Girls band together in a rocking new documentary

THE music in the new documentary “Girls Rock!” could be the worst you’ll ever hear. But seeing this film solely for the songs created by the young ladies who star in it would be missing the point.

It isn’t really about the music. It’s about what happens when you make it. More specifically, it’s about the emotional growth that occurs when you gather 100 girls younger than 18, put instruments in their hands and ask them to form bands, write songs and perform in front of an audience -- all in the span of a single week.

The film, which screens at the Nuart starting Friday, opens with a montage of prepubescent girls screaming into mics. As the girls drop to the floor brandishing their axes, the audience could be tricked into believing this is a movie about “cute little girls having happy little-girl lives and transforming them into wailing banshee rock stars,” says co-director Shane King.

But it isn’t. Amusing as the opening sequence is, there are strong feminist undertones throughout the movie, which makes it all the more surprising that “Girls Rock!” was made by two men. It was late 2004 when co-director Arne Johnson, now 39, went to a music symposium to hear Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein. Brownstein had just taught at Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp in Portland, Ore., and said she had never seen girls so courageous and inspiring.

“What was somebody of Carrie Brownstein’s stature doing mucking around with a bunch of 7-year-olds, showing them how to do wind mills?” wondered Johnson. He and King found out for themselves when they visited the camp the next summer.

“When I first heard about the camp [I thought] it was going to be a rocket ship,” says King, 40. “But once we met these girls, the camp felt more like a life raft; a tiny corner of the world where these girls can go and get a break from the poisonous culture we’re creating for them.”

The film follows four girls: Misty, a 17-year-old former drug addict bounced between foster homes; Laura, a 15-year-old Korean adoptee and death metal fan struggling with self-esteem issues; Amelia, an eccentric 8-year-old with divorced parents; and Palace, a spunky 7-year-old with a disabled little brother. Over the course of the camp, the girls learn not just how to form bands with names like Neon Dumpster and the Juicy Tanglers, but to channel emotions, form friendships and resolve conflicts in the process. The movie also takes breathers to lay out some alarming statistics about self-esteem.

Though King and Johnson say they made “Girls” primarily for the kids, some other “Rock” fans have emerged as well: moms. Says Johnson: “I got a wonderful e-mail from a mom who said, ‘This is the first time my daughter came to me and wanted to talk about girl issues.’ ” For those who wish to continue the conversation, Friday’s screening will be followed by a discussion about girls and media, and co-director King will be on hand for a Q&A; on Sunday.

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-- Susan.Carpenter@latimes.com

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‘GIRLS ROCK!’

WHERE: Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.

WHEN: Friday through next Thursday

PRICE: $6.25-$9.50

INFO: (310) 281-8223, www.girlsrockmovie.com