Interview. Arne Johnson.

"Young women find expression for more than their music in Girls Rock!, a jubilant documentary about a place where power chords and empowerment go hand in hand," writes Jeannette Catsoulis in the New York Times.

"The idea of two men directing a documentary about a summer camp for pre-teen girls might inevitably raise some red flags. But Arne Johnson and Shane King use their outsider status to craft an incredibly thoughtful and creative film about the Portland-based Rock'n'Roll Camp for Girls." And Erin Donovan talks with them at the main site.

Updated through 3/8.

"Animated sequences that juxtapose '90s female rock pioneers with today's Britney-fied culture, or ones that deliver depressing stats about women's educational success and body image, have a punk-collage aesthetic that's in tune with the milieu's brash, ragamuffin spirit," writes Nick Schager in Slant. "Yet such visual devices are also glib to the point of being reductive."

For Vadim Rizov, writing in the Voice, "the film hews to a predictable doc template and comes off as a drag."

Ben Gold talks with the filmmakers for the Reeler.

"The best thing about Girls Rock! is the passion of the girls, ages 8 to 18," writes Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times. "Delighted to be making their mark on an area that's often viewed as a male preserve, these young people have an infectious energy that lights up every room they're in."

"The documentary, opening in the city today, introduces us to a brand new kind of young girl - or rather, a fairly typical young girl, but one who has rarely been celebrated in popular culture." Ruth Graham explains in the New York Sun.

"King and Johnson betray their unconventional subjects some by making a film that falls into a lot of the traps of contemporary documentaries," writes Noel Murray at the AV Club. "Frankly, the scenes of these girls trying to work together and share ideas are enough to make the movie's point. It's hard for anyone to work collaboratively, regardless of age or gender, but there's something telling about the way one of Girls Rock!'s teen drummers doesn't want to play unless everyone in the room looks away from her, because she's too embarrassed."

"This is the age of the children's documentary: Spellbound and Mad Hot Ballroom proved that the vulnerability and enthusiasm of kids working toward a goal is a formula for riveting, often heartbreaking stories." Writing in the New York Press, Raphaela Weissman finds Girls Rock! "a delightful addition to the genre."

Update, 3/8: Mike Russell: "Girls Rock! leaves you hoping against hope for the future of popular music when Laura very logically asks herself, 'Why don't you start your own band? That's a lot cooler than having a boyfriend in a band.'"

Posted by dwhudson at March 7, 2008 7:12 AM