The Fits (2016)

The Fits is special because it captures that electric, half-mysterious moment of growing up when your body, your identity, and your need to belong all feel louder than words. Director Anna Rose Holmer turns a simple setting into something hypnotic and kinetic, letting rhythm, movement, and silence build an atmosphere that’s both inviting and faintly unsettling. Royalty Hightower is terrific as Toni, giving a performance so watchful and grounded that the film’s surreal edges feel emotionally true rather than showy. It’s not a conventional, neatly explained drama—more a mood you slip into—but if you’re open to a gripping, thought-provoking indie that trusts you to feel your way through it, this one lingers.

The Fits is aiming for a quiet, hypnotic coming-of-age story where mood, movement, and peer pressure say more than dialogue ever could. If you need a clear plot, firm explanations for the “fits,” or a steady pace, this will likely feel slow, vague, and a bit too art-house for its own good. The film deliberately withholds answers and leans into ambiguity, which can come off as frustrating rather than mysterious depending on your patience level. That said, the performances and the gym/dance-world atmosphere are genuinely compelling, so it works best for viewers who like minimal storytelling and are happy to sit in the tension without being told what to think.