There is something so intriguing about a missing persons case because the absence of closure can be more haunting than a murder mystery. It’s even more heart-wrenching when the missing person is Native American, as is the case here in Erica Tremblay’s Fancy Dance. Tremblay is a member of the Seneca-Cayuga nation, and the story explores life in the Seneca-Cayuga reservation.

Following her sister Tawi’s disappearance, a Native American hustler Jax (Lily Gladstone) has been caring for her niece (Tawi’s daughter) Riki (Isabel Deroy-Olson). I expect the film to be more of a thriller but the script by Tremblay and Miciana Alise evolves into more of a relationship narrative. At the center of it is a heartfelt connection between aunt and niece, but it also deals with the darker aspect of racial dynamics between Jax and his white father Frank (Shea Whigham). Their already strained relations are made worse by his nice-but-tone-deaf wife Nancy (Audrey Wasilewski) who means well but is obviously in need of some diversity training.

As a SE Asian person who didn’t grow up in the US, I’m not as well-versed in Native American history, but there are certain aspects that I can relate to. It’s sad how Indigenous people are treated like second/third-class citizens on their own land. That’s why I appreciate that Tremblay’s film focuses on Native characters and their point of view from within the community, unlike Taylor Sheridan’s riveting Wind River, which centers on a law and order perspective involving White characters.

Fancy Dance is a great example of impactful representation as it’s peppered with enlightening details about Native people that are also universally relatable. The moment when Roki first gets her period while she and Jax are on the run is a moving scene. It shows the close bond between the two characters while also normalizing a typically taboo subject about female puberty. By the same token, Tremblay steers clear of stereotypes and depicts her characters with depth and complexity, warts and all. Jax is a ‘strong silent type’ who’d often resort to drug dealing or petty theft to support herself and Roki. She may not always do right by the law but she makes sure she does right by her family.

This is the third film I’ve seen Gladstone since Certain Women and The Unknown Country. Wonderful to see her in another leading role, and Tremblay gave her a meaty role to sink her teeth into while showcasing her versatility. Apparently, she filmed this one during breaks of Killers of the Flower Moon, which I still have yet to see, but I can tell the two roles she took on are completely different.

I’m impressed by Tremblay’s solid directorial work in her first narrative feature. She’s written for the Reservation Dogs series which, as she does here, pushes back against Hollywood’s typical one-dimensional portrayals of Indigenous communities. The film weaves in and out of peaceful moments at home to intense confrontations, but never losing sight of the missing-person case and what it does to the main characters. The delicate dance between a mystery thriller and a family drama isn’t always seamless, but it definitely keeps you hooked most of the time.

The film’s title refers to a key part of the powwow tradition, celebrated with vibrant regalia, started in the 1920s as a way to keep the Native culture and religion alive. Thus the fancy dance scene fittingly serves as a bittersweet finale that signifies a poignant reconciliation between two prominent characters. As their lives are changed forever by the concluding event, there’s a sense of hope and resilience.

I’m glad I saw this one and I highly recommend anyone who’s only seen Gladstone in ‘Flower Moon’ or those looking for a nuanced and multi-layered story about Native American women’s lives on the reservation.

FANCY DANCE is currently streaming on AppleTV+

Have you seen FANCY DANCE? Let me know what you think!
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