocable damage to your body, “Backspot” is a propulsive, thoughtful examination of competitive sports with a unique framework, a keen eye for visual flare behind the camera and terrific performances. It is a beautiful blend of compassion, the sacrifices of success, the cost of drive and even some body horror elements that are anxiety inducing, much like our titular character who takes out her failures (and sometimes the failures of others) out on her own body. “Backspot” is a hidden gem in the truest sense of the word, a film I haven’t stopped thinking about nearly a year after its premiere at TIFF. If you get a chance to check it out on the theater I highly recommend you take the opportunity, or check it out on VOD. “Backspot” is like the “Whiplash” of cheerleading and I mean that as the highest compliment I can give to a film.
I had the opportunity to sit down with director D.W Waterson during the festival, and it was great being able to hear her perspective about her work. Waterson was insightful and warm, and I could’ve discussed “Backspot” with her for much longer than our time would allow. Below is a brief Q&A recap of our wonderful conversation.
Nerdbot: Tell me a little bit about what kind of inspired this story…I’ve been telling people…It’s like the Whiplash of Cheerleading?
D.W. Waterson: Honestly, the Whiplash of Cheerleading is right on the nose…I feel like in the pop culture kind of zeitgeist everybody’s very drawn to cheerleading, it’s such a hype kind of sport but we’re used to the glitter and the bows…but when you actually break it down they’re throwing bodies in the air and catching them. There’s concussions and bruises and I just kind of wanted to show the full picture of the sport of athletic cheerleading.
Nerdbot: Talk to me a little bit about how this story came about…How did the story of this character come through?
Waterson: I feel like as a creative, Riley kind of presented herself to me and the story of that character also pulling from my own life, I really wanted to take that to our writer (insert) who is absolutely incredible and for 5 years we’ve kind of working and fleshing out Riley and the story beats we wanted to hit as well as Devery Jacobs being very close in the process bringing her experience of being a competitive gymnast and kind of just wrapping all of these stories and vulnerabilities in this one, bad ass character.
Nerdbot: Was Devery Jacobs apart of this early on?
Waterson: Yes, so we met at like TIFF literally 5 years ago to the day. I was seeing a lot of movies at tiff that had cheerleading sequence or there was somebody wearing a cheerleading uniform, you know the universe is kind of speaking to me like hey, you wanna do a sports film, this is it. I was in a taxi with her and I said I think the movie I’m trying to make is a cheerleading film, like a gritty cheerleading film and I just kind of looked at her and I was like ya you can be the lead and she was like ya I’m a provincial champion competitive gymnast so well, that worked out. She’s been an incredible producer on the film, in every single meeting and writing process, even like a couple scenes like the sleep over scene when they’re in the gym, that’s pulled from Devery’s experience of having those kind of slumber parties at her gymnastics gym.
Nerdbot: Tell me a little about how you introduced that anxiety to her and to that character?
Waterson: It’s something that is drawn from personal experience for me and I knew that I really wanted it to be a part of Riley’s journey. Especially because when you see big stunts and big bruises, obviously that’s a big part of sport but I think it’s also how sport effects your mental health, and you can take that out on yourself as well. We just talked a lot about it we talked to a doctor at one point in time about trichotillomania, it’s really prevalent in young women, like 54% of young women have some sort of hair pulling or skin picking or even cuticles kind of thing, it’s things we unconsciously do, so I wanted to make sure it was in the story in a very nuanced way. Dev is such an incredible actor that does so much homework when it comes to characters and being a part of the writing process for so long she really knew exactly what she wanted to do and we were on set and for me as a director, my shot list I spent weeks on making sure every shot was specific to what I want to convey but I knew for those anxiety moments I wanted to explore a macrolenses and being really close so it wasn’t oh we’re watching a character have this experience it was we as the audience are having this experience.
Nerdbot: How was the first time experience, making your directorial debut here?
Waterson: I’ve been ready for a long time, and so when I got on set I felt like a fish in water. I was ready to go, I had an absolutely incredible cast, I feel like first and foremost I’m an actors director, so being about to work with all of these incredible actors from green actors to pros and established actors it was just such a gift and such an adrenaline ride that’s taken me now all the way to TIFF.
We also discussed the aspect of queer joy, an element of “Backspot” that has a profound effect on the story and adds yet another layer of complexity that elevates this sports movie. Because at the end of the day, “Backspot” is a sports movie, told for a more unique perspective and set in a world that his rarely explored with such grit and realism. Waterson strikes a genuine balance between action and heart while keeping her larger themes grounded and engrossing. This is not “Bring It On” or “Step Up,” where it trades style over substance and simultaneously mocks and glamorizes its own subject matter. “Backspot” strips itself down to its core and asks us to recognize the pressures of sports and success laid upon our children, with cheerleading being no less dangerous, gruesome, and anxiety inducing that football or baseball or any of the other major sports with often see depicted in film.
It was a genuine pleasure to be able to speak with Waterson at TIFF, and “Backspot” is a great film to come out of the festival that I truly hope more people check out.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
“Backspot” is now playing in select theaters and is available on select VOD platforms. You can watch the trailer below.
