Up in Oregon there’s a female mob wearing anything from torn-everywhere fishnet tights to heavy red rose lipstick with a whip of thick black eyeliner. They wear kneepads, elbow pads and helmets with a unique fashion. They are women on the fast lane gliding, competing and shoving others on a skating rink. They are the Rose City Rollers.

Brutal Beauty: Tales of The Rose City Rollers is a documentary that captures the lives and tales of Portland, Oregon’s roller derby league. For some, skating on four wheels is something done for leisure, for others it’s a hobby, but for these beauties, as Blood Clottia states, rolling is not a hobby, it’s a way of life and “you either do it or you don’t.” Rocket Mean, the Rose City Rollers founder, speaks about how the sport itself is “indicative of the culture of young women in America.”

The film, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, runs a little bit over an hour and it presents raw material of what goes on behind-the-scenes of the sometimes-dangerous American contact sport (think broken bones and 10 screws in an ankle). The inside stories of how these women push themselves to succeed and overcome the various obstacles that are presented to them in their derby lives, will captivate, entertain and inspire.

The cast is a troop of fearless individuals. Marollin’ Monroe is all about setting up flawless defense. Cadillac is one of the reasons the squad Breakneck Betties went undefeated for over a year. Madame Bumpsalot is key to the improvement of the High Rollers lineup. Grace Lightning spends her days as an attorney, but in the rink she’s one of the most impressive.

Whip It did not even come close to truly depicting the lives of the brave, passionate and powerfully swift roller divas. Brutal Beauty is one big dose of electrifying energy and gnarly caught-on-film skids.

Grade: B



Brutal Beauty: Tales of the Rose City Rollers releases in select theaters Oct. 1.