Our Rating: 8/10

Documentaries work best when they stop pretending neutrality is the goal. Girls State does not pretend.

This political coming of age documentary follows teenage girls participating in a week long immersive leadership programme designed to simulate American government. On paper, it sounds procedural. In practice, it becomes a micro study of power, ambition and how quickly young women learn to adapt inside systems not originally built for them.

The film focuses on several central figures:

• Cecilia Castellanos – Strategic, composed and visibly aware of the optics around her identity. Her presence reveals how young women of colour are already negotiating multiple layers of expectation.
• Maddie Rowan – Fierce, ideologically driven and unafraid of confrontation. She embodies the tension between principle and popularity.
• Faith Glasgow – Calm and analytical, often acting as the rational counterweight in moments of emotional escalation.

What is striking is not just their intelligence, but the speed at which they internalise political performance. The documentary subtly exposes how female leadership is scrutinised differently. Assertiveness is labelled aggressive. Emotion is labelled weakness.

There is a quiet feminist undercurrent throughout. The girls are not framed as novelty candidates. They are framed as fully formed political actors. The film trusts them.

At times, the pacing lingers on procedural details. But that realism strengthens the overall impact.

Sharp, timely and quietly devastating in what it reveals about gender and power.