Directed by Arne Johnson, Shane King
I rarely ever say this, but I wish I knew more little girls simply because they must see this movie.
Girls Rock! follows a group of girls who attend a female-only band camp in Portland, OR where they learn how to play and write music in five days. Indie darlings like Beth Ditto and members of Sleater-Kinney, as well as a number of other talented female volunteers, do more than teach music. They also show the developing ladies how to defend themselves and conflict resolution.
The movie focuses on four campers, all with very different backgrounds. Distortion-obsessed Amelia has already created her own notes (or at least she calls them that) and is set to record what I believe is the first artist to write a 14-song album about her dog Pipi. Laura loves death metal, no matter how many naysayers tell her Asians aren't supposed to like that type of music. Misty is recently out of rehab, music being one of her only escapes from a very tough life. And Palace, the youngest punk rocker I've ever seen (and not in the look-how-cute-my-kid-looks-with-a-mohawk way), has her own issues bottled up inside, which she surprisingly ends up taking out on one of her band mates (luckily a punch from a girl as tiny as her couldn't have hurt).
This film has a positive, if not quite happy, ending that highlights how these four girls were changed from just five days. You realize that after it's all over these girls will go back to their normal lives, the ups and downs of growing up. Despite that, you hope these five days have made them better-equipped to deal with the lows.
In the end, you'll be wondering where rock band camps were when you were young. And then you'll tell all your friends to find their favorite little lady of rock and watch this movie.
