Fancy Dance, the narrative feature debut of director Erica Tremblay, revolves around an all too frequent occurrence in American society: the disappearance of a Native American woman. In recent times, more than 5,000 indigenous women go missing or are murdered in the United States annually, and more than four in five Native American women have experienced some form of violence within their lifetime. Tremblay’s film, which she co-wrote with Miciana Alise, doesn’t tackle broad systemic issues or comment on any root causes of these tragic circumstances, but instead explores the emotional impact on the daily lives of a particular set of loved ones affected by it.
A female member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation—of which Tremblay is also a member—in Oklahoma has gone missing. Tawi (Hauli Gray) works as an exotic dancer and, as her sister Jax (Lily Gladstone) discovers through her own investigation since law enforcement is slow to act, had taken to frequenting an encampment of white oil workers shortly before she vanished. Jax’s hardscrabble existence is made that much more challenging by Tawi’s disappearance, as she is tasked with caring for her adolescent niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson). Jax gets by through grifting, hustling and shoplifting, often with Roki’s help, but it’s her criminal record for slinging dope that gets Child Protective Services involved as they remove Roki from the home she’s shared with Jax and the missing Tawi and place her with her white grandfather Frank (Shea Whigham) and his wife Nancy (Audrey Wasilewski).
When it becomes clear Frank and Nancy don’t intend to bring Roki to the powwow for which her and Jax have been preparing—and which Jax has used as a beacon of hope for where Roki’s mom might resurface—Jax runs off with Roki one night. Thinking her father will grant her the few days with Roki that she’s requested in a note, Jax soon finds herself on the lam with her niece as Nancy convinces Frank to report Roki’s absence as a kidnapping. Not even her tribal police officer half-brother J.J. (Ryan Begay), with whom she frequently communicates by phone, can get her off the hook. Tremblay uses a deft touch in illustrating the frustration Jax feels in evading the federal law enforcement response that was never afforded to Tawi’s disappearance.
Other social themes bubble up throughout the film without being dealt with too heavy-handedly. Jax’s homosexuality shapes her character but isn’t a central element to the story. The ethical considerations of Jax and Roki’s larcenous lifestyle aren’t a consideration, but rather just another realistic aspect of hard living amid impoverished conditions. A precarious interaction with a suspicious ICE agent fits into the film’s penchant for tense situations without overtly illustrating the irony and injustice of a federal agent suspecting indigenous people of being in the country illegally. Not even the backdrop of statistically higher percentages of Native women subjected to violence and sexual assault is dwelled upon, this is a singular story of the relationship between Jax and Roki, even if it occurs amid circumstances that are tragically widespread.
The ingredients are here to tug at the heartstrings, especially as the stakes escalate and Jax and Roki are driven apart. But Tremblay keeps her film restrained emotionally, the deep wells of devotion between the two principal characters made clear but never spilling over into anything maudlin. Despite spending much of the film on the run, Jax and Roki still take time to plan for the powwow, celebrate coming-of-age milestones such as Roki’s first period and otherwise find joy in the present moment, even amid such challenging circumstances. Tremblay and Alise’s nimble script has a lot do with the film’s power, but ultimately, it’s the compelling performances from Gladstone and Deroy-Olson that breathe life into what could otherwise be an all-too-familiar story and elevate Fancy Dance as a slow-burning drama that shines a light on the collateral damage wrought by too-often forgotten violence on the societal fringe.
Photo courtesy of Apple TV+
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