The Fits

A gem of a film...slow burning, methodical, well-acted, intentional and encapsulating what it is to be a 10 year old girl looking up to others. The film attempts to display what it takes to transcend and succeeds in bringing us in to their world. It took me back to my dance team envy days and it was awesome to see it rightfully represented. The group think and group hysteria that envelops these young people is palpable. And the need to belong...with your peers...with those that you aspire to be like...to fit in.

The Fits Double Entendre “The Fits,” directed by Anna Rose Holmer seems to be the perfect title name for the fits the characters go through. The young and beautiful eleven year old Toni (Royalty Hightower), goes through a perplexed experience that is felt in the strange soundtrack and character developments. We understand that the concept of the film is organized by the breakdown and focalization of the moments in Toni’s childhood and early womanhood. Da’Sean Minor, Toni’s older brother both spend most of their time in the recreation centre in their community either boxing or working out. Rather, her older brother does most of the boxing and she finds herself wanting to move around. The Lionesses (the community recreation dance team name), also attend same community gym, and Toni is drawn towards the vibrant movement when she peaks through the window fame and quickly finds herself to join the team. Toni then experiences first hand that her new dance family are having strange “fits,” and movement spasms. During the seventy two minute length film the strange “fits” is not explained once. To some extent it is explored in the soundtrack and the young girls movements. Throwing their hands in the air, and stomping their feet to every beat of the sound effortlessly. It could be preserved that Toni, and these young girls are trying to take up any space they can as a metaphor to show maturity and commandment from adolescents to young womanhood. Assuming that these young girls are exploring their young female womanhood through dancing, not once is an adult presented as a main character in the film. The strange neighbourhood also seems to be deserted, with only the characters presented in the film to be shown. This short film has a double entendre meaning that only some can catch on. These exploring young girls find themselves trying to open new chapters in their lives called womanhood through these “fits” dance moves. By: Halima Sheikh This movie review of “The Fits”: This film explores young girls going through major life explorations as they fill the void in space in their dance movements can be also perceived as double entendre. This film is very hard to understand giving it a 2.5/5 rating.