Synopsis
A look at the life of activist, musician, and cultural icon Kathleen Hanna, who formed the punk band Bikini Kill and pioneered the "riot grrrl" movement of the 1990s.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Kathleen HannaHerself
- Adam HorovitzHimself
- Joan JettHerself
- Jennifer BaumgardnerHerself
- Johanna FatemanHerself
- Carrie BrownsteinHerself
- JD SamsonHerself
- Corin TuckerHerself
- Kim GordonHerself
- Tavi GevinsonHerself
Recommendations
- 90
Village Voice
It's impossible to watch The Punk Singer and not ask if feminism is dead. That's a fair starting question. But a better one is what if it isn't — what if we've just stopped recognizing it? - 83
IndieWire
Edited in a frenzied mashup of concert fragments and off-stage exchanges, The Punk Singer generally overcomes its rough production values by realizing the energy of Hanna's achievements in terms of her passion and physical prowess. - 80
Time Out London
This is a woman who has been through hell and come out kicking, and the result is as much a celebration of her life as it is a documentary. - 80
Time Out
Although the film was completed too early to document Hanna’s return to music—her new band, the Julie Ruin, released an album in September and has been touring—it still offers a poignant, intimate portrait of a larger-than-life personality—one whose singular voice is still sorely needed in music, culture and, well, everywhere. - 80
Los Angeles Times
The Punk Singer fascinatingly traces the evolution of a woman. - 80
Variety
Dynamic performance footage and input from a variety of collaborators, colleagues and admirers, as well as Hanna herself, make the tightly edited Punk Singer a vivid watch even for those with no interest in or experience with the music itself. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
The doc happily devotes most of its time to a stylish, energetic account of Hanna's career to date and the impact it has had on a generation of women. - 70
The Dissolve
What’s missing from The Punk Singer is real friction or ambiguity.
