Diary entries forFancy Dance
Fancy Dance
this movie is a reminder of how indigenous people’s lives are threatened and not taken seriously. the way jax had to literally take it in her own hands to figure out what happened to her sister because the police does not care makes me sick. whats even more sick is when jax’s father called the police on jax and that's when they decided to start doing their jobs bcs a white man called. mind you jj even asked to do investigation at the reservation for tawi and they still fucking dismissed it, its disgusting and sickening. white people are going to be white people even if its your own father they will not hesitate to throw you under the bus fuck them. however, despite the frustration and stress i felt throughout the movie, seeing jax and roki’s relationship makes me so happy. they are so wholesome and love each other so much and would do everything to protect each other. and even if jax make’s questionable decisions you just can’t help to root for her. i love how the the film ended with jax and roki dancing at the missing and murdered dance memorial at powwow, it was so powerful, emotional, and heartbreaking. what a film. LASTLY, I LOVE YOU LILY GLADSTONE
Fancy Dance
Lily Gladstone and Isabel Deroy-Olson combine for what has to be one of the better modern "road trip" films. Lily plays Jax, who's looking for hope or at least closure to the search for her missing sister; Isabel is Roki, Jax's niece who's hoping her mom will be back in time for the upcoming powwow she's been looking forward to. Their performances are amazing and the story is given the perfect ending despite its heartbreaking quieter moments. Love for family is powerful, even when it's messy, and even when it has complications and roadblocks (like an uncaring criminal justice system that gives even less fucks for minorities) in place to mess further. We have to hold on to what, and to who, we still have Fancy Dance and Bad Behaviour I hoped to get a chance to see but were reliant on late ticket drops. For this one, I'm so happy to have not been disappointed
Fancy Dance
Lily Gladstone is phenomenal in a film that feels like a slow motion car crash. It’s an unfortunate commentary on the state of the world that missing and murdered indigenous women are such a major part of both the current reality of live as an indigenous person, and their representation in film and other mass media. Instead of a polemic, FANCY DANCE tells you everything you need to know, the unsaid things sometimes just as loud as the dialogue. Hopefully her upcoming appearance in KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON means that both Lily, and this film, will get some notice and attention this year, they both deserve it. 2023 Ranked (https://boxd.it/kiMdu)
