‘Fitting In’ Review – Bloody Body Positivity [TIFF 2023]

Molly McGlynn (Mary Goes Round) returns with her second feature film. This time, a teen sex comedy that replaces the raunchiness with inclusivity. Bringing the subgenre out of the rampant homophobic-centered comedy of the 90s and into the new decade where ‘love is love is love is love.’

The story centers around 16-year-old Lindy (Maddie Ziegler) who’s ready to start her sex life with her boyfriend, Adam (Reservation Dogs’ D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) only to discover she has a rare medical condition that has left her without a vaginal canal.

Because this movie deals with such a heavy topic, one might think that would hinder much of the comedy, but that’s not the case. There’s plenty of laughs to go around especially in Lindy’s interactions with her best friend, Viviian (Djouliet Amara) and her mom, Rita (Emily Hampshire). Though much of this is in the first half of the film, the laughs are abundant. Vivian is much of the comic relief in her quick-witted and sex positive manner, while also being politically correct.

Lindy’s relationship with her mom is another fun comedic aspect because the two riff off each other quite brazenly. (At one moment, Lindy makes a rather raunchy joke about her mom’s tinder profile.) Their playful banter in the first half of the movie is necessary so we can see how drastically it changes later. Also well done is Lindy’s relationship with Adam; their connection is genuine and sincere. Adam isn’t played like some self-important pretty boy only looking for sex. He’s given depth of character and a real fun-loving personality that will endear him to audiences. Their relationship looks like it’s going places until it doesn’t.

This is where the film veers off course a little. Lindy’s diagnosis known as MRKH Syndrome (which her doctor hilariously points out is named after the men who discovered it) means her uterus and vagina haven’t developed properly. Due to this, she’s unable to have a period, and she’ll likely never be able to have children. She also has to use various methods to stretch out her “blind vagina” which causes extreme levels of discomfort and pain. More immediately, it means she can’t have sex at all, and even if she does, it’ll be painful or she may not be able to gain any pleasure from it.

This starts to hamper Lindy’s personal relationships and athletic success. She quits her track and field team, and becomes increasingly more antagonistic towards her mother. It also results in Lindy behaving irrationally sexually. With as much effort that’s put into Lindy and Adam’s relationship, her actions after they split are erratic and irresponsible. She starts a relationship with an intersex classmate named Jax (Ki Griffin), which is understandable considering the circumstances but does feel very convenient for the narrative. And then begins another physical relationship with a boy named Chad (Dale Whibley) which feels completely unnecessary. The addition of the Chad relationship bogs down the plot severely and starts to become repetitive. It also loses a lot of empathy for the character as her actions become less and less considerate. 

Yet, as the film nears its end, Zeigler finally gets a moment to shine. She gets a monologue that reveals her depth as an actress. Lindy finally says what she’s been afraid to say out loud, and it’s the most shattering and powerful moment Zeigler has in the film. She connects to that sense of loss she now has to face, and it’s a bracing moment of reality and consequence that we don’t normally get in a teen comedy. 

Fitting In has a few aspects to it that are truly fantastic – the comedy is solid, the body positivity is necessary, the inclusiveness is powerful and lovely. It definitely loses a bit of steam in the second act right up until the final third, and there’s a whole storyline that could’ve been cut as it overall weakens the main character, but Maddie Ziegler and the rest of the cast deliver exceptionally great, funny work and for the teen sex comedy, it is a breath of fresh air. 

Fitting In held its Canadian Premiere as part of the Centrepiece section at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. 

Director: Molly McGlynn

Writer: Molly McGlynn

Rated: NR

Runtime: 104m