Mile End Kicks, 2026.
Written and Directed by Chandler Levack.
Starring Barbie Ferreira, Jay Baruchel, Devon Bostick, Stanley Simons, Juliette Gariépy, Robert Naylor, Isaiah Lehtinen, Emily Lê, Hasani Freeman, Emma Cheuk, Magi Merlin, Svetlana, and Citta Audrey Ann Boucher.
SYNOPSIS:
A 24-year-old music critic gets romantically involved with members of an indie band she decides to publicize.
A coming-of-age story told through the scene of aspiring indie rock music journalism, writer/director Chandler Levack’s Mile End Kicks confidently rolls with inside baseball storytelling without alienating outsiders (not just music critics but those interested in the genre here period), as the personal journey Barbie Ferreira’s Grace Pine goes on – which contains undeniably frustrating choices that sometimes come across as unbelievable – still feels grounded in authenticity regarding her character and the 2011 Montréal setting.
Of course, there would be no conflict if she wasn’t messy, and aspects of this film would become slightly tedious regardless (it seems as if more material was put back into the movie for the official release, as the running time is now longer than what played festivals by roughly 7 minutes, when, if anything, it could probably stand to lose seven minutes), but part of what makes this film difficult to take a firm stance on are those conflicted feelings about Grace.
Stuck working a thankless intern job surrounded by snobby male music journalists who generally put Grace down and don’t see her taste as equal, all while being taken advantage of in more ways than one by Jay Baruchel’s slimy editor, to the point where she makes the impulsive, drastic decision to flee Ontario to Montréal and attempt writing a book on Alanis Morissette, rooming with an unstable couple (Juliette Gariépy and Robert Naylor) with the latter playing in an indie rock band, only to have a shortsightedness and end up realizing everything she takes for granted (whether it be her parents or those roommates that she mostly freeloads off of without ever paying rent) is certainly realistic for a rudderless yet ambitious 24-year-old who can’t quite find her foothold in a cutthroat industry overrun with male gatekeeping. Even setting a film in that industry feels insightful, as the filmmaker appears to draw on personal experiences.
What’s ultimately frustrating is that the film devolves into a somewhat flat love triangle where Grace, fascinated by bands as much as she is writing about them (there is a pointed observational line that women want to be those rock stars, not just playing alongside them), gradually does away with all sense of ethical behavior in a desire to have sexual lust reciprocated (she comes into Montréal with a list of goals, primarily including writing her Alanis Morrissette piece and to have sex for the first time “for real”), by bandmembers Chevy (Stanley Simons) and Archie (Devon Bostick) all while trying to be their publicist and put them in a spotlight. Everything about the way one of them behaves feels off (Grace reputedly throws herself at him, with him unable to work off much interest, only to never take the hint), while it’s also clear that if she is going to end up with one of them, we know which one. There are also some welcome touches, such as one of the members being gay and accepted by their bandmates.
Grace is a chaotic character, and that’s fine. One also can’t help but a 24-year-old with aspirations to be taken seriously in this field would have enough restraint to stay away from trying to sexually mingle with the band she is trying to publicize. The guys aren’t interesting enough to make that work, meaning the romantic angle (or the search for sex on the list of 4 goals) doesn’t quite work, but everything else is lived-in and insightful. It doesn’t detract from investing in Mile End Kicks; Chandler Levack doesn’t punch down the character or her choices, and the drama and performances feel organic. We stay on her side, hoping she finds her place in this world and industry. That’s enough of a kick to make this work. There is a jaggedness that perhaps even Alanis Morissette would appreciate.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
