Slaxx
It’s Libby McLean’s first day on the job at Canadian Cotton Clothiers, about to launch their new collection and ready for the overnight turnaround before doors open at eight for Monday Madness, and reporting to branch manager Craig the starry-eyed new hire is passed to ambitious floor manager Hunter for induction who then hands her on to hyper-critical Lord, Libby’s genuine enthusiasm greeted with jaded indifference as she slides down the ladder of responsibility.
A hot potato in a festering pit of passive aggression where brand values of believe and belong are built on promises of respecting cultural diversity even as they crush the individual with demands of corporate conformity, Libby still optimistically clings to the pillars the company was built upon, no sweatshops, no genetically modified products and everything ethically sourced, but behind the scenes is a different story.
The pressure is on with a visit from the company founder looking to appoint a new regional manager and an exclusive in store visit from online influencer Peyton Jules, and with social and ecological responsibility allegedly woven into every garment those hot ticket Super Shapers are the key to the launch, a new line of jeans which fit and flatter any figure and are simply to die for if Libby can make it through the lockdown with mind and body intact.
From the teenage cotton pickers in the sun to the encouragement of irresponsible consumption of disposable fashion, Lord pointing out to Libby that her outfit purchased last month is already unacceptably out of date and the faceless crowds hammering on the doors like it was Dawn of the Dead, the environmental and human cost of the clothes industry is taken apart at the seams in Slaxx.
Directed by Elza Kephart from a script co-written with Patricia Gomez and told over a single bloody night where Romane Denis’ Libby reinvents her image from new kid to final girl, Slaxx is satisfyingly original, a preposterous premise outrageous played out as the colour-coordinated cult of the CCC are systematically remaindered as soiled goods.
A socially conscious satirical horror where the targets are not as random as they might first appear, Slaxx is a tale of killer fashions with a surprisingly endearing protagonist possessed of both a reason and a purpose, gleefully scrawling the writing on the wall for global business practices which strike a pose of superiority while exploiting labour in their farms, factories and stores.
Slaxx is available on digital download now
