Tuesday, September 13, 21:00 Tel Aviv Cinematheque
Tickets are available at 03-6060800 ext. 9
or click on English menu and select the date at the Cinematheque web site
The Fits
Director: Anna Rose Holmer
Cast: Royalty Hightower, Alexis Neblett
U.S., 2016, 72 min., English w/ Hebrew subtitles
Venice Film Festival 2015 - World Premiere
Sundance 2016
2016 San Francisco International Film Festival
The River Run International Film Festival - Narrative Feature Award
Eleven-year old tomboy Toni trains as a boxer alongside her brother and his friends in a small, rundown Cincinnati neighborhood. The youngest in the group and the only girl, she is nonetheless accepted by her peers.
Meanwhile, the neighborhood girls participate in a dance class held in the adjacent studio. Toni is drawn to their determination and confidence. Torn between the will to maintain her identity and the need to fit in with the rest of the girls, she decides to give up boxing and join the dance class.
Then, a growing number of girls begin experiencing mysterious fainting spells. This makes Toni wonder whether she actually belongs in this feminine world that clashes with her own butch identity; could she integrate the two without losing what makes her an individual?
An original, fascinating story of adolescent feminine identity, The Fits is the groundbreaking debut film of the talented Anna Rose Holmer.
She has constructed stunning, meticulous frames, making the experience of watching her film seem almost like a visit to a photography gallery.
Both boxing and dancing scenes are perfectly executed, and the choreography is exuberant. But above all, there is newcomer Royalty Hightower. In her debut film appearance as Toni, she is full of vitality and delivers a gripping performance.