A group of teens face off against an alien invasion and at times, against each other, in this fun feature debut of filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk.

In the small town of Pangnirtung, population 1459, a group of Inuit teens are in disconnect with tradition and prefer to live out modern lives. They also tend to fight or stand up for each other. When Leena tricks young Aju out of her money, Aju’s big sister Maika comes to the rescue and after getting the money back, warns Aju about scams. Upon their arrival at school, the teens, including Maika’s best friends Jesse and Uki and Thomassie, are harassed by Officer Lefebvere only to be stopped by fellow officer Peters.

After school, Maika, Uki, Aju, and Jesse decide to go hunting. However, the animal they are hunting soon becomes extremely aggressive and attacks Aju. Maika is able to shoot the beast down. However, the teens soon realize that something isn’t right. They soon realize that aliens have invaded, and they have the power to take over the bodies of aliens and humans. When no one will believe them, Maika realizes the only way to combat the aliens is to remember the warrior ways of her ancestors. Maika, Uki, and Jessie are ready for action and will face the alien threat head on.

The alien invasion film is quite a fascinating genre as in the case of a few films, the end result is that despite internal conflicts, communities come together to fight the common threat. While Independence Day is a standout film in which the President of the United States led the attack against the threat, Australia’s Occupation is more outstanding as it involved a small community banding together to take on an alien threat. This film takes us to an even smaller town in the Inuit town of Pangnirtung, aka simply Pang, in Nunavut, Canada.

For a feature film debut, director Nyla Innuksuk and co-write Ryan Cavan did something quite fascinating with this film. Not only do they focus on the alien invasion, but the script gives the young cast a chance to play characters who are somewhat out of touch with their culture as opposed to living life as modern-day teens. Tasiana Shirley, Alexis Vincent-Wolfe, and Nalajoss Ellsworth are excellent in their roles of best friends Maika, Jesse, and Uki respectively. Especially Ellsworth in one particular scene where she is baiting a possessed alien and bringing out the best in her being a smartaleck.

The special effects are quite fun as well. When we see the aliens take possession of a human, their faces look like they out of the mind of Leatherface with its rubbery look and droopy eyes. Where in most alien vs human films, there’s that use of enhanced technology. However, in the case of this film, the heroes resort to their street smarts and tapping into their ancestors’ spirits as hunters to overcome the threat while using regular weapons as opposed to those with alien technology.

Slash/Back is a fun sci-fi adventure that brings a sense of realism amongst the fantasy. An amazing young Inuit cast are set to be the next generation of stars with their natural chemistry and performances. A winning debut for director Nyla Innuksuk.

WFG RATING: A

RLJE Films and Shudder presents a Good Question Media/Mixtape VR/Red Marrow Media/Scythia Films/Stellar Citizens production. Director: Nyla Innuksuk. Producers: Alethea Arnaquq-Barli, Daniel Bekerman, Nyla Innuksuk, Ethan Lazar, Stacy Aglok MacDonald, Alex Ordanis, and Chris Yurkovich. Writers: Nyla Innuksuk and Ryan Cavan. Cinematography: Guy Godfree. Editing: Simone Smith.

Cast: Tasiana Shirley, Alexis Vincent-Wolfe, Nalajoss Ellsworth, Frankie Vincent-Wolfe, Rory Anawak, Chelsea Prusky, Shaun Benson, Paulette Metuq, Scottie Kilabuk, Donald Mearns, Nikita Burke.

The film will play in select theaters, On Demand, and Digital on October 21.