#TIFF23: “FITTING IN” REVIEW

By Amanda Gilmore

Writer-Director Molly McGlynn delivers an honest, touching and hopeful film about gender, sexuality and what makes a woman a woman.

High schooler Lindy (Maddie Ziegler) is planning on losing her virginity to her boyfriend Adam (D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai). During a doctor’s visit to get birth control, she learns she has a rare reproductive condition called Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome. This means she doesn’t have a uterus or cervix and has a shortened vaginal canal. As she navigates her diagnosis, her relationships become challenged with everyone, but especially herself.

Fitting In is a raw coming-of-age story. Lindy is full of angst and anxiety all while being genuinely funny. It’s clear from the jump that Lindy wants to have children. This diagnosis is life-altering for her, sending her into crisis. As she navigates what this diagnosis might mean for her future, McGlynn questions sexuality and what makes a woman a woman while never becoming preachy. Ziegler solidifies her talent and range in this nuanced performance.

One of the highlights is the bond explored between mother and daughter. Lindy’s single mother Rita (a fantastic Emily Hampshire) has recently undergone a mastectomy and is still reconciling with this change to her body. Possibly the most beautiful narrative in Fitting In is having two women make steps to accept and embrace the uncontrollable within their bodies. It’s a joy watching Ziegler and Hampshire ebb and flow in an authentic mother-daughter relationship.

Fitting In screens at TIFF ’23:

Saturday, September 9 at 8 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Tuesday, September 12 at 11:30 AM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

As the inaugural Sloan Science on Film Showcase selection, Fitting In tells a coming-of-age story shaped by medical science. Following the September 12 screening, the Sloan Science on Film Showcase will feature a Q&A with writer-director Molly McGlynn and an expert in reproductive health.