Fancy Dance

I was really emotionally invested throughout this film, thanks to a very well thought-out, impactful script and a rock-solid, anchoring performance by the fantastic Lilly Gladstone.

Don't go into this film expecting to find a cheery or even hopeful exploration of Native American identity and family connections - this is at times an exceedingly bleak and nasty examination of barely hidden racism, misogyny and harsh reality in modern day middle America.

It's a fantastic story backed up by realistic and interesting characters with a very well done script.

But I do have to state quite a significant negative of the film in my own personal opinion - a very sudden and unexpected ending. I was invested in these characters and their situation. I wanted to see the story resolved... But then it just went off. It really did feel that they just decided to cut out the last five or ten minutes of the film. It was a surprisingly shocking and unsatisfying way to end this particular story. Show the audience the consequences at least in a very minor way but don't leave it completely up to the imagination, that's just not the type of film this was.

• Watched on October 17th, 2023 at the Imaginative Film Festival in Toronto ON. Canada
• Format: regular theatre
• Rating: 7/10.

Special thanks to the Imaginative Film Festival in Toronto, Canada for inviting me to watch Fancy Dance!

Director Erica Tremblay presents such a unique story that discusses native land, native language, and the native community all through the beautiful relationship between an aunt and her niece.

The film really starts off by slowly setting up the mood, tone, and vibe that it will follow throughout the whole film. It then reaches the middle of it which can be considered the weakest as it loses its balance in terms of hooking the audience to the story and the characters. However, the film gets itself together back again with the amazing final act that sets up the beautiful and emotional ending and the conclusion of the beautiful relationship between the aunt and her niece.

Director Erica Tremblay and cinematographer Carolina Costa truly choose a bunch of different elements that will help portray and deliver the most accurate feelings that each character is going through using visuals, directing techniques, and camera movements.

Two particular shots that grabbed my attention, one being an "inside the frame" shot of Jax (played by Lilly Gladstone) being in a phone call which captured her through a frame of a window. The shot added more nervousness into the scene by making it seem as a very narrow frame and the character is trapped in that small window frame.

Another shot is a tense scene where one character finds out something that is not suppose to be shared with her from another character in which a line is visually shown using a wall's corner where each character is standing on each side separating the two of them in half as if their relationship together is affected. It really reminded me how Bong Joon Ho used lines to separate the characters in Parasite (2019).

Lily Gladstone's acting and portraying of the character Jax is on point. The character has a cold heart with lots of worries, yet is a caring person and is an influencer specifically to her niece. It sets Lily Gladstone on the spotlight specifically on her most recent film Killers of The Flower Moon (2023) by Martin Scorsese.

Isabel Deroy-Olson introduces to the audience an innocent niece who's mother is missing as this is the actress' first feature film. This being her first feature film really tells a lot about her talent as her portraying of the different emotions and the optimistic daughter in hopes of her mother to be found. Those emotions really reached audience members throughout the whole this film.

Fancy Dance ends off with a great closing credits song with beautiful lyrics that reflects on all the lives that we lost in which the lyrics say: "Let's put our minds together and reflect on those who have passed, those who are up the sky, those who are now living peacefully."

Ever since her sister had gone missing, Jax (Lily Gladstone) has been caring for her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson). They scrap by as they prepare for the upcoming powwow. Roki hopes to find her mother there while Jax desperately searches. There is little help from the authorities. With her criminal past, Jax is seen as unfit to be Roki's guardian. She loses Roki to her father Frank (Shea Whigham) and his white wife Nancy (Audrey Wasilewski).

This has good reality to this modern day native American culture. The big name here is Lily Gladstone although Isabel Deroy-Olson is a great new discovery. It's a road trip. It's a mystery. It's a fugitive movie. It's a cultural exploration. It's family trauma. It's great.

Erica Tremblay's direction in this film is both powerful and emotional, shedding light on the clash between traditional laws and bureaucratic forces. The special connection that aboriginal people have with their families and laws is portrayed vividly. However, the unnecessary inclusion of a lesbian subplot seems to be part of a larger agenda for cultural manipulation.

Lily Gladstone's ability to film this project during breaks from "Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)" showcases her dedication to her craft. The film's slow build-up sets the tone effectively, but it falters in the middle by losing its grip on the audience. Nevertheless, the final act brings everything together beautifully, especially in depicting the special relationship between the aunt and her niece.

While "Fancy Dance" may not be a cheerful tale, it is undeniably significant. For those seeking a well-acted and compelling drama, this film comes highly recommended.

Start...weak last act... there was a LOT of things that were good about this movie...i enjoyed the realistic feel of the movie...a big contrast to the high budget, glossy films i usually watch...even when they're about 'dark subjects'... as many reviewers remarked here, LIly Gladstone was excellent in this role...it was good to be able to see what else she could do after having seen 'killers of the flower moon'...the girl that plays her niece did a good job, as well... i saw this as a story that's been told before, in some ways simple but made complex by the rub and contrast of sharp cultural borders... i feel that the film's conclusion was too open ended...with too many important, unanswered questions...i can't say any more without stating a spoiler or two...and i don't do spoilers... i thought it was a worthwhile watch if the synopsis sounds appealing...