Fancy Dance

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Start...weak last act... there was a LOT of things that were good about this movie...i enjoyed the realistic feel of the movie...a big contrast to the high budget, glossy films i usually watch...even when they're about 'dark subjects'... as many reviewers remarked here, LIly Gladstone was excellent in this role...it was good to be able to see what else she could do after having seen 'killers of the flower moon'...the girl that plays her niece did a good job, as well... i saw this as a story that's been told before, in some ways simple but made complex by the rub and contrast of sharp cultural borders... i feel that the film's conclusion was too open ended...with too many important, unanswered questions...i can't say any more without stating a spoiler or two...and i don't do spoilers... i thought it was a worthwhile watch if the synopsis sounds appealing...

I'll assume most of the negative reviews are from non-Natives who still just don't "get it." This is a film that was written, produced, and directed by a Native American woman, which is a rarity in Hollywood, and I hope it expands opportunities for other Indigenous-created projects in the future. It doesn't perpetuate stereotypes as some have claimed on here. It paints an extremely accurate picture of some of Indian Country today, with how colonialism still affects reservations and the people forced there for generations. We have a flawed Indigenous woman as a lead character-an Auntie no less-and we can feel the pain of her past actions and how they've affected her current life. It's widely relatable as many of us regret some aspects of our past and have to deal with the ongoing repercussions for said actions. The MMIP epidemic is handled with caution and love, and the way it's portrayed is a reality for so many children raised by single moms. It's the aunties who must step up in those situations while dealing with the possible death of their own sibling. I liked the interactions between the white paternal side of the family and the teenage Native daughter. We see both sides, a cultural ignorance from the white step grandma that likens the powwow and dancing to theatre and costumes before we see her try to make up for her transgression by offering the granddaughter some ballet shoes, ensuring the granddaughter that ballet would never replace powwow dancing but could be an avenue to explore in her new living situation. The ending feels abrupt to non-Natives too used to Eurocentric storytelling and the hero's journey. This is a Native story through and through, and it's definitely evident with the ending that doesn't wrap the story with a Disney-esque red bow. The daughter makes it to the powwow to connect with her people, with the ancestors, and does not find out on screen that her mother has been murdered and dumped in a nearby lake. The auntie is made aware and must slowly process this horrific news but also be there for her niece and dances alongside her in a beautiful way. We know this isn't the end of their journey, only the end of a phase of it, and the beginning of a new chapter that will be filled with loss, despair, grief, etc. But for now, she's dancing.

Boring and not interesting, i understand its a important people for the people of that community but it's simple not an interesting movie to watch with your kids ok, its not well acted and its kinda of a weird looking little movie ok, it's basically a basic plot and not interesting to look at, the characters are kinda boring to be honest they lack something i don't know what tbh but overall its a kinda interesting little movie to watch with your daddy if he is interested, it's not a big deal of a movie you can do something else while watching ok guys, it's incredible average and uninteresting but its ok IA Reviews.

This is a great story that received a heap of well-deserved awards. Lily Gladstone, Oscar nominee for best lead actress in "Killers of the Flower Moon," puts on yet another fine performance. One of the many miserable white people had this to say: "Another tale about the white man oppressing the downtrodden red man. Your only reward for watching this painful, slow movie is the abrupt and unfinished ending. The movie would have been better and felt just as complete had they had the ending right after the opening credits." They hate to hear the truth-it's due to their shame and white fragility, but these stories need to be and will be told again and again. Needless to say, you should ignore this and all the other negative reviews.

Watched on October 17th, 2023 at the Imaginative Film Festival in Toronto ON. Canada Format: regular theatre Rating: 7/10. Special thanks to the Imaginative Film Festival in Toronto, Canada for inviting me to watch Fancy Dance! 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."

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There are some good elements in this movie but it was SO difficult for me to gain sympathy for Jax because right from the beginning. She's teaching her niece Roki to steal, and she takes her away from her grandparents house for what? It's not that her grandparents were abusive. They were perhaps insensitive to her her culture , they underestimated how important powwow was to her, but they weren't abusive and it was her best chance to get a good like. Instead, she kidnapped her, put her in really vulnerable and dangerous situations and now expects us to sympathize with her ? Girl you need to do better. The poor man who died for reporting an abducted child? The last scene was beautiful, and the movie can help introduce people to some elements of the culture of Native Americans that frequently gets overshadowed or neglected in the mainstream media, but it's hard to like a movie when the main character is someone like Jax. Great acting though.