Girls Rock!

Every year, young women travel to Oregon's Rock ‘n' Roll Camp for Girls to form bands, write songs, and perform before a crowd of 750—all in five days. Filmmakers Shane King and Arne Johnson's Girls Rock! concentrates on four of them: 17-year-old Misty (bass), 15-year-old Laura (vocals), eight-year-old Amelia (guitar and vocals), and seven-year-old Palace (vocals). With the aid of Portland icons like Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein and the Gossip's Beth Ditto, the camp encourages girls to “do it yourself,” an ethos that goes beyond just the music. Taking her inspiration from P.J. Harvey and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, founder Misty McElroy aims to invest her charges with the courage to express their feelings and pursue their passions (for overly-enthusiastic attendees such as Amelia, however, whose atonal screeds revolve around her Chihuahua “Pippi,” the program also teaches the importance of cooperation). Friends and relations share their thoughts here as well, and the soundtrack sparkles—combining original music from the girls with empowering tunes from Bikini Kill and The Donnas. DVD extras include audio commentary by the directors, interviews with Brownstein and Ditto, a history of the riot grrrl movement, and where-are-they-now? updates. Sure to appeal to a wide audience range—from punk fans to feminist scholars—this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)