Chandler Levack (I Like Movies) is back with her sophomore feature and Mile End Kicks makes one wonder what horrible tragedies and injustices Chandler went through herself or if there are a lot of creative liberties being taken in her semi-autobiographical story. The Montreal-set coming-of-age drama story is masterfully told, directed, and performed, continuing to make Chandler Levack a name to look out for in the future. The movie is set in the early 2010s against the music grunge scene of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and focuses on a college dropout perusing her career, the trials and tribulations that come with that, and learning the reality of life is in fact hard and difficult while perseverance and determination are the driving forces behind our lives.
Barbie Ferreira as Grace in MILE END KICKS. Photo courtesy of TIFF/Elevation Pictures.
Grace Pine (Barbie Ferreira, Euphoria) has recently left college, is living at home, is trying to make it through life, and pursuing her career in the music industry. She is determined, young, and hungry and is not letting the male-dominated field continue to be driven solely by them. She wants to break the proverbial glass ceiling and make sure she gets to follow her dreams. She has a tumultuous relationship with her boss and editor (Jay Baruchel, Tropic Thunder) who hears her latest pitch, writing a book on Alanis Morissette’s hit album Jagged Little Pill, and helps her get her potential book off the ground, which leads her to travel to Montreal. While in Montreal, she is staying with Madeline (Juliette Gariepy, Red Rooms) and her unserious/serious boyfriend Hugo (Robert Naylor, Immortals), who is not an initial fan of Grace as she doesn’t speak or understand French. Madeline invites Grace to Hugo’s band’s show where she meets massive D-Bag Chevy (Stanley Simmons) and Archie (Devon Bostick) who is the juxtaposition of Chevy entirely. Mile End Kicks follows the turmoil and life style that comes with a woman in a man-fueled industry, the difficulties of being a 20-something-year-old finding themselves, and the friends and heart break you find along the way.
The movie here is fully supported and elevated by the incredible cast, and there are certainly standouts in the feature that shine above the rest. Ferreira continues to shine bright, ensuring that she is a force to be reckoned with and a name for the future. Her ability to shift from struggling 20-something-year-old to passionate, driven, and meticulous writer with her career aspirations is captivating and engaging. However, it is the 20-year-old something that continues to seemingly win her internal battles, but that just speaks true to life and Barbie’s ability to capture that young innocence (being nearly that age herself) is nothing shy of exceptional. She is supported here by an outstanding ensemble, as well, that is simply sublime, including the remarkable Juliette Gariépy (Red Rooms), whose great performance as DJ just trying to pass on some words of wisdom is not as powerful as her Red Rooms character; Stanley Simmons (The Iron Claw), who plays the scum of the earth, is exceptional in his skin-crawling nature; while Devon Bostick (Okja) perfectly plays the sympathetic heartthrob who has his own demons to overcome. The entire cast plays off each other exceptionally well, allowing everyone to have their own moments to shine. They collectively create a world of overcoming a differently gendered career path while navigating early adulthood in an earnest way that Levack seems to have nailed with both her debut and sophomore features.
L-R: Devon Bostick as Archie and Barbie Ferreira as Grace in MILE END KICKS. Photo courtesy of TIFF/Elevation Pictures.
Mile End Kicks nails the music scene in Montreal and perfectly encapsulates the trials and tribulations of overcoming adversity, always trying to find oneself, and staying true to one’s self in an ever-changing world and landscape. While being a time capsule of the early 2010s, nothing about this movie feels restricted to a time period other than the specific music references and technological restraints; the story itself can be timeless as it is not something specific to the 2010s but rather a struggle everyone eventually does face, and the performances included are boundless. Chandler Levack continues to prove herself as a force to be reckoned with and whatever her third feature may be, we will certainly be seated for it.
Screening during Toronto International Film Festival 2025.
For more information, head to the official Toronto International Film Festival Mile End Kicks webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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