Mile End Kicks: A love letter to Canada’s music scene
By Hannah Caparino, July 14 2026
Any up-and-coming journalist, writer or critic will one day find themselves in a dimly lit, grungy looking venue where local artists are wailing into a mic, hoping to be the next big thing. It is in that exact setting where audiences meet Mile End Kick’s protagonist, Grace Pine, scribbling feverishly into a pocketbook. From I Like Movies director, Chandler Levack; Mile End Kicks is a slice of life and relatable independent film that is led by HBO veteran, Barbie Ferreira.
An idealist, dreamer and Alanis Morisset superfan, audiences are taken back to the year 2011 in Toronto, where Grace is working as a music critic. The film quickly sets the scene, centering Grace in a drab, harshly lit office where she longs to participate in a conversation with her fellow writers, all of whom are male. Determined to experience life outside the box, fall in love and encounter real music, Grace sets her sights on spending her summer in Montreal.
Grace’s earnestness and her limited knowledge in the French language is put to the test as she builds her list of things to accomplish while in a new city. Tasks include finishing her Alanis Morisset book, falling in love, etc. Ferreira plays up Grace’s naivete with her expressions and passion for all things music and culture. Many audience members may find Ferreira’s performance as Grace as a stark departure from her most notable in HBO’s Euphoria. Grace is awkward, shy and maybe a little bit green in how she approaches her new life in Montreal, often diving into situations head first without thinking about how her actions will impact her life. She is a self-proclaimed “Loser”, something she writes repeatedly into her phone. Twenty minutes into the film viewers know that Ferreira is the perfect fit for Levack’s indie vision.
Rounding out the core cast is Devon Bostick who plays Archie and Stanley Simons as Chevy. The two are part of the band Bone Patrol, an indie rock band who is trying to break into the industry. Juliette Gariepy plays Grace’s landlord and friend, Madeleine, and Jay Baruchel portrays Grace’s boss, Jeff.
The chemistry between the Bone Patrol band members is extremely palpable. The four-piece band lures audiences into their creative process of getting drunk or high to write their songs. Grace, like the audience, is immediately entranced by the band’s process, but not only does the band catch her attention; she is drawn to Chevy like a sailor to a siren. As a native Torontonian and metropolitan, she falls in love with Montreal and the underground music scene. She’s thrust into the complexities of being authentic, learning to appeal to the masses, adapting to a new city and experiences the typical growing pains of pursuing love.
Love interest one, Chevy, is the classic depiction of the unattached and narcissistic frontman. Simons’ fully embodies the eccentric and loose style as he sings to small crowds while basking in the spotlight as soft synth music plays in the background. In common coming-of-age fashion, Grace falls hard and her idealist self begins to spiral in lust, drugs, and the overall bohemian life.
Archie and Medline are the voices of reason, often trying to reel in the old Grace back from Montreal’s grip. The city itself is a character that Grace interacts with, from its cobblestone streets to lively venues, Ferrieria’s acting really endears the audience to her love of music and disdain for the mundane.
Levack’s direction welcomes Grace’s faults and authenticity to showcase her own experiences of coming into womanhood while retaining the youthfulness of experiencing her 20s. Levack wears her heart on her sleeve through Grace, and she broadcasts it on a grainy film reel that romanticises the life of a twenty-something year old writer where audiences can find familiarity in. The film’s quintessential Canadian charm wins audiences, and takes a pocket of Montreal’s culture and widens it to encompass Grace and the audience’s entire world.