Fancy Dance (2023)
- General info
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- Synopsis:
- Since her sister's disappearance, Jax (Lily Gladstone) has cared for her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) by scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga Reservation in Oklahoma. Every spare minute goes into finding her missing sister while also helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow. At the risk of losing custody to Jax's father Frank (Shea Whigham), the pair hit the road and scour the backcountry to track down Roki's mother in time for the powwow. What begins as a search gradually turns into a far deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Indigenous women moving through a colonized world, and at the mercy of a failed justice system.
- Actors:
- Lily Gladstone, Isabel Deroy-Olson, Ryan Begay, Shea Whigham, Crystle Lightning, Audrey Wasilewski, Tamara Podemski, Patrice Fisher, Ryan RedCorn, Jason Alan Smith, Lillian Faye Thomas, Tyler Tipton, Dennis Newman, Trey Munden, Arianne Martin, Colleen Elizabeth Miller, Christopher Ashton Manning, Cory Hart, Casey Camp-Horinek, Kylie Dirtseller
- Directors:
- Erica Tremblay
- Producers:
- Deidre Backs, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Tommy Oliver, Heather Rae, Erica Tremblay
- Writers:
- Miciana Alise, Erica Tremblay
- Genres:
- Drama
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Reviews (1) of Fancy Dance
Strong Family/Mystery Drama - Fancy Dance review by GI
Lily Gladstone excels in this tale of stoicism and family, a drama that highlights the still existing ambivalence of the authorities to the Native American population. It's structured as a mystery and road movie although this is about relationships as much as anything else. Gladstone is Jax, who lives on an Oklahoma reservation, caring for her teenage niece, Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) since her sister and Roki's mother has disappeared. The police have treated the disappearance lightly and Jax, who still hustles and deals drugs, is ever trying to find some clue to her disappearance. When her white father (Shea Whigham) files for custody of Roki they head out on the road to reach an Indian festival, a powwow, where they hope Roki's mum will turn up. This theme of disappearance reflects the American tendency to be blind to its Native Americans and treat them as less worthy of support and aid as others. It's a moving film that has the odd misstep but its strong performances and thoughtfulness make it a serious and interesting drama.