Parents' Guide to Mile End Kicks

This coming-of-age dramedy is a release of pent-up messages to young women, delivered with sharp humor and genuine laugh-out-loud moments. In that way, Mile End Kicks clearly follows in the wake of the primal scream of Alanis Morissette, the Canadian icon who turned female rage into a girl anthem—and is the subject of the book Grace is writing. It's a shoulder shake: Yes, you'll make mistakes! But that's how you grow! And, ugh, please, filmmaker Chandler Levack begs us, can we NOT look for validation through the eyes of men? You said it, sister. (Though, as any woman of any era knows, easier said than done in a patriarchal society established millennia ago.) This is a film that older teen girls will want to watch together; it's catharsis, it's comedy, and it's an education.

There's so much to wince about in Mile End Kicks, but also so much to relate to. Levack has a lot to say, and maybe there's a bit too much coming at us, like an inexperienced lead singer who throws an image, swagger, and a guitar at the audience all at once. But there's also plenty to appreciate. Grace is a main character viewers root for even while laughing at her missteps. She's trying too hard and chasing the wrong guy, and we desperately want her to realize that her dreams are at her feet, if only she'd pick them up. Levack is begging young women to learn from her mistakes—and sometimes, watching someone else make all the wrong decisions just might help us recognize when we're on the brink of doing the same.