Mile End Kicks

MILE END KICKS 👩🏻‍💻(2026)

Euphoria is currently in its final season, and one familiar face from the series is nowhere to be found, but she’s exactly where she should be.

Barbie Ferreira opted not to return to Euphoria, choosing instead to flex her acting chops as the lead in the cult-leaning, coming-of-age Canadian indie film MILE END KICKS.

Barbie plays Grace Pine, a Toronto-based music critic who packs her bags and heads to the heart of Canada’s art scene in 2011: Montreal. Once there, she decides to make the moment count, using the city not only as a creative outlet for her upcoming book, but also as a chance to check off a bucket list of things she’s never given herself the space to do. While navigating this new chapter, she stumbles upon an indie band and becomes hyper-fixated on its lead singer, in a way that begins to hold her back from fully stepping this new era of her life. And from there, the story unfolds…

MILE END KICKS is steeped in Canadian culture circa the 2010s. There’s a distinct originality to its execution and characters, even if the core story feels as old as time.

Grace is self-absorbed and borderline unlikeable. She has good intentions, but she’s frustratingly flawed. And that’s exactly what makes her so compelling.

I’ve had girl friends in my life who were her—into a guy who didn’t like them back, fully aware of it, complaining to anyone who would listen, yet stuck in the cycle anyway. There’s something about the whole “I can fix him” mindset that is annoying as hell, but at the end of the day, the heart wants what it wants. In this case, it’s not even about love. It’s about the desire to be wanted, or to be wanted by someone everyone else wants. That in itself is an interesting feeling to deconstruct.

One of the many aspects I appreciated most is that the story is told through the female gaze. There’s scenes in the film where you know the guys retelling of the story would be like “😏” but the girls version would be like “🤮” and it captures that energy so well. After reading more about the film, that perspective makes perfect sense.

The story is loosely based on director Chandler Levack’s own life, and there are moments where you can feel that lived-in authenticity. It gives the film its comedic edge and grounds it in something real, which is the key reasons MILE END KICKS works so well.

One of the most exhausting people to know is someone caught in a delusional, one-sided situationship with themselves. The guy couldn’t care less, yet she gives everything for even the slightest chance to be in his orbit—fully aware of the cycle, but unable to break it. But there’s also nothing more beautiful than watching a girl finally get out of her own way, leave the situationship behind—and step into real growth, realizing everything she’s been holding herself back from.

MILE END KICKS is the kind of Canadian filmmaking that is worthy of a pedestal. Coolly crafted and rooted in the 2010s, it indulgently dissects female life in male-centric circles—leaving behind a pointed reminder: you are the main character in your own story, so act like it. 

Enjoy!

7.2/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 1hr51mins

Where: In Theatres

The Richmond Reviewer Mile End Kicks Review - April 19th, 2026.