''Fancy Dance'' is a 2023 American

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film directed by

Erica Tremblay Erica Tremblay (born 1980) is a Native American filmmaker from the Seneca–Cayuga Nation. Tremblay's debut feature film, ''Fancy Dance'' (2023), featured Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone and premiered at Sundance. She also wrote and directe ...

(in her feature

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

), from a screenplay written by Tremblay and Miciana Alise. It stars

Lily Gladstone Lily Gladstone (born August 2, 1986) is an American actress. Raised on the Blackfeet Reservation, Gladstone is of Piegan Blackfeet, Nez Perce, and European heritage. She earned critical acclaim for portraying Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman who sur ...

, Isabel DeRoy-Olson and

Shea Whigham Shea Whigham (born January 5, 1969) is an American actor best known for portraying Elias "Eli" Thompson in the drama series ''Boardwalk Empire''. He also appeared in the first season of ''True Detective'' and the third season of '' Fargo'' a ...

. ''Fancy Dance'' premiered at the

2023 Sundance Film Festival The 2023 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 to 29, 2023. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 7, 2022. Films U.S. Dramatic Competition * '' The Accidental Getaway Driver'', directed by Sing J. Lee ...

on January 20, 2023. It began a

limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

in the United States on June 21, 2024, prior to streaming on

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

on June 28.

Plot

Since her sister Tawi's disappearance two weeks ago, Jax has cared for her 13-year-old niece Roki on the Seneca–Cayuga

reservation __NOTOC__ Reservation may refer to: Places Types of places: * Indian reservation, in the United States * Military base, often called reservations * Nature reserve Government and law * Reservation (law), a caveat to a treaty * Reservation in India, ...

. Jax and Roki are unable to make the

Indian tribal police Indian tribal police are police officers hired by Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes. The largest tribal police agency is the Navajo Nation Police, Navajo Nation Police Department, the second largest is the Salt River Pi ...

or the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

open a missing persons case for Tawi, as Tawi has a history of disappearing unexpectedly. The two get by mostly by stealing cars and selling them to Boo, a trader running a

convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, bakkal, bodega, corner store, corner shop, superette or mini-mart is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lotter ...

and scrapyard on the reservation. Jax discovers that Tawi dealt

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...

in the oil workers' camp on behalf of Boo. Child protective services and Indian Child Welfare authorities place Roki into protective guardianship with her estranged white grandfather Frank when they find out about Jax's

criminal record A criminal record (not to be confused with a police record or arrest record) is a record of a person's criminal Conviction, convictions history. The information included in a criminal record, and the existence of a criminal record, varies betwe ...

. Frank and his wife are sympathetic to Roki, but are unwilling to let her live with Jax on the reservation or attend

powwow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native Americans in the United States, Native American and First Nations in Canada, First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity fo ...

. Jax promises Roki that they will meet Tawi at the powwow in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

and they decamp in Frank's car in the night. Because the reservation is under

federal jurisdiction Federal jurisdiction is the jurisdiction of the federal government in any country that uses federalism. Such a country is known as a Federation. Federal jurisdiction by country All federations, by definition, must have some form of federal juris ...

, Frank and his wife file Roki's abduction in the morning with

. At a shopping mall, Roki steals out of one customer's handbag, her car keys and a

Ruger Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc., better known by the shortened name Ruger, is an American firearm manufacturing company based in Southport, Connecticut, with production facilities also in Newport, New Hampshire; Mayodan, North Carolina; and ...

pistol. Jax's half-brother JJ, who serves with

, tells her that Tawi was seen some time ago at the home of Boo's mother in

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

. Roki overhears their conversation, in which Jax admits to JJ that she knows Tawi will not be at the powwow and is likely already dead. Jax detours to Tulsa to speak with Boo's mother, and finds out that Tawi used to come by in a red

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...

. When an attendant at a

filling station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

recognises Jax from abduction alerts in the media and wants to notify the police, Roki threatens him with the stolen handgun, accidentally discharging it and wounding the attendant in the shoulder. While fleeing from the police, Roki confronts Jax about the danger Jax has put her in over the past two days, and for lying about her mother being at the powwow before running away. JJ locates the red pickup in Boo's scrapyard. A remorseful Frank calls Jax and tells her that the police have found Tawi's corpse in a nearby lake. Realizing that Roki did not go with the police, Jax races to the Oklahoma City powwow. The film closes with Jax and Roki dancing together in the annual Missing & Murdered Memorial dance, as one police officer at the ceremony recognises Jax and alerts his colleagues over the radio.

Cast

as Jax * Isabel DeRoy-Olson as Roki *

as Frank *

Audrey Wasilewski Audrey Wasilewski is an American television, film and voice actress. She is known for her prolific voice work including Arlene in the ''Garfield'' franchise, Stealth Elf in the '' Skylanders'' video games, and roles in '' My Life as a Teenage Ro ...

as Nancy * Ryan Begay as JJ * Crystle Lightning as Sapphire * Dennis Newman as Derrick *

Tamara Podemski Tamara Podemski (born October 16, 1977) is a Canadian film and television actress and writer.Rick Garrick"Indigenous multidisciplinary artist to host 13th Annual Outside Looking In Gala in Toronto this Spring" ''Anishinabek News'', March 9, 2020. ...

as Ricky

Production

In December 2020, the screenplay of ''Fancy Dance'' was selected as one of The Indigenous List, initiated by The Black List, IllumiNative and

Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by actor Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and compo ...

to spotlight the work of Native American writers. In May 2022, the screenplay also was featured in the Cannes Screenplay List. In August 2022, it was announced that

would direct the film, with Confluential Films and

Tommy Oliver Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Oliver is a fictional character in the American live-action television franchise ''Power Rangers''. He is best known as being the original Green Ranger and the first evil Ranger who fought and nearly defeated the original Power ...

financing and producing. The

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

took place in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

and began in August 2022.

Release

''Fancy Dance'' had its world premiere at the

, on January 20, 2023. It also screened at the 2023

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

, and at the 2023

NewFest NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival, put on by NewFest (legal name The New Festival, Inc.), is the largest LGBTQ film festival in the United States and one of the most comprehensive forums of national and inte ...

. Cercamon acquired worldwide sales rights to the film on February 16, 2023. In February 2024,

acquired distribution rights to the film, with plans to release it later in the year. It was released in a

in the United States on June 21, 2024, prior to streaming on Apple TV+ on June 28, 2024.

Reception

References

External links

* {{Apple TV+ 2023 films 2023 drama films 2023 directorial debut films 2023 independent films 2023 LGBTQ-related films 2023 multilingual films 2020s American films 2020s English-language films American LGBTQ-related films American multilingual films Apple TV+ original films English-language drama films English-language independent films Films about missing people Films about Native Americans Films set in Oklahoma Lesbian-related films LGBTQ-related independent films Native American drama films Native American language films