Isabelle Deroy-Olson and Lily Gladstone in a scene from ‘Fancy Dance’
return after Killers of the Flower MoonLily Gladstone delivers another awards-worthy performance in documentary filmmaker Erica Tremblay’s feature directorial debut Fancy Dance. If Martin Scorsese’s film gave him the space he had mastered with his subtle acting, Fancy Dance She is a victim of her circumstances, which she tries to escape with unflinching determination.
Fancy Dance takes us right into the middle of the action from the start; after his sister goes missing, Jacques (Gladstone) takes care of his niece Roki (Isabelle DeRoy-Olson) on the Seneca-Cayuga Nation reservation. When custody of the teen is put at risk by Jacques’ father Frank (Shea Whigham), the two women try to escape. If that’s not enough, Jacques is on the run trying to figure out where his sister might be. He has also promised Roki that she will meet her mother at an upcoming powwow, a gathering held for Native American and First Nations communities.
Also read: The (Mis)Representation of Native Americans in Hollywood
Fancy Dance (English)
Director: Erica Tremblay
Mould: Lily Gladstone, Isabelle Deroy-Olson, Shea Whigham, Audrey Wasilewski
Run-time: 90 minutes
StoryA woman is on the run after her sister goes missing and is in danger of losing custody of her niece
Despite the duration of 90 minutes, Fancy Dance It skillfully unravels a lot and introduces some of the most layered characters we’ve seen in recent times. Jax previously dealt drugs for a living, doesn’t think twice before committing petty thefts and has a complicated relationship with his white father, who married another white woman after his mother’s death. Roki, on the other hand, is an extension of her aunt, whose innocence of wanting to dance with her mother at a powwow is slowly stripped away from her as the film progresses.
Isabelle Deroy-Olson and Lily Gladstone in a scene from ‘Fancy Dance’
Amidst all this, the case of Jacques’ sister’s disappearance looms in the background, owing to the apathetic approach towards the search efforts by those in power and how it destroys the peace of those directly involved. The broad theme however reminds us of many thrillers including Kate Winslet’s Mare of EasttownThe film never turns into a traditional crime drama. In fact, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is a human rights crisis of violence that has been haunting Indigenous women for so long that it has become a common occurrence that unfortunately does not receive as much attention and immediate response as it should. Along with other strikes against practices like racial profiling, Tremblay holds up a mirror to the trials and tribulations Indigenous women face in their own country; there is a great scene where Nancy (Audrey Wasilewski), Roki’s grandfather’s wife, gives her a pair of ballet shoes when all Roki wants to do is dance at the powwow.
The film shines when it unabashedly brings out its women and every limit they go to, without glamourising or exploiting their plight. The writing and some remarkable acting make you look beyond the minor flaws, like how predictable the film gets after a while. With strong and pure emotions enhanced by superb acting, Fancy Dance This is a great story about family bonds and caring for one another. Give Lily Gladstone an Oscar!
Fancy Dance is currently streaming on Apple TV+
