In a heartwarming tale about the power of friendship, Josephine Anderson's film Loop power is an intimate look at a British Columbia teenage curling team, the 4KGIRL$, who dream of becoming Canadian national curling champions. From the pressures of graduating high school and body image, to teenage depression and anxiety, Anderson's film is a delightful, insightful and honest look at the complexity of adolescence, with a competitive advantage.

Although curling is one of the most popular sports in Canada, and also a curious sport for those less familiar with it, it provides a particularly interesting backdrop for this coming-of-age story. This girls team is coached by three Olympians, who are also their mothers, amplifying their desire to become national champions.

But to make this documentary and share the story of 4KGIRL$, Anderson had to get approval from all the parents.

“I was really nervous because I knew I wanted to ask them to follow their teenagers for many years, and I think that's a huge thing to ask of anyone,” Anderson said. Yahoo Canada during the Hot Docs Festival 2024 in Toronto. “You don't even know me. So how can you trust me?”

“But I just put it on the table all at once and let them know exactly what I wanted to do. Let them know that I wanted to film on and off the ice, that I wanted them follow for years until they I think maybe that's why they were willing to make the trip. They knew I was honest with them, and luckily everyone was willing. agreement on the spot.

“It’s a huge gift and I don’t take it for granted.”

There's something particularly fascinating about the way girls are Loop power, Hannah, Brooklyn “Brook”, Savannah “Sav”, Ashley and Amy, are all very honest, including being incredibly candid about body image, taking antidepressants and dealing with a parent who faced a diagnosis of cancer. This certainly speaks to the trust Anderson has built in them.

“I would call them every couple of weeks and have very long conversations with them, maybe an hour or two, and ask them about every aspect of their lives, basically just one big catch-up session,” explained the filmmaker. “And it would take a long time, because there are five girls and three coaches. So it took me days to talk to everyone, and then I did it all the time for years.”

“So the first few months we were talking so often that we felt familiar, we felt comfortable. Of course there's also the camera, and so it took a few filming sessions for them to feel completely comfortable. … I'm really grateful for the trust they agreed to give me, to be honest it's a huge gift and I don't take it for granted.”

Anderson also captures a significant change in the friend group, when Amy graduates before the rest of the team.

“I think at first the girls really didn't want to talk about Amy's graduation because they were heartbroken, even a year before it happened, and they didn't want it all. just never be separate from each other,” Anderson said. “But of course, that’s life, isn’t it.”

“Being the first to delve into her future life was really special, and I think it's really interesting to have this dynamic where you can see some of the other girls still have time before making big choices in their lives. life. But asking Amy to do it first, I think it was a bit of a mirror for them to reflect on themselves.

“I felt a little alone”

Regarding the main message of Loop powerFor Anderson, the film is really about the power of friendship and connection.

“If I can be honest, the pandemic hit, everyone is kind of isolated, I felt a little lonely and I didn't have a lot of opportunities to spend time with people,” Anderson explained. “But then the movie was a really good excuse. You're like, 'Well, I have to keep filming, so we'll just keep going.'”

“We had these really great shoots where I could see them leaning on each other, … being vulnerable with each other, just being friends. Honestly, it filled me up. It made me feel so happy to become a That's part of it. It's such a simple thing I think a lot of the time when we talk about women's issues and we talk about friendship issues and body issues and health issues. mental, it's often overlooked or dismissed as unimportant. But I think stories really matter. And I think something as simple as the power of friendship, it seems so cheesy, but I think we. We all really need it right now.