Fancy Dance (15)

★★★★ Lily Gladstone stars in a compelling mystery-drama. ~ Financial Times.

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The bond between an Indigenous girl and her aunt proves stronger than ever when their loved one goes missing.

Lily Gladstone stars in Fancy Dance, directed by Erica Tremblay.

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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★★★★ A thoughtful, affecting debut feature from Erica Tremblay that puts a necessary spotlight on Indigenous peoples — featuring another exceptional performance from Lily Gladstone. ~ Empire.

★★★★ Gladstone and young co-star Isabel Deroy-Olson are superb as a Native American aunt and niece kicking against the system.~ Evening Standard.