Mary, a young, female vocalist reflects on herself, her writing, and her experiences as her band is set to record their first album.

Review by Victoria Angelique:

The short film, NAPALM GIRL, has a score of a harsh metal instrumental music score playing as Mary begins to speak on camera to tell her story as a musician. The feeling is very intimate in this rehearsal space, with the focus only on Mary and getting occasional glimpses of the rest of the band. It’s clear this is her story.

The first word that Mary uses to describe her feelings for trying to break into the metal genre of music is indignation. Her frustration is one many artists feel, primarily female artists, that doors have to be forced open just to be heard. Mary is seen as equal by her bandmates, but not within the genre as a whole. To make her mark as a musician in a part of the music industry that is dominated by mostly men, Mary will have to be as loud as possible, something she stated that she is more than willing to do to make her mark. She sounds like a reasonable woman, that she could take constructive criticism that would help her improve her craft, but that would involve being allowed into the spaces for that opportunity to happen. 

The most profound part of Mary’s interview is what sets her apart from other heavy metal groups; it’s that the lyrics she and her band write are their way of dealing with what’s going on in the world. The stereotype for heavy metal is that the lyrics typically depict the macabre, occult, or other dark themes. Deviating from the stereotypes to deal with real world issues should help Mary and her band stand apart from other groups by playing something that breaks the trope. 

Mary also got quiet as the band got louder, to the point where it was almost hard to hear her, as she talked about her family. This actually made more of an impact, because it shows how grateful she is to live in Toronto and understands her family background more than most people her age. She has a bigger appreciation for her parents and it’s because of them that she is able to live her dreams.