This week I am recommending four new narrative films, three new documentaries, an experimental Palestinian short, and the early works of Céline Sciamma.
I was a big fan of Erica Tremblay’s Fancy Dance back when I saw it at its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. After its premiere, star Lily Gladstone had a huge breakout year with the one-two punch of her Gotham-winning performance in Morrisa Maltz’s The Unknown Country and her Golden Globe-winning, Oscar-nominated performance in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. It seems after the success of those projects, Apple decided it was worthing taking another bite and picked up the film — 13 months after its initial premiere! Regardless of its rocky journey towards distribution, I am grateful that the film will be seen by at least some people on the big screen like it deserves.
Here’s a little bit from my Sundance review:
Throughout Jax and Roki’s adventures, the Cayuga culture is always present, just as Tremblay and Alise’s script finds every chance it can to critique the ongoing colonialism that seeks to stamp it out. While the third act makes a few wonky choices, and the ending comes together a little too neatly, there’s no denying its impact. Dancing at the powwow, Roki and Jax come together to honor their missing loved one and find closure with their community. As both women freely express their grief and love through this traditional dance, one last bittersweet time, Tremblay honors the resilience of indigenous women who keep their culture alive, passing it down from mother to daughter, sister to sister, despite everything that keeps working against them.
Also, a few weeks ago I spoke to Gladstone about the similarities and subtle differences between her character in this film and Cam, her character in the FX limited series Under The Bridge:
There's also the theme of adoption in both Under the Bridge and Fancy Dance. That one more explicitly jumped out at me and appealed to me about these two characters. Jax in Fancy Dance is fighting to keep her niece under her care, while also searching for her sister. The big thing is Roki and not losing Roki to, not just the system, but losing Roki to a family that she knows will not uphold who she really is and where she comes from. Her connection to the culture, family, and communities is so precious and irreplaceable, and it's suddenly being replaced. And that is Cam's story.
The film opens this week in New York at the IFC Center and Los Angeles at Vidiots and Laemmle NoHo, and will stream on AppleTV+ next week.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Cool People Have Feelings, Too to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.