Slash (2016)

Slash: Directed by Clay Liford. With Tishuan Scott, Lucas Neff, Courtney Bandeko, Michael Johnston. Freshman Neil’s Vanguard stories are all he cares about…until he meets the older Julia, who pushes him to put his own fan fic online. When the website’s moderator takes a special interest in Neil’s work, it opens up a whole new universe.

“A film that showed me slash fiction and the whole nerd course teen women take to find u0026quot;acceptableu0026quot; ways of exploring sexual feelings whether producing or consuming it, and how it is important that parents should fully provide a beneficial support; whereas many male teens are able to explore their feelings from mainstream to Victoriau0026#39;s Secret catalogues without penalty. The film also inserts scenes of popular notions of what the majority thinks of teen culture and exploring sexuality from Juliau0026#39;s sex-obsessed friends and Neilu0026#39;s oddly normal parents. At least his older sister challenges gender assumptions and social ideas about masculinity and femininity. Very good performance from Teen Wolf alum Michael Johnston and Hannah Marks from Dirk Gentlyu0026#39;s Holistic Detective Agency. This is a smart, compassionate coming of age story, as LA Times writer Katie Walsh says u0026quot;The nerd-sexy tale the Internet age so desperately needs.u0026quot; Its a delightful feature from writer-director Clay Liford (Earthling) with a oft-misunderstood high school student who thinks heu0026#39;s the only one to pen online homoerotic vignettes that center on his favorite character from a sci-fi series and a titillating classmate who treats him with enthusiasm thatu0026#39;s so infectious. Also, Michael Ian Black in a memorable cameo graciously defending Neil at the Houston Comic Conu0026#39;s Rabbit Hole when heu0026#39;s exposed as under-age while reading an excerpt. It grabs me in my gut occasionally but itu0026#39;s infectious with much-needed counterpoint to the view that fanficcers are nothing but talentless deviants.”