Whip It (2009)
The directorial debut of Drew Barrymore is an adaptation of the novel Derby Girl by Shauna Cross, and follows a teenager as she attempts to find her path in life. Ellen Page shines as Bliss Cavendar – a frustrated young woman who is as reluctant to disappoint her former beauty queen mother as she is to acquiesce under her attempts at control and manipulation. Finding her passion – roller derby – she pursues it whole-heartedly and relentlessly, against the wishes of those around her.
She is only momentarily distracted by a romantic liaison with a young musician – quickly rejecting him when she feels poorly treated. Instead, her goal is the pursuit of excellence on the derby circuit, and her dream is to achieve the respect of her team-mates and opponents. While the characters around her are forced to reassess their own attitudes toward romantic relationships – not least her mother, whose clear lack of fulfilment is a motivation for Bliss – the teenager successfully fights her own corner, taking the advice of a fellow derby-girl to “be your own hero”. A celebration of singledom at its very best.
Published: Feb 13, 2015 03:08 pm