Getting bored is not an option: Girls Rock! rocks (even for boys)
Review of Girls Rock! by Ashraf H., age 17
As I, a seventeen year-old dude, sat down to watch Girls Rock!, a documentary about an ultra-cool Rock n’ Roll camp for girls, I came to ask myself why I had taken on such a screening. The answer I came up with consisted of two parts: (a) because members from two of my favorite local bands (Carrie Brownstein from Sleater-Kinney and Beth Ditto from The Gossip) appeared in it, and (b) that I wanted to see for myself if this is just another girls-are-from-Venus-boys-are-from-Mars film that blamed men for all of the problems that women face today. As I soon found out, it’s nothing of the sort; it’s an eye-opener to both men and women alike to what girls today have to go through everyday, and a camp made especially for them to express themselves and learn various life lessons via rock n’ roll.
As mentioned earlier, Girls Rock! is a documentary following the experiences of four girls at The Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls located in Portland, Oregon where about a hundred girls from across the nation, both amateurs and experienced in their weapon of choice, form bands and join for a week of workshops, practices, and classes all leading up to a final performance with fellow camp-formed bandmates in front of more than 700 people.
The girls: Laura, a fifteen year-old Korean adoptee and metal-head who, despite her outgoing personality, has extremely low self-esteem; Palace, an eight year-old princess with an attitude; Misty, a seventeen year-old former drug abuser, street rat, and gang member, looking for a change; and Amelia, another eight year-old, whose favorite bands include Sonic Youth and whose dog, Pippi, is her greatest muse.
This documentary is one of the better ones I’ve seen in my short lifetime. It’s made in a way that the both the super young and super old could both enjoy at the same time. With informative, fascinating, and sometimes shocking facts and statistics strategically placed throughout the film, getting bored is not an option. There were parts in which I literally LOLed and there were parts in which I, a male teenager, actually got goosebumps. I recommend this film to anyone and everyone, guys and girls, with even the slightest bit of interest in music and how it changes lives of those around it. And don’t be intimidated by the fact that it’s a documentary; the fact of the matter is, documentaries are just like other movies, but about real people and real events, which make them all the more appealing. Do yourself a favor and check it out, you might not get another chance.
Girls Rock!
SIFF Cinema
March 7th - 20th
More info and showtimes: http://www.seattlefilm.org/
SIFF Cinema Ticket Office: 206-324-9996
Ticket office opens 1 hour before show time.
SIFF Cinema is located at the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street, on the north edge of Seattle Center. It is served by buses 1,2,3,4,13,14,15,16,18,45,74 and 82. For bus schedules: tripplanner.metrokc.gov
Did you see this film? Leave a comment and tell everybody what you thought!
As I, a seventeen year-old dude, sat down to watch Girls Rock!, a documentary about an ultra-cool Rock n’ Roll camp for girls, I came to ask myself why I had taken on such a screening. The answer I came up with consisted of two parts: (a) because members from two of my favorite local bands (Carrie Brownstein from Sleater-Kinney and Beth Ditto from The Gossip) appeared in it, and (b) that I wanted to see for myself if this is just another girls-are-from-Venus-boys-are-from-Mars film that blamed men for all of the problems that women face today. As I soon found out, it’s nothing of the sort; it’s an eye-opener to both men and women alike to what girls today have to go through everyday, and a camp made especially for them to express themselves and learn various life lessons via rock n’ roll.
As mentioned earlier, Girls Rock! is a documentary following the experiences of four girls at The Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls located in Portland, Oregon where about a hundred girls from across the nation, both amateurs and experienced in their weapon of choice, form bands and join for a week of workshops, practices, and classes all leading up to a final performance with fellow camp-formed bandmates in front of more than 700 people.
The girls: Laura, a fifteen year-old Korean adoptee and metal-head who, despite her outgoing personality, has extremely low self-esteem; Palace, an eight year-old princess with an attitude; Misty, a seventeen year-old former drug abuser, street rat, and gang member, looking for a change; and Amelia, another eight year-old, whose favorite bands include Sonic Youth and whose dog, Pippi, is her greatest muse.
This documentary is one of the better ones I’ve seen in my short lifetime. It’s made in a way that the both the super young and super old could both enjoy at the same time. With informative, fascinating, and sometimes shocking facts and statistics strategically placed throughout the film, getting bored is not an option. There were parts in which I literally LOLed and there were parts in which I, a male teenager, actually got goosebumps. I recommend this film to anyone and everyone, guys and girls, with even the slightest bit of interest in music and how it changes lives of those around it. And don’t be intimidated by the fact that it’s a documentary; the fact of the matter is, documentaries are just like other movies, but about real people and real events, which make them all the more appealing. Do yourself a favor and check it out, you might not get another chance.
Girls Rock!
SIFF Cinema
March 7th - 20th
More info and showtimes: http://www.seattlefilm.org/
SIFF Cinema Ticket Office: 206-324-9996
Ticket office opens 1 hour before show time.
SIFF Cinema is located at the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street, on the north edge of Seattle Center. It is served by buses 1,2,3,4,13,14,15,16,18,45,74 and 82. For bus schedules: tripplanner.metrokc.gov
Did you see this film? Leave a comment and tell everybody what you thought!
