The Fits (2015)

The Fits: Directed by Anna Rose Holmer. With Royalty Hightower, Alexis Neblett, Da’Sean Minor, Lauren Gibson. While training at the gym 11-year-old tomboy Toni becomes entranced with a dance troupe. As she struggles to fit in she finds herself caught up in danger as the group begins to suffer from fainting spells and other violent fits.

“A Cincinnati community center sees a sudden epidemic of incidents in which teenage girls start fainting and convulsing in Anna Rose Holmeru0026#39;s u0026quot;The Fits,u0026quot; yet u0026quot;science fictionu0026quot; or u0026quot;supernaturalu0026quot; are two words that belong nowhere near this film. Instead, Holmer uses this conceit as a tool in her 72-minute portrait of a tween girl finding her way socially and emotionally.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo little of u0026quot;The Fitsu0026quot; counts toward plot or action that you might wonder why Holmer u0026quot;dragged outu0026quot; what feels more obviously like short film material into a feature. Yet her patience and artistry pay dividends, at least for the open-minded viewer. The camera pierces a further layer of its subjectu0026#39;s —11-year-old Toni — psychology, allowing the viewer to enter deeper into her point of view.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNewcomer Royalty Hightower would obviously be a candidate to get credit for achieving such a high degree of empathy, but in actuality, itu0026#39;s Holmeru0026#39;s exceptional focus on Hightower. Her conscientious effort to tell the subtext of Toniu0026#39;s story more than anything else results in a film that speaks rather poetically to adolescence and self-discovery.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eToni is a determined girl who understands the importance of working hard more than most. She goes with her brother to the community center each day to train and learn how to box, but sheu0026#39;s transfixed by the girls upstairs in the Lioness dance troupe. We immediately see both the committed, tireless side of Toni and the side of her that longs to be a dancer, and so itu0026#39;s clear that she can dance if thatu0026#39;s what she desires most.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe premise of a girl boxer wanting to be a dancer is a refreshing subversion of gender role archetypes, and a gentle way for Holmer and co-writers Saela Davis and Lisa Kjeruiff to let viewers know that gender identity/roles are not a focal point of their story. This is a film about a girl finding herself, period.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWe get all these long, lingering, quiet moments alone with Toni in order to really experience how she deals with the emotional storm of her own desires, social pressure and the fear and panic induced by this outbreak of u0026quot;fits.u0026quot; And thereu0026#39;s nothing particular unique in how she copes, which is what makes accessing her consciousness, as the viewer, so effortless. The power of this particular film comes from that experience.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll that said, itu0026#39;s hard not to wish that there had been just a few more external factors to add tension and drama to this story, especially with a premise that couldu0026#39;ve so easily gone that route. Kudos to Holmer committing to her cinematic portrait and not caving to more typical movie conventions, but something to hook the viewer a little more would have elevated her impressive artistry.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe average moviegoer wonu0026#39;t likely stumble upon u0026quot;The Fits,u0026quot; so thereu0026#39;s not a whole lot of danger in it being misunderstood and dismissed for leaning more heavily toward poetry than entertainment, but perhaps that u0026quot;supernaturalu0026quot; premise warrants a bit of a disclaimer. Go in looking to experience what itu0026#39;s like to be 11 again, however, and youu0026#39;ll be floored by what Holmer has accomplished.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e~Steven Cu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more”