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Review of “Girls Rock”

At the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls, based in Portland, Ore., girls have one week to learn an instrument, form a band and play a song for an audience of 700. That’s quite a different experience from traditional summer camp, where kids convene to play Capture the Flag and roast s’mores around a campfire.

When filmmakers Arne Johnson and Shane King heard out rocker Carrie Brownstein (formerly of Sleater-Kinney) speak about her experience as a counselor at the camp, they knew it would be an inspiring story to capture on film. Girls Rock!, which opens in select cities on Friday, March 7, does just that.

Following four campers as they form friendships and musical groups and talk about just being a girl, the documentary gives non-campers the chance to see what it’s like to have the opportunity to learn from Brownstein and other veteran musicians like the Gossip’s Beth Ditto. And it’s certainly an inspiring atmosphere.

Carrie Brownstein (left) and Beth Ditto

Filmed in 2005, all of the campers gather together in a circle at the beginning of their week at camp to quiet their nerves and break the ice. Most of the girls haven’t ever played music before, and some (like 17-year-old Misty) haven’t even seen the instrument of their choice. Things get really tough when genres are posted on the wall (hip-hop, punk, rock, etc.) and some girls are left standing alone. Fifteen-year-old Laura, for instance, longs to front a death metal band.

The film focuses on four girls in particular, highlighting their personal stories as much as their musical progress. Laura is a Korean adoptee who has a hard time fitting in at home in Oklahoma. She sports Iron Maiden T-shirts and gets very physical very fast, hugging her new bandmates and eagerly trying to form fast friendships. However, she still feels left out, and the camp initially doesn’t seem to do much to help her find like-minded friends.

Laura

The aforementioned Misty is a special case in Girls Rock! She is specially documented by a female filmmaker in order to help her feel comfortable discussing her personal issues on camera. She comes to the camp from a lockdown facility and is challenged by her bandmates constantly.

Having formed a band based on hip-hop, their song ends up sounding more like soulful rock, and the group is divided on choosing a better name and look. Misty is quick to get argumentative, but counselors intervene to help the girls talk it out and resolve their differences.

Misty

Girls Rock! also follows youngsters Palace and Amelia in their bands and homes, talking to their parents about their social anxieties. It is clear that the parents, who speak candidly, see the camp as a positive experience that their daughters can benefit from.

Those benefits come not only in the form of learning to play their respective instruments, but also in mentoring experiences. Jam sessions featuring counselors and local women-fronted bands inspire the girls, who watch in awe as the Gossip performs. Laura cites Beth Ditto as an inspiration, and her end-of-camp performance certainly evokes a Ditto-esque commanding presence onstage.

One of the most touching parts of the film is when the girls gather together to talk with a counselor about why it’s hard being a girl. As they pass the microphone around, each has a statement to make, whether it’s because their brother is mean to them, or they just don’t feel like they are given as many chances as boys.

Portland is a city well-known for being queer-friendly, so it’s no surprise that many of the musical leaders at the camp are lesbian and bisexual women such as Brownstein and Ditto. Sexuality is not referenced in the film, but that’s most likely because it’s not an issue. These young girls are at camp to learn how to be themselves, and their parents respect the talents of the leaders to teach them how to play a guitar and gain self-confidence as well as self-awareness.

Throughout the film, facts such as “The number one wish of teenage girls is to lose weight” and “Only 22 percent of musical performers are women in music videos” are presented. These are not hard to believe, but they’re still hard pills to swallow, especially when watching the girls come alive writing songs that seem to emerge so naturally. Eight-year-old Amelia even came to camp with 14 songs written about her Chihuahua, Pippi.

The soundtrack to the film is a perfect narrator, from the Blow to Le Tigre to Veruca Salt and the Donnas. Bikini Kill’s iconic “Rebel Girl” serves not only as an anthem for the riot grrls of the 1990s, but for all girls who pick up a microphone, guitar pick or drum stick.

Throughout Girls Rock!, each girl deals with some sort of breakdown that translates into a breakthrough. Amelia has to let her bandmates have a say in the songwriting process; Laura has to get up the courage to let loose; Misty has to pull it together and not punch any of her bandmates.

But the most heartbreaking story belongs to Palace. At 7 years old, she’s a sassy redhead whose mom openly admits to pressuring her about her appearance. And while Palace looks like perfection, she’s got to get used to working with others. Her social anxiety often has kept her out of school, and instead of learning how to cooperate, she’s learned to hit and scream. Even though she looks older than her years, she’s still a 7-year-old.

All of the girls’ hard work is culminates in a concert for parents and friends at the end of the weeklong camp. The girls do indeed rock once they reach the stage. The musical and emotional transformations are evident on their faces both onstage and after the show.

It’s a contagious transformation, caught on film and treated carefully and fairly by two male filmmakers who say they’ve caught the fever themselves.

Girls Rock! opens on March 7, 2008, in select cities. For screening locations and dates, visit the film’s official site.

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