TIFF 2023 Review: Fitting In – “Nuanced and sensitive in its approach”

Emily Hampshire and Maddie Ziegler in FITTING IN. Courtesy of TIFF

“The body is not a thing, but a situation.”

An appropriate opening to Molly McGlynn‘s semi-autobiographical feature, Fitting In (previously titled Bloody Hell).  That’s followed up with a quote from Jennifer’s Body written by Diablo Cody, “Hell is a teenage girl.”  Whichever way you slice it, we know from the onset that our protagonist is in for a difficult time.

Lindy (Maddie Ziegler) has recently moved into her deceased grandmother’s house with her single mother, Rita (Schitt’s Creek‘s Emily Hampshire).  She’s an athlete at school, often found training with her best friend Vivian (Djouliet Amara) and she’s got a major crush on Adam (D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai of Reservation Dogs).  On the surface, she seems like a pretty normal teen, and as things with Adam progress, she wants to consider getting on birth control for when she’s ready to have sex.

Only thing is, she hasn’t even had her period, and when the doctor examines her it quickly snowballs into needing a myriad of tests.  The male gynaecologist tells her she has Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH), a genetic condition where she was born without a cervix, or a uterus, and has a shortened vaginal canal.

Prescribed a box of dilators which look basically like tiny dildos, she’s sent on her way without any sensitivity.  If they don’t work, she can consider surgery, but she’ll never be able to carry a child, and at least right now, sex is out of the question.  As Lindy comes to terms with her new reproductive reality, she starts to pull away from those around her, and wonders where exactly she does fit in.

McGlynn describes this film as a ‘traudmedy’ in so far as it’s a comedy based on her own personal trauma of being diagnosed with MRKH.  As such, this personal story feels exactly that, nuanced and sensitive in its approach, yet not lacking in humour.  The film, which McGlynn also wrote, has specific details like Lindy finding a sympathetic glance from a female gynaecological intern, that feel in the moment so intimate that they must be rooted in reality.

That moment also really pushes Ziegler to a beautiful performance.  As the clinician does her examination while the mostly male medical students look on, a single tear rolls down her cheek.  It really highlights the importance of diversity in the medical field and how exploited Lindy feels.  She’s just a teachable case, not a person whose entire life will be affected by this diagnosis.

It’s always nice to see movies about teenagers seem realistic.  Not every teen is from American Pie or Superbad, some, like the ones in Fitting In, navigate their lives and their burgeoning sexuality responsibly!  These kids talk about things openly, they lean on their friendships.  They still have some teen angst and hormones, yet they feel authentic.

McGlynn never makes Fitting In feel forced into a box, resulting in the freedom to openly discuss things that aren’t typically talked about.  Periods!  The Uterus! Vaginas! Women’s healthcare!  McGlynn, brave to share such a personal journey, manages to bring all this to the forefront, all while emphasizing that Lindy’s journey is less about actually fitting into some ideal of ‘normalcy’ and more about the importance of loving one’s self, fully.  No matter who you are.

Fitting In had its Canadian Premier at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9th. It was the inaugural Sloan Science on Film Showcase selection, telling a coming-of-age story shaped by medical science.  For more information please head to tiff.net