Archive of films Fits / The Fits
USA
2015, 71 min
Section:
Variety Critics' Choice
Year: 2016
Eleven-year-old Toni goes boxing with her brother but she wants to become a member of the tight-knit modern dance collective that practices in the adjacent gym. She gets her wish, but when the other girls begin falling prey to the bizarre symptoms of group psychosis, it’s up to her whether or not she’ll be able to get away from there.
Synopsis
An abstract portrait of adolescent emotional dynamics, The Fits uses precise aesthetics to convey the alienation and longing for social inclusion of an 11-year-old tomboy trapped between two worlds. First-time writer-director Anna Rose Holmer crafts a meticulous mood of psychological isolation and beguiling mystery through her metaphorical tale, which exhibits less interest in traditional dramatic conventions than in situating viewers in its protagonist’s particular headspace. Set in Cincinnati’s West End, and taking place almost exclusively in a few confined environmental spaces, the film studies Toni (Royalty Hightower) as she tries out for the Lioness dance squad, whose members begin falling prey to a series of strange fainting spells – which give the film its name and further highlight Toni’s disconnection from those around her, especially since she turns out to be the only one not suffering from the perplexing attacks.
Nick Schager
About the director
Anna Rose Holmer (b. 1985, Rhinebeck, New York) was ranked by Filmmaker magazine as one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film 2015. Competent in a variety of professions, such as screenwriter and director, she also participated in the production of several documentaries focused on music, modern dance, and ballet, including A Ballet in Sneakers: Jerome Robins and Opus Jazz (2010) and Ballet 422, presented in 2014 at the Tribeca film festival. Her fascination with group dance, its rhythms and choreography, found its way into her narrative debut The Fits, which came about with the support of the Sundance Institute and Venice Biennale College. The film also premiered at the Venice fest last year.
Contacts
Mongrel International
1352 Dundas St. West, M6J 1Y2, Toronto
Canada
Tel: +1 416 516 0651
Fax: +1 416 516 9775
www: www.mongrelmedia.com
Pascale Ramonda
91 rue de Ménilmontant, 75020, Paris
France
Tel: +33 662 013 241
E-mail: [email protected]
About the film
Color, DCP
Section: | Variety Critics' Choice |
---|---|
Director: | Anna Rose Holmer |
Screenplay: | Anna Rose Holmer, Saela Davis, Lisa Kjerulff |
Dir. of Photography: | Paul Yee |
Music: | Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans |
Editor: | Saela Davis |
Art Director: | Charlotte Royer |
Producer: | Lisa Kjerulff, Anna Rose Holmer |
Production: | Yes, Ma'am! |
Cast: | Royalty Hightower, Alexis Neblett, Da’Sean Minor, Lauren Gibson, Makyla Burnam |
Sales: | Mongrel International |
Contact: | Pascale Ramonda |
Guests
Saela Davis
Film Editor, Screenwriter
Chris Foster
Sound Designer
Anna Rose Holmer
Film Director