Here at GLAMOUR HQ, we're all about female empowerment. So we are super excited about Girls State, an upcoming documentary film. It's been given rave reviews at Sundance Film Festival, and now it's coming to Apple TV+.
Girls State is a follow up to 2020 documentary film Boy State, which followed a thousand 17-year-old boys from Texas, as they joined together to build a representative government from the ground up.
We revisit this premise, this time empowering young girls to have a go. Of course, we are four years on and the global political climate is just as, if not more, complicated. Call us fascinated.
Here's what we know so far about Girls State.
“You shouldn’t feel pressure as a young person.”
What is Girls State about?
The documentary has been described as the following by its synopsis: “A look at what American democracy would look like in the hands of teenage girls. Young female leaders from wildly different backgrounds navigate an immersive experiment to build a government from the ground up.”
The documentary follows 500 teenage girls from across US state Missouri, as they meet for a week-long experiment in a “laboratory of democracy”. They build a government from scratch, campaign for office and form a Supreme Court – all in service of dealing with the country's most divisive issues .
It will interrogate the ways in which electoral politics and civil discourse have become even more fragile, as well as issues of racial and gender inequality. These young women face face up to the complications of political power, while grappling with their own teenage insecurities and pursuit of friendships.
What has been said about Girls State so far?
According to Variety, it shows different, diverse young women coming together to talk the big issues, and we all will end up rooting for them.
- EntertainmentWho is the real Martha from Baby Reindeer?
“The film’s seven protagonists are the result of McBaine and Moss’s broad and deep interview process,” its review reads. "Demographically diverse, the women are immensely watchable and touchingly articulate. They often mix their opinions with a mature self-awareness and palpable concern. Climate change, gun violence, a woman’s right to choose are some of the issues that arise repeatedly.
The review adds that the documentary film touches on the important of resilience when discussing and living the results of political situations.
“How some of the young leaders in Girls State not only handle but also leverage their disappointments provides one of the documentary’s richest lessons,” it reads. “'Resilience' may be an overused word these days, but the practice of it turns out to be vital to personal growth and political wisdom.”
When and where can I watch Girls State?
It will drop on Apple TV+ on 5 April.
Is there a trailer for Girls State?
There is indeed. Watch below for a taster of the action.
