By John Corrado

The 2024 Hot Docs Film Festival runs from April 25th to May 5th in Toronto

Director Josephine Anderson follows a girls curling team from British Columbia in her excellent and surprisingly poignant documentary Curl Power. But more so than just being a sports movie about the under appreciated nature of curling, her film is about friendship and growing up.

Hannah, Brooklyn, Savannah, Ashley and Amy are best friends who make up the 4KGIRL$, a high school curling team coached by three of their mothers, former curling champions who played for Team Canada at the 2002 Olympics. The dream is to become Canadian Junior Curling Champions, but they are still going through the process of being normal teenagers in a sleepy suburban community.

Anderson’s film takes the form of a hangout movie at times, capturing naturalistic moments of the girls bonding and supporting each other on and off the ice. They talk about body image issues, mental health, and the precarious nature of being a teenager in high school (you’re no longer a child, one of them muses, but you’re also not an adult).

The friendship between these girls is what drives the beautifully shot film, as Anderson spins this into a classic coming-of-age narrative. Her film poignantly captures the feeling of growing up and leaving your childhood behind, but unsure exactly where to go next. For these reasons, Curl Power transcends just being another sports movie. It’s a small gem.

Film Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)

Curl Power screens as part of the 2024 Hot Docs Film Festival, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.