Fancy Dance Review: A Touching Story of Family and Identity

Lily Gladstone shines in Apple TV+’s newest original movie, Fancy Dance.

Gladstone plays Jax, a woman living on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation taking care of her thirteen-year-old niece, Roki, after her sister’s disappearance.

Jax scrapes by making money where she can to support her niece. In her spare time, she searches for her sister and pushes law enforcement to take her sister’s disappearance more seriously. 

At the same time, Roki is preparing to dance in an upcoming powwow. Something she has done with her mother for years and that she hopes will bring her mother home. 

When Child Protective Services removes Roki from the home she’s known her whole life, Jax takes Roki on the road under the auspice of making it to the powwow in time for Roki to perform. 

Slowburn and No Easy Answers

The first thing to understand about Fancy Dance is that it is a slow-burn and is not interested in giving viewers definitive answers. For some, that might be off-putting, but for others, it’s one of the movie’s strengths. It’s not a movie you watch while folding laundry or making dinner. 

It is a movie you need to sit down and focus on. If you do, you will experience a rich, complex story that tackles difficult themes with nuance and authenticity. 

You can’t watch this movie distractedly because its emotional weight builds on the small moments and silences between the lines. The emotional payoff at the end, which is heartfelt and satisfying, doesn’t work if you miss those moments.

For example, the film does an incredibly effective job of establishing Jax and Roki’s relationship in the opening sequence. It’s all done without dialogue or much plot context. Before you know who these two people are or their situation, you understand their dynamic and care about their relationship.

If you haven’t allowed yourself to be fully absorbed in their introduction, you deprive yourself of the full emotional weight of the story. 

Exploration of Racism

Similarly, some of the film’s most impactful moments are the ones that imply more than they say. So much of the characters’ histories are expressed in small choices by the creators. The weight of what is unsaid is as powerful as what is said, at times even more powerful.

This is especially true when the film highlights microaggressions and a particularly harrowing encounter with a cop. The fear and tension during the interaction with the cop is palpable, as is the cut of each of cringy comment from Jax’s stepmother.

As with most of the best examples of representation, there is a universality in the specificity of the story. It builds empathy and will resonate with people from many marginalized communities, even if their specific experiences are different. 

An Outstanding Cast

Probably the least surprising piece of praise for Fancy Dance is the stellar performance from Lily Gladstone. Jax is the soul of the movie, tying all the elements together. Her relationship with Roki is its heart and gives the film its emotional resonance.

Unsurprisingly, Gladstone is more than up for the task. She delivers a grounded and heartfelt performance with a depth that elevates the entire movie. 

Gladstone, however, isn’t the only outstanding performance of the film. The cast is fantastic across the board. Shea Whigham, who plays Jax’s father, and Isabel DeRoy-Olson, who plays Roki, are notable standouts in a strong cast. 

DeRoy-Olson’s performance, in particular, deserves to be singled out. Her character carries almost as much of the film as Jax, and DeRoy-Olson is the perfect screen partner for Gladstone. 

One complaint

If I have one complaint about Fancy Dance, it’s that I wish the film had explored Jax’s relationship with Sapphire, a local exotic dancer played by Crystal Lighting, more. 

Jax’s relationship with Sapphire is intriguing. It is also wonderful to have a queer character of color in a lead role. However, the relationship has little development. I’m not sure what it adds to the story. It’s a shame, too, because it underutilized Lighting’s talents.

Still, the most important relationship in the film is between Jax and Roki. That story is beautiful and heartfelt. It’s enough to make my disappointment that the movie does not explore Jax and Sapphire’s relationship more, a quibble rather than a significant critique. 

Fancy Dance is not a movie you should watch passively. It deserves your full attention. Its story will move and stay with you if you let it.

What did you think of Fancy Dance? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Fancy Dance is currently in theaters and premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, June 28.

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