The Fits has been on the festival circuit since last year, including a trip to the Nashville Film Festival that has Nathaniel singing its praises. Well, add me to the fan club, because I found myself even more taken by this ferocious and emotionally intelligent debut.
Set in and around a recreation center for Cincinnati youths, the film follows Toni (captivating newcomer Royalty Hightower) as she transitions from her brother's boxing studio into the militaristic, successful all-girl dance crew down the hall, without any dance ability to her credit. As Toni begins to improve her skill, her sense of otherness is further enervated by the growing outbreak of unexplained seizures on the team. Blending themes of gender performance, isolation, and feminity, The Fits packs a huge punch in a brisk 72 minutes unlike anything you've experienced this year.
Place Anna Rose Holmer at the top of the list of exciting new directors, not just for the solidness of this debut, but for her evocative point of view. As small as The Fits can sometimes feel, it is assuredly the emergence of a smart new voice on the filmmaking scene. It bursts with specificity and observation without dipping into objectification, so strongly composed that it defies beginner's luck. Yeah, she's got the goods, but she's also not playing by the rules.
Any modestness in the film's scope is dwarfed by its stylistic chutzpah. It continues to evolve over the course of the film, culminating in a transformative and abrupt (perhaps divisively so) ending that is simply breathtaking. It takes a self-assured shot of filmmaking to be able to pull off The Fits's blend of introspective drama, horror elements, and metaphor and make it this intelligent and fresh.
However, fresh doesn't quick cut it. The film crackles, bubbles, and hisses with a unique energy both invigorating and terrifying. I struggle to think of a film that so adeptly captures the psychosis of emerging puberty quite like The Fits does. With an almost serpentine intuition, Toni's longing and isolation are crafted within the frame without sentimentality or condescension. Toni may not be verbally expressive, but the film more than compensates for this by thrusting us right into her nervous system.
The Fits is an immersive sensory experience, packed with fluid visuals and a tantalizing soundscape. There is an excitingly intuitive craft team behind the camera that make the film an entrancing experience, one that can jarringly pull the rug out from under you one moment and lift your spirits the next. The confidence apparent here in Holmer and her team here promises great things to come not just for the first time director - we should be as hungry to see her next effort as much as the next film by cinematographer Paul Yee, editor Saela Davis, and composers Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans.
Consider it the little movie that could this summer, or a genre-busting exercise, or simply a first glimpse at some highly promising new talent. Either way, The Fits is a kinetic must see.
Grade: A
The Fits is now playing in New York City and begins in Los Angeles June 10.