Over the years, teenagers battling aliens has become a genre unto itself, and one that is universally loved and revered. To make the story unique, you have to think outside the box when it comes to setting, characters, and the aliens themselves. Slash/Back ,the directorial debut by Nyla Innuksuk, finds a way to implement all of these with a tightly woven story of a group of preteen girls living in a tiny Arctic hamlet fighting parasitic invaders.

Maika (Tasiana Shirley) is the daughter of a highly respected hunter, as the film opens with a sequence showing him teaching her how to shoot a rifle at a young age. Her friends Jesse (Alexis VIncent-Wolfe), Uki (Nalajoss Ellsworth), and Leena (Chelsea Prusky), all have their own individual characteristics, while all sharing the same typical pre-teen traits like rebelliousness and crushes on local boys. The juxtaposition between the normalcy of their behavior against the gorgeous, sweeping backdrop of their tiny Arctic village of Pangniturang is apparent early on, and presented in a captivating way.

While their lingo and camaraderie may seem familiar, these are not your typical kids you’d see in similar tales like Stranger Things or Super 8. These girls are capable and tough, while still teetering on the edge of cautiousness and fearfulness. It’s during an illicit excursion by boat to an even more remote area of the island that they discover the first alien being; a polar bear inhabited by a blood-sucking parasite that renders it into a shambling, zombie-like attacker. Because this happens during a forbidden outing, the girls decide to keep the incident under wraps, all while attempting to figure out what, exactly, they saw.

This is part of the cleverness in the writing of this film, because it really isn’t about the adults at all. While it does use a too-convenient plot device to place nearly every adult in the village together in the same place at the same time, it doesn’t weigh on the story enough to matter much either way. This is a film about the resourcefulness, bravery, and resilience of the young characters, and how they learn to band together and cast fear aside to save their tiny hometown.

There’s enough story building early on showing the dynamics of class, culture, and way of life of the people of this hamlet that by the time the action gets rolling, it’s been anticipated and desired. The balance feels right, though, thanks mostly to the fact that for the majority of viewers, this is going to be a fascinating look into a culture most know little about. At the end of the day, though, location and lifestyle matter not when you’re up against alien invaders looking to vanquish everyone.

The dialogue and acting at times feels stiff and awkward, but in many ways, that only aids to the gawkiness of pre teens interacting with one another, which is exactly what this cast is. It also helps substantially that it was shot on location, with plenty of eye-popping, sweeping shots of the countryside for any viewer to get their fair share of gasp-worthy scenery.

Slash/Back is as charming and endearing as it is rallying and entertaining, and ends up leaving the viewing wishing they had more. This could have served well as an eight episode streaming series, diving deeper into the nuances and biology of the aliens and how far they could go with their infiltration. What we can hope for, though, are more stories like this one, where the characters and setting are compelling, delightful, and distinct enough to stay with us long after it’s over.

8 Out Of 10