The film “Fancy Dance” (2023) is a strong drama that provides a difficult look into the lives of Native American women living on the Seneca-Cayuga Nation Reservation. The film is directed by Erica Tremblay, who helms her first narrative feature film, the script of which was penned by Tremblay and Miciana Alise. The plot revolves around Jax, a strong-willed and smart indigenous woman played by the talented Lily Gladstone, who is on a search of her sister who has gone missing and is also a mother of a little girl, Roki portrayed by Isabel Deroy-Olson. The movie ties around the issues of family, culture and Indigenous people’s rights, and governance, giving an eye-opening view of indigenous people’s struggles.
Jax and Roki are depicted as living on the reservation where Jax’s sister, Tawi, has gone missing. While Jax is determined to find her sister, she is also helping Roki get ready for a powwow, an important Native American dance that Roki wants to perform in as part of traditional mother-daughter dance. The depiction of reservation life in the film is detailed and non-intrusive, which is evident from the way the characters remain focused and assertive despite the lack of concern from the rest of society. “Fancy Dance” was showcased at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and has received critical acclaim for its raw depiction and emotional narrative of Indigenous people.
The movie begins with a scene that captures the essence of the characters’ existence; Roki helping Jax in a truck robbery which is a clear indication of the survival strategy that the two have adopted in the society. The plot of the movie is driven by Jax’s desire to find her sister and ensure that Roki does not end up in foster care while the state police and the FBI remain unmoved by Tawi’s case and this is a clear indication of the society’s negligence. This causes Jax to become more proactive and thus leads to a rather intense and dramatic arc.
The audience is exposed to various social issues that exist in the reservation as Jax and Roki set off to search for Tawi. There is no sugarcoating when it comes to the representation of Indigenous women in the film; sex work, drug dealing and crime are not sugarcoated. However the friendship between Jax and Roki is one of the main and the most positive aspects of the film while their love is portrayed well by the director through the use of Carolina Costa’s cinematography that portrays the beauty of the environment despite the harshness of the world they live in.
Themes and Messages
One must state that “Fancy Dance” is saturated with themes that are in one way or another connected with the problems of today’s society. If there is a moral to the story it would be the need to embrace ones culture and fight for justice mostly represented by Jax, the film presents the audience with the main themes of the movie, people’s willingness to go to any extent for those closest to them and for their traditions, Jax’s desire to look for her missing sister and take care of her niece away from foster care.
The film also gives the audience a glimpse into the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, a problem that rarely receives enough attention from the public and authorities, by focusing on this issue the movie directed attention to Indigenous women and the lack of care they receive. The screenplay co written by Tremblay and Alise alongside each other is sensitive and insightful the movie tackles the themes of poverty racism and the foster care system without being sensationalistic.
Lily Gladstone played the role of Jax and according to the majority of reviewers she was very successful as she managed to show the main character’s experience of different feelings and emotions in a very convincing way, the role of a strong willed but sweet aunt that tries to hold the family together has been called stunning and internalized by critics who already had the experience to watch this movie. From her work in Certain Women and Killers of the Flower Moon directed by Todd Haynes, many have come to expect a lot from her and the role she has played in Fancy Dance makes her a force to reckon with in the industry.
As for the supporting cast, Isabel Deroy Olson who portrays Roki, this film is her first feature film so she deserves recognition for a good performance, with critics who have pointed out her capacity to bring to life the childish spirit and endurance of the character which makes a powerful impact, although she is actually a beginner, her chemistry with Gladstone has been described in relation to the movie’s advantage in proving the existence of emotional layers in their on screen relationship. The story of a young girl who has to deal with the loss of her mother and the struggles of being part of a native American tribe living on a reservation has been well received by the audience who have found Deroy Olson’s portrayal sensitive and believable.
Frank, Roki’s grandfather is played by Shea Whigham who is a profound actor with a wide range of productions, he is most popular for his portrayal of the sheriff of Atlantic County in Boardwalk Empire, a HBO series where he played Elias “Eli” Thompson. Whigham has worked in the industry for many years and is known for his roles in several movies including Silver Linings Playbook (2012), American Hustle (2013) and Joker (2019), he has been well type casted to portray various roles making him into a beloved actor in both cinema and television.
Audrey Wasilewski portrays Nancy, Roki’s grandmother is prevalent in both live action and voice over roles. Audrey is known for some of her television roles include the hit series Mad Men where she portrayed Anita Olson Respola, and another TV seris she work on was Big Love in which she played Pam Martin, some of the animated series that Wasilewski has lent her voice for include My Life as a Teenage Robot, while ‘Fallout 3 is one of the video games that she has also worked on.
Critical Reception
The movie Fancy Dance has received a well reception by critics and audiences due to its meaningful and emotional theme that sums up the sociopolitical problems of the society and particularly the indigenous people in the present generation. The film has been referred as a heart wrenching and timely drama movie that captures the intrigues of the reservation life especially on the topic of the missing and murdered Indigenous women.
It might be too early before a bigger audience has access to the movie but on online rating websites like Rotten Tomatoes the movie already shows positive signs from reviews with 97% of acceptance from critics and 7.2/10 on IMDB with a larger amount of votes of 291, although this numbers are just too low to call it a success, none the less the small audience who have experience this movie on several Film Festivals like BFI London, Philadephia Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, between others, have a high rating of acceptance even calling its high rating as a testament to how the movie was able to connect with the viewers and how it was able to generate this positive feedback due to its engaging story line, well executed emotional performance from the cast and the direction of Erica Tremblay.
This movie might not be for everyone as it could be feel like a slow drama with close to no action but if you enjoy complicated emotional family situations hen this movie is for you, the movie can be called a triumph of the the heart and soul for its performance and directors job, the process of making the movie from its debut at Sundance Festival to finally airing a the streaming platform Apple Tv+ highlight that even with all the challenges faced by independent filmmakers if there is perseverance and hard work the great product can be launch, not the first time it has happen but year after year we see smaller productions been underrated while big time money is all over the screens before launching to then fall off a cliff at the box office. Fancy Dance not only will be an entertaining drama but also educative as the audience will learn a thing or two from the Native American culture presented through the movie.
