Coming-of-age films have changed over the decades. They’re no longer about the nerdy girl vs. the cheerleader, or the outsider guy who chases the wholesome girl until she says yes. As we look back on the films of the ‘80s and ’90s, we realize how we’ve progressed as a society. We now welcome unapologetic voices and being sensitive to young people and the challenges they face living authentically. Sounds complex? Well, it is, and it’s handled well in Molly McGlynn’s Fitting In.

Lindy (Maddie Zeigler) is a teen who has a decent thing going. She’s a track athlete, has a cute boyfriend named Adam (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) and her bestie Vivian (D’Jouliet Amara) has her back. Lindy is ready for sex and can’t wait to consummate her relationship with Adam, but when she notices she hasn’t had her period yet, and a pelvic exam proves to be extremely painful, it’s revealed that she has Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) Syndrome. She’s missing a uterus and has an unformed vagina, and this news leaves her stunned.

Frivolous talk with Vivian about how many kids she’ll have with Adam suddenly becomes something that bears the weight of a heavy truth: she’ll never be able to conceive. She also might not be attracted to just boys either. So how does Lindy navigate her raging hormones, burgeoning sexuality and her identity? There’s also her therapist mom, Rita (Emily Hampshire), who is recovering from a mastectomy and a broken heart. Will this push Lindy over the edge, or will she find her way in this limbo between teenager and young adult?

Debuting at SXSW and having its Canadian Premiere at TIFF in 2023, this semi-autobiographical film about McGlynn’s experience living with MRKH is an honest, often funny and bittersweet look at a teenager with a big journey before her. Not only is she not physically “normal,” but Lindy realizes that teenage romance isn’t so cut and dry either. The relationship between mother and daughter is also endearing, with both women trying to figure themselves out, showing that we’ll always be learning no matter our age. Hampshire gets special mention for her vulnerable turn as a mother dealing with the loss of a relationship, accepting her body after surviving breast cancer, and being an example for her daughter, who also has to do the same after her diagnosis.

Zeigler is impressive as a girl finding herself after some life-changing news. I’m familiar with her start as a dancer on the addictive Dance Moms series, and it’s great to see her blossoming into a skilled, multi-hyphenated performer.  She’s real and earnest in her portrayal. The supporting cast of Won-A-Tai, known for Beans and Reservation Dogs, the spirited Amara, and Hollyoaks’ Ki Griffin as Lindy’s charming love interest, bring so much chemistry that I imagine them being friends outside of the production.

Fitting In is part of a new wave of honest and daring Canadian cinema by women, and McGlynn – who has blazed a path with several award-winning shorts, three TIFF premieres and a TIFF residency – joins Chandler Levack, Sasha Nakhai, V. T. Nayani, Kelly Fyfe-Marshall, Tracey Deer, Nyla Innuksuk, and a slew of others who speak their truths and represent the marginalized with care and joy through their art. And with executive producers like Hollywood’s Janelle Monae on board, it shows that Canadian talent is slowly getting the attention they deserve.