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The new documentary Girls Rock!, directed by Shane King and Arne
Johnson, takes a trip to the annual "Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls" in
Portland, Oregon and comes away with something a bit more. It wouldn't
surprise me in the least if King and Johnson originally thought they
were going to get a cool documentary about a lot of teenage girls
playing loud music, but their cameras quickly became sounding boards for
problems, insecurities and other issues. For their week in camp, the
girls, ranging in age from 8 to 18, must form bands, write songs, learn
to play instruments -- and learn to play together -- and perform their
original songs for a crowd of 700 by the last day. The film narrows its
focus on four girls of wide-ranging ages and backgrounds: teenaged Laura
an intelligent, full-figured adopted Korean girl with a taste for death
metal; the emotionally damaged teen Misty, comes straight from a group
home, dreams of playing the bass and finds herself in a hip-hop group;
eight year-old Amelia makes a kind of noise music that makes Sonic Youth
sound melodic, and writes all her songs about her dog, Pippi; and Palace
has a sneering, D.I.Y. attitude that constantly tests the patience of
her bandies. So Girls Rock! is basically an intriguing rockumentary on a
psychiatrist's couch, like the great Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
(2004), except that the problems of young girls are far more common than
those of rich, male rock stars. The filmmakers effectively juggle the
girls' stories, and reveal just enough about their home lives to
diagnose their behavior. But the good news about rock camp is that the
counselors do a great deal more than just teach chord progressions; they
attempt to help each girl find her own true self and to draw power from
that. The filmmakers include a ream of statistics about young girls and
their low opinions of themselves. (Most girls, when asked what they
would change about themselves, choose a body part.) Sometimes these
tidbits are interesting, but sometimes they feel a bit too much like
padding or an attempt at a more journalistic -- and less touchy-feely --
foundation. And so when the climactic concert comes, the girls have
hopefully not only learned a song, but have learned how to express
themselves, rather than acting out or copying someone else. If only the
film had played the entire songs of the four main girls, instead of
snippets of several songs. Still, the best thing Girls Rock! has going
for it is the fact that it discards the stagnant PBS documentary formula
in favor of a more homemade, exploratory feel. And though it has roughly
the same depth and breadth as a 3-minute song, it also has a real rock
'n' roll attitude.
Starring: Laura, Misty, Amelia, Palace Written by: n/a Directed by: Arne Johnson, Shane King MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements and language Running Time: 90 minutes Date: March 7, 2008
