Backspot: We’re All Just People
By Rohan Connolly
Toronto filmmaker D.W. Waterson’s feature debut Backspot (2023) reminds me of home. The film, which takes place in Ontario during its dreary never-ending transition between winter and spring, follows teenager Riley (Devery Jacobs) as she juggles settling in with her new cheerleading team led by a closed-off coach Eileen (Evan Rachel Wood), her relationship with her girlfriend Amanda (Kudakwashe Rutendo), her tense but loving mother (Shannyn Sossamon), and the anxieties that come with all of that mixed together. Over the course of its 90-minute run, Backspot reminds Riley and its audience that, in the words of her assistant coach Devon (Thomas Antony Olajide), “everyone’s just a fucking person.”
While I’ve never had a kind of mean, lesbian cheer coach, and have no experience cheerleading, this film resonates deeply with me. And not just because I get to see the grey skies of March in Ontario on screen. It is easy to see myself in Riley—in her anxious nature, in her drive to perfect her craft, in her ability to lose herself in her passions, sometimes at the detriment to the people around her.
Near the beginning of the film, Eileen briefly mentions her ex-wife. This quickly flusters Riley, who spends the entire way to her car with Amanda in shock, amazed that her coach could be gay. This is a feeling I, and probably most young queer adults, know all too well: becoming aware that one of the people you look up to most is different in the same way you are. It is in these small moments that the film humanizes its characters and connects with the audience. It would have been easy to establish Eileen as queer and quickly move onto the next scene, or to not mention her sexuality at all, but Waterson emphasizes these little details in the experience of queer teenagehood and makes the film feel all the more real.
The portrayal of Riley’s anxiety is so accurate it almost hurts. It comes as quickly as it goes. It is, at times, debilitating and, at times, just a part of everyday life. Eileen teaching Riley breathing techniques during a panic attack took me back to moments sitting in the hallway of my high school struggling to breathe, equally enjoying the hug my crush was giving me and wishing it would stop because she smelled like cigarettes and was making me nauseous. It took me back to the first time I moved away from home and my best friend and I took turns losing the feeling in our toes up to our cheeks, and my dad was sitting there keeping us company, distracting us with stories of his messy college days.
Riley’s anxiety, while over the top at times, is clearly that for a reason. The emotions of a teenager are always heightened, and things truly can take a turn at the drop of a hat. It was equally heartwarming to see the effect Eileen could have, with Riley later on sharing those same breathing techniques with her nervous mother. It doesn’t fix everything about their relationship, but Riley gets to physically extend a hand towards her closed-off mother.
Riley’s girlfriend Amanda works at their local Cineplex, a Canadian movie theatre chain notorious for their pre-show trivia games, weird talking popcorn ads, and exclusive interviews with Hollywood stars. It was touching to see Amanda in the recognizable t-shirt and cap uniform, handing out bags of popcorn and sweeping up messes, while Riley entertained herself with Sour Patch Kids and doing laps in an empty theatre. Their relationship, as well as their friendship with their teammate Rachel (Noa DiBerto), reminded me of my own adventures at the Cineplex with my high school friends. It wasn’t a large part of the story but it was a nice detail to see on screen, to see a staple of my home and my childhood be a staple for these characters growing up, too.
Backspot didn’t change cinema as we know it, but why should it need to? It is obvious a lot of heart was behind it, and the story felt true to experience. It was a real look into an experience I know all too well. If I had seen a film like this when I was still figuring myself out, I might have learned who I was a lot faster—I hope it has that effect on those who will see it in the future. Watching Backspot gave me another fun evening with my friends to look back on and reminded me of where I am, where I come from, and what that has made me. It’s a fun film, and I hope to see more work by Waterson and the entire cast in the future.