SXSW 2024: Backspot jumps into the high-stakes world of competitive cheerleading

Backspot. // Courtesy SXSW

The glitz and glamour of film festivals is what usually snags the headlines, but it’s easy to forget that they’re also a significant platform for smaller independent films seeking an audience. In that regard, SXSW is exactly the place where a film like D.W. Waterson’s directorial debut, Backspot can shine. Part coming-of-age tale, part sports movie, part queer film, it juggles a lot of themes in a brisk 90 minutes before perfectly sticking the landing.

Riley (Reservation Dogs’ Devery Jacobs) is an ambitious teenager with a dream of joining the ultra-competitive Thunderhawks, a competitive cheer squad known for their demanding tactics and drive to win. Led by coach Eileen (Evan Rachel Wood) they’re a formidable force.

When the team is hit by a wave of injuries Riley, her girlfriend Amanda (Kudakwashe Rutendo), and friend Rachel (Noa DiBerto) all find themselves suddenly a part of the Thunderhawks. With two weeks to championships, however, the girls will have to sacrifice their entire lives to stay on the team. For Riley, who battles severe anxiety, that sacrifice is a major struggle. 

It would be easy to define Backspot as Whiplash for the competitive cheerleading set, but the film is bigger than that, staying away from histrionics to tell a slice-of-life tale. Yes, there are some scenes where Wood’s Eileen wears down her squad, but Waterson compliments those harsher scenes with ones of Riley and Amanda enjoying their life as teens, rather than buckling under the pressure.

Waterson’s background as a music video director and musician is in full effect in Backspot, lending energy to even the film’s quieter moments. Waterson deftly strikes a balance between the intensity of the cheer scenes and the characters’ day-to-day lives. That reality shown in one particularly gritty montage juxtaposing intense practices with the blood, bunions, and wear placed upon the women’s bodies.

Waterson also proves they’re adept at show-not-tell filmmaking. Jacobs’ Riley wears her emotions on her sleeve but keeps just as much inside. Her desire to succeed clashes with her anxiety and her friendships yet bears the marks of lingering trauma or unresolved issues at home. It’s a burden she carries with her, but never defines her entirely, nor does it rear its head in a lengthy monologue as many films are wont to do.

Given its relatively short run time and breakneck pacing, the film makes economic use of its layered, winning performances. Evan Rachel Wood is as solid as expected. Thomas Anthony Olajide shines with kindness as her right-hand man. Rutendo radiates joy as Amanda. 

None of it, however, would work as well without Jacobs. Her commanding performance is the kind of film festival highlight that catapults actors to stardom. Jacobs handles Riley’s emotional complexities with ease, and makes her a compelling figure worth rooting for.

Backspot is the kind of movie that feels simple on the surface but shines through in all the smaller details. As a queer competitive cheerleading film, it’s a resounding success, avoiding cliches in favor of quiet drama that’s worth cheering for.