Fancy Dance

R

In Theaters Fri Jun 21

1 hr. 32 min.

Drama

List

97%

35 Reviews

Tomatometer

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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In Theaters Fri Jun 21

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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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Tomris Laffly

Harper's Bazaar

Erica Tremblay’s bold and confident debut Fancy Dance immediately cements her as a brand-new Debra Granik or Taylor Sheridan, with an assured voice entirely her own.

Feb 14, 2023

Full Review

Dwight Brown

DwightBrownInk.com

Solving a puzzling disappearance gives this mystery/drama a momentum that lasts for most of its 90 minutes.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 7, 2023

Full Review

Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

A film with genuinely grounded performances that sadly falls apart a bit in a remarkably contrived final act.

Feb 2, 2023

Full Review

Jared Mobarak

Hey, Have You Seen ...?

It may use the horrors of an American murder epidemic on reservations as its backbone, but it’s really about hope for the future and a desire to right past wrongs and be who your loved ones need you to be.

Nov 17, 2023

Full Review

Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

... there’s a persistent heaviness to Tremblay’s film so that, even as the credits fall, the joy is bittersweet and devoid of relief.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 3, 2023

Full Review

Michael J. Casey

Boulder Weekly

Part familial drama, part murder mystery, part road movie, "Fancy Dance" is a quiet narrative that feels at once personal and political.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 2, 2023

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: N. Bird Runningwater, Charlotte Koh, Forest Whitaker
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
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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