Greetings again from the darkness. A missing person story takes on additional weight when it involves a Native American, and this story from writer-director Erica Tremblay ("Dark Winds") and co-writer Miciana Alise show us how culture and traditions remain vital to the family ties indigenous people struggle to maintain in the face of institutional hurdles.

The missing person is stripper Tawi, who is Jax's sister and Roki's mother. The feds, who have jurisdiction, have shown little interest in locating Tawi, and local law enforcement, including Jax's half-brother JJ (Ryan Begay, "Dark Winds) seems to have contributed little to the search. Jax (Lily Gladstone, Oscar nominated for KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON) remains committed to finding her sister and to raising 13-year-old Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson, "Three Pines") according to Cayuga traditions ... including the annual Powwow in Oklahoma City, which features the mother-daughter dance that Roki so looks forward to.

CPS gets involved, and since Jax's past record is anything but pristine, Roki gets placed with her grandfather Frank (Shea Whigham, "Boardwalk Empire") and his new wife Nancy (Audrey Wasilewski, "Big Love"). Frank's relationship with his daughter Jax has been strained ever since he left the reservation after Jax's mom died (a key element to the story). Most of the story is quite believable; however, one big exception is that we are to accept Frank and Nancy refuse to allow Roki to attend Powwow. This unlikely occurrence leads Jax to help Roki escape, and the two head out to search for Tawi ... turning this into an 'on the road' story.

The cinematography from Carolina Costa is beautiful, and complements the emotions of these characters. The performances and connection of Ms. Gladstone and young Deroy-Olson make us buy into the story and their struggles. Perhaps the film's most insightful scene involves Roki, Nancy, and a pair of ballet shoes - highlighting the disconnect. We relate to Roki's wish to have just one more dance with her mother, and Jax helps us understand the challenges faced by women in indigenous communities. If there's a negative here, it's that the entire movie moves at a slow burn pace without ever achieving the tension it teases us with. Despite that minor issue, it's stunning that missing and murdered women are so commonplace in this community that each year there is a dance dedicated to them.

Streaming on Apple TV+ beginning June 28, 2024.

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

Synopsis: Following her sister's disappearance, a Native American hustler kidnaps her niece from the child's white grandparents and sets out for the state powwow in hopes of keeping what is left of their family intact. (Source: IMDb) 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."

Watched on Tuesday October 17th, 2023 Format: regular theatre @ Imaginative Film Festival Rating: 8/10.

Fancy Dance is an amazing movie that where Lily Gladstone, playing Jax, steals the show. It is shot beautifully and draws you into her world where you may judge her at first, but soon you see the complex world that she is forced to navigate.

Jax lives on the reservation and takes care of Roki, her niece, since Roki's mom has gone missing. The movie highlights the poverty on the reservation which has forced Jax and Roki against law enforcement for the money to get by while at the same time pleading for law enforcement to do their job in looking for Roki's missing mother.

The local tribal police, while understanding, say their hands are bound and everything is left up to the FBI, which isn't doing their job.

The movie comes to a head when child protective services is brought in to take Roki to her extended family off reservation. While they may be well meaning, they know nothing of the culture they are taking her from.

While Jax is given an opportunity to be her guardian, again law enforcement from the past rears its head and Roki is taken from Jax because of her criminal history. Jax decides to act and take Roki away from the extended family on her way to the large cultural gathering, the pow-wow.

During this trip the extended family has called the FBI and now all levels of law enforcement are looking for them. There's even an encounter with ICE who want their names, but is unaware of the FBI looking for them.

When at a gas station Roki also gets complicated into the law, accidentally shooting the employee with a found gun.

In the end the mother is found by the FBI in a small lake, killed by likely the same people Jax was selling drugs to. At this point the circle of poverty, abuse, and general uncaring is revealed through the family. While there are many levels of law enforcement there seems to be very few people wanting to offer help to break the cycle.

Jax and Roki make it to the powwow, although she is spotted by law enforcement as the screen goes black, with the bittersweet feelings of knowing she made it to her culture, but Jax is likely the next tribal member to go missing in prison, continuing the cycle.