“The Fits,” opening at the Ritz at the Bourse June 24, is an unusual and hypnotic drama about Toni (Royalty Hightower), a tomboy who wants to fit in with the Lionesses, an award-winning girls’ dance troupe at her local rec center in Cincinnati.
Toni is first seen in the boxing gym, doing sit-ups and sparring with Jermaine (Da’Sean Minor), her older brother. But what is readily apparent is that, despite her acceptance in the male world, Toni feels lonely and isolated. Director and co-writer Anna Rose Holmer frames Toni, who wears her hair in two long braids, wide-eyed and envious as she peers through a door at the Lionesses performing. She wants to be a part of their world — one where “the individual is nothing and the team is everything.” As she auditions for the troupe, her life and the lives of the girls around her start to change.
“The Fits” is mostly observational in its approach to telling Toni’s story, and this perspective serves the film well. As Toni eavesdrops on conversations or spies the queen bees and captains of the dance team Legs (Makyla Burnam) and Karisma (Inayah Rodgers), through a bathroom stall door, she absorbs certain messages as well as codes of conduct, which she tries on in an effort to fit in. Toni soon befriends Beezy (Alexis Neblett), a younger, smaller girl, who is such a bundle of energy that she rarely sits still. But what transpires once Toni joins the Lionesses makes her question her actions and her influence.
As Legs, Karisma and other girls soon have mysterious epileptic-type fits, the question arises about what is causing them. The adults, who are almost entirely off-screen, suggest it may be the center’s drinking water. Toni becomes afraid and silently wonders if she is responsible.
Holmer allows the ambiguity of what is happening to the girls to permeate her film, which makes “The Fits” spellbinding. There is a deliberate rhythm to each scene, creating visual poetry out of Toni jumping rope, practicing her dance routine or, in a magical moment, floating above the ground. Holmer’s film is impressionistic, but that is its strength; viewers come to inhabit Toni’s world in an almost sensory way. The music in the film is fittingly atonal. One of the most striking sequences has Toni self-piercing her ears — a literary motif for maturation — and not flinching in the process. Beezy, who can’t look at Toni puncturing her earlobe, comments in awe on her toughness in a later scene.
There are other motifs on display. Beezy gives Toni a temporary tattoo, which she is later seen peeling off; Maia (Lauren Gibson), another dancer, paints Toni’s nails, though later, Toni picks off the polish. These episodes reinforce the identity formation and individuality of Toni, especially in respect to the other characters.
When Beezy and Toni hang out in the rec center, their friendship seems solidified and without judgment. However, after Maia has a fit, Beezy is concerned, but Toni, in her fear, tries to ignore the situation and tough things out.
“The Fits” illustrates the social bonding of the girls, who talk briefly about boys but are more interested in what is causing the seizures. They express concerns about being “safe.” Viewers can apply any number of metaphors as characters talk about the contagious quality of the fits, and how it may be infecting the Lionesses.
This remarkable film captures the nuances of the incremental changes in Toni’s life, and Hightower gives a fierce, commanding performance. She uses her body language to express her attitude. When she auditions for the Lionesses and is told to stand at attention, her tough stance, all attitude and crossed arms, conveys her compacted emotions. Nevertheless, Toni is an engaging heroine, one viewers will root for as she finds a measure of self-worth even though she experiences tremendous self-doubt.
In support, Neblett is terrific as Beezy. Her energy is infectious and a bonding moment between Beezy and Toni in the rec center’s laundry room is charming.
“The Fits” is an inspiring film, not only because it chronicles a young tomboy’s coming of age and attainment of wisdom, but also because Holmer’s storytelling is so unique and refreshing. This film demands to be seen.