Fancy Dance

R

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1h 32m

Drama

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List

96%

Tomatometer

116 Reviews

80%

Audience Score

100+ Ratings

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 Jax losing custody to Roki's grandfather, 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 while at the mercy of a failed justice system.

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Critics Consensus

An urgent drama grounded in its observant depiction of reservation life, Fancy Dance establishes director/co-writer Erica Tremblay as a rising filmmaking talent.

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Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack)

Fancy Dance toggles between a thriller, a murder mystery, a road movie, and a social drama, and if the shifts aren't always smooth, the fine performances and an undercurrent of fury toward the injustices faced by Indigenous women hold it together.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 25, 2024

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Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

It's maybe a little too subtle, but the performances and sense of place are so strong.

Jul 13, 2024

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Wenlei Ma

The Nightly (AU)

It’s an elegant film with a lot of restraint but packed with emotions.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 12, 2024

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

(Tremblay) speaks through her richly textured and detailed depiction of reservation life. And she conveys an array of real-life social issues through the experiences of individuals navigating that life.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 22, 2024

Full Review

Stephen Silver

The SS Ben Hecht

A heartbreaking tale, lifted by Gladstone’s fine performance

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 15, 2024

Full Review

Jericho Tadeo

MovieWeb

Fancy Dance isn't just a triumphant narrative debut for the director — it's an arrival.

Jul 12, 2024

Full Review

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Larry W

Very powerful story. Lily Gladstone is an amazing actress.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/18/24

Full Review

Tетяна В

An elegant, sincere film. The unsurpassed Lily Gladstone, who lives the story, one of thousands of similar real-life stories of indigenous peoples... I always feel pain when I watch films about the indigenous peoples of America.... modern people who live there and call themselves Americans are real occupiers who have committed genocide against indigenous peoples. And this continues, and the issues of these peoples are very inconvenient for this state...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/21/24

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Misha C

Great acting. Story not so much.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/17/24

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Local Y

More depth in understanding characters. All the criminal behavior call their judgement into question. Do the suffer from oppression or just stupid thinking? Ranging, at the end was nice but we’re told it’s a spiritual feeling. Not enough for me.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/11/24

Full Review

chip j

Underwhelming. Poor story, unbelievable. Acting was 2 dimensional

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/09/24

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Dennis B

I have a creative crush on Lilly Gladstone. she is magical

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/08/24

Full Review

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Erica Tremblay

Director

Lily Gladstone

Jax

Isabel Deroy-Olson

Roki

Ryan Begay

JJ

Shea Whigham

Frank

Crystle Lightning

Sapphire

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Fancy Dance: Trailer

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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 Jax losing custody to Roki's grandfather, 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 while at the mercy of a failed justice system.

Director: Erica Tremblay
Producer: Deidre Backs, Erica Tremblay, Heather Rae, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Tommy Oliver
Screenwriter: Erica Tremblay, Miciana Alise
Distributor: Apple Original Films
Production Co: Indigenous Intensive, Creative Producing Lab, Confluential Films, AUM Group, The Sundance Screenwriters' Lab, Significant Productions, Directors' Lab
Rating: R (Language|Some Drug Content|Sexual Material)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 21, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 28, 2024
Runtime: 1h 32m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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