Fitting In hides a critique of male influence on reproductive health inside a horny teen rom-com
Fitting In. // Courtesy of Blue Fox Entertainment
Cinema in the last year or so has seen a powerful resurgence of the coming-of-age film, with a number of flicks like Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret becoming the sort of teen stories that are elevating the form. There’s an uptick in the genre’s efforts in modernization—both understanding that 2024 is a distinctly bizarre time to square your personal development against the backdrop of a chaotic world, and via that lens recognizing that coming-of-age stories are now a chance to broach the uncertainty, confusion, and even oppression of Americans, no matter their age.
Writer/director Molly McGlynn approaches a semi-autobiographical story of the trials and tribulations of broaching womanhood in a period with shifting norms and unexpected roadblocks, while also taking a 30,000 foot view of the history that leads us to this moment.
Fitting In follows 16 year-old Lindy (Maddie Ziegler, West Side Story) whose life is going shockingly well for a 16 year-old in a coming of age movie. She’s got cool friends, an attentive and patient boyfriend (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), and a single mom (Emily Hampshire) who is both co-pilot and parent.
Against a backdrop of horny teen hijinks, like dick pics and studying porn for seduction tips, Lindy finds herself off-roaded by an unexpected medical diagnosis—the rare MRKH Syndrome, a congenital disorder where the uterus and vagina are underdeveloped or completely absent. For Lindy, this means that rather than losing her virginity, she’ll need to invest years of physical training or surgical solutions to ever engage in penetrative sex.
In the process of trying to keep this diagnosis a secret, Lindy’s life and relationships begin to crumble as she hides behind fictions and unexplained emotional outbursts. Via a support group, Lindy meets Jax (Ki Griffin) a non-binary, intersex student whose own perilous life journey makes them the closest thing to a fellow traveler that this high school can offer. As Lindy begins to make peace with the onslaught of diversions in her path, she faces the already difficult journey of adolescent progression with several additional hurdles.
Delivered with pathos and empathy for all involved, this comedic drama pulls off the rare split of giving both ends of that spectrum equal attention. For each bit of clumsy fumbling with growth and attraction, there’s an equal but not overwhelming sequence of weight and bits of enlightenment. The perspective of so much of the medical and psychological sides of this story is couched in the modern issues facing women, with an awareness of who contributed to crafting that framing. The adults, especially doctors, who oversee Lindy’s experience are all male, in male-oriented spaces, where their sympathy and understanding come off as clearly limited. While the film expresses such hope for the future, best exemplified by the patience and understanding of the boyfriend and friend group, even they have gaps in their worldview—like struggling to find parallels between the novel The Handmaid’s Tale and current events. But perhaps nothing is more telling about the film’s worldview than having a male gynecologist, who hands Lindy here MRKH diagnosis, explaining that it is named for “Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser”—the four male doctors who discovered the issue.
McGlynn’s film tackles a personal situation in a universal way, and its ability to speak to a wider audience with charm and understanding makes it an early standout among 2024’s cinematic crop.
Fitting In is in theaters now.
Fitting In. // Courtesy of Blue Fox Entertainment
