The Fits (2016)
76%RT Audience Score: 54%
Awards & Nominations: 15 wins & 22 nominations
As gripping as it is unique, the thrillingly kinetic The Fits marks debuting writer-director Anna Rose Holmer as a singular talent
The Fits is like a glass of lemonade made from lemons, but instead of lemons, it’s a mysterious condition that causes girls to have uncontrollable fits. The film celebrates young black women and their bodies, while also being a tactile and visceral sports drama, a low-key horror/sci-fi character study, a portrait of youth in crisis, a social epic, and possibly an elliptically queer narrative. It’s a powerful and incisive declaration from a new narrative filmmaker, with a rhythm as unique and spirited as the girls’ dancing. Plus, who doesn’t love a good mystery?
Production Company(ies)
Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures,
Distributor
Oscilloscope Laboratories
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2017
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:SDDS DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 12m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 3, 2016 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 16, 2016
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Royalty Hightower, Makyla Burnam, Inayah Rodgers, Alexis Neblett, Da’Sean Minor, Antonio A.B Grant Jr., directed by Anna Rose Holmer, written by Anna Rose Holmer, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Sophia Nguyen, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Soraya Nadia McDonald, Leslie Felperin, Ginette Vincendeau, Simran Hans, Jason Shawhan, Scott Nye, Elissa Suh, Debbie Holloway, Dominic Griffin, C.J Prince, producer Anna Rose Holmer, Lisa Kjerulff, MPAA rating, dance team, coming of age, adolescence, puberty, female empowerment, identity, self-discovery, social commentary, surreal, metaphorical, unique, kinetic, gripping, powerful, immersive, thrilling, singular talent, young black women, body positivity, sports drama, character study, low-key horror, social epic, queer narrative, cathartic ode to performance, soundtrack, cinematography, sound mix, Oscilloscope Laboratories
Worldwide gross: $169,236
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $204,139
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,929
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 22,262
US/Canada gross: $166,425
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $200,748
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,546
US/Canada opening weekend: $10,602
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $12,789
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,651
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Makyla Burnam – Legs
Inayah Rodgers – Karisma
Alexis Neblett – Beezy
Da’Sean Minor – Jermaine
Antonio A.B. Grant Jr. – Donté
Anna Rose Holmer – Director/Producer/Writer
Lisa Kjerulff – Producer
Director(s)
Anna Rose Holmer
Writer(s)
Anna Rose Holmer
Producer(s)
Anna Rose Holmer, Lisa Kjerulff
Film Festivals
Sundance
Awards & Nominations
15 wins & 22 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (110) | Top Critics (40) | Fresh (106) | Rotten (4)
While leaving plenty unsaid, The Fits rarely achieves the thrill of discovery.
February 10, 2021
Sophia Nguyen
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
So while The Fits never presses towards any ultimate explanation for what triggers its eponymous condition amongst the girls, by privileging .. a demographic whose experiences are so commonly excluded … The Fits is fundamentally ideological.
August 25, 2018
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
The Blue Lenses
TOP CRITIC
If the fits are lemons, caused by metaphorical lead poisoning, then Toni’s amazing closing sequence is lemonade.
September 26, 2017
Soraya Nadia McDonald
Andscape
TOP CRITIC
Holmer draws confident, luminous performances from the cast that rise to the occasion but never seem over-coached or phony.
February 23, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Leslie Felperin
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The Fits celebrates young black women, with an accent on their bodies.
February 23, 2017
Ginette Vincendeau
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
The storytelling is elegantly economical, characterised by a looseness and a spontaneity that’s rooted in authenticity.
February 23, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Simran Hans
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
A tactile and visceral sports drama, a low-key Larry Cohen-style horror/sci-fi city-based character study, a portrait of youth in crisis, a social epic, possibly an elliptically queer narrative, and a cathartic ode to performance…
September 10, 2021
Jason Shawhan
Nashville Scene
As a declaration of a new narrative filmmaker, The Fits is a powerful, incisive, and thrilling one.
January 6, 2021
Scott Nye
Battleship Pretension
The Fits exhibits a rhythm all its own as unique and spirited as the girls’ dancing.
February 27, 2020
Elissa Suh
MUBI
The Fits is dark and cavernous, mysterious and pulsating, with a surreal take on adolescence and what it means to grow up.
October 21, 2019
Debbie Holloway
Narrative Muse
By leaving that underpinning ambiguous, The Fits becomes a welcome cypher. Excising any real specificity engenders a deeper sense of universality that allows the film to speak purely on something otherwise untranslatable.
July 16, 2019 | Rating: 7.5/10
Dominic Griffin
Deadshirt.net
On a moment-by-moment basis, The Fits remains compelling, and at several points Holmer achieves a synergy that combines form and content into something truly singular.
May 22, 2019
C.J. Prince
Way Too Indie…
Plot
The Fits is a psychological portrait of 11-year-old Toni-a tomboy assimilating to a tight-knit dance team in Cincinnati’s West End. Enamored by the power and confidence of this strong community of girls, Toni eagerly absorbs routines, masters drills, and even pierces her own ears to fit in. When a mysterious outbreak of fainting spells plagues the team, Toni’s desire for acceptance is twisted.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises the “mesmerizing performance” of newcomer Royalty Hightower in The Fits.
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