Girls Rock! (DVD Review by Melissa A. Bartell)
Girls Rock! The Movie
with Carrie Brownstein and Beth Ditto
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I have to confess, when I was handed the DVD of Girls Rock! and told it was about a camp where girls could learn to be rockers, I was expecting a more plugged in version of the popular indie film CAMP. Instead, I was treated to a documentary that shook me to the roots of my dyed-blue hair, and made me sit up and take notice.
Girls Rock! is a small film made by Liberation Entertainment, and yes, it is about a camp where girls learn to be rockers. For one week, girls aged 8-18 are handed instruments they may never have seen before, taught to play them, formed into bands, and instructed to write songs. At the end of the week, there’s a showcase where each band performs for each other, and 750 cheering fans in the form of family, friends, and supporters.
That right there was cool enough for me - I mean, how often do we see girls told it’s okay to bang their heads and sweat for their art? But the camp - and the movie -offer so much more. Some examples?
- The girls are taught how to communicate with each other, and other people, in a sane rational way.
- The girls are encouraged to take ownership of everything from their most hidden emotions to their own talents.
- The girls are given instruction in self defense.
- There are round-table discussions on everything from relationships to body image.
As is typical, and necessary, in such documentaries, we don’t meet every girl, only a representative sample, but the producers chose to make their documentary more than the fluff piece it could have been in the wrong hands, by inserting animated sequences sharing girl related statistics. We are treated to bits of information like:
In 1970, the average age when girls began dieting was 14. In 1990, it had dropped to eight.
Today, one in ten nine-year-old girls has vomited to lose weight.
Girls are the only group which begins school with a testing advantage, and leaves with a disadvantage.
It’s stuff we’ve all heard, but put against the backdrop of this raw collection of young women exploring music that is seen (erroneously) as “male,” it provides new perspective.
Would I recommend Girls Rock! The Movie? Absolutely. In fact, I think all parents should be required to watch it with their daughters - even the ones who don’t want to be rock stars.
Melissa A. Bartell earns her living by writing articles for an SEO marketing firm, and dabbles in essays and fiction on the side. She lives near Dallas, TX with her husband, two dogs, and more computers than anyone really needs. She is the Managing Editor here at All Things Girl. Find out more about her on our About Page. You can also find her at her website and various other places around the ‘net.
