The market seems to be oversaturated with an abundance of coming-of-age stories, from the beautiful Moonlight, which releases in cinemas on the 24th of February, to The Fits, which is also released on the same day. Whether it’s a case of its audience relating to the theme of the narrative or the fact these stories are enchantingly compelling to watch, with mesmerizing performances from the young cast members, they seem to be hitting the right nerve.

From The Fits trailer, which can be viewed below, nothing is given away. There’s no much context and it looks very much open to interpretation. The film is led by the young talents of Royalty Hightower in her acting debut as Eleven-year-old Toni. The award winning film also has Anne Rose Holmer as director, another talent making her directorial debut.

The Fits Trailer

The Fits was funded through grants from the Venice Biennale College-Cinema initiative which is a micro-budget and micro-timeline initiative for first and second-time directors from around the world. The Fits also received additional grant support from the Sundance Institute, Cinereach, and Rooftop Films.

Having premiered back in 2015 at the 72nd Venice Film Festival and was selected to take part in the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, so it’s actually taken a bit of time to make its way over to British screens. It has so far met with the highest of critical acclaim and currently rates as 97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Fits Official Synopsis

THE FITS is a psychological portrait of 11-year-old Toni (Royalty Hightower)—a tomboy assimilating to a tight-knit dance team in Cincinnati’s West End. Enamoured by the power and confidence of this strong community of girls, Toni eagerly absorbs routines, master’s 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.