Fancy Dance review: Lily Gladstone’s star shines brightly over complex but sentimental Native American drama

Apple TV+, Cert 15A

Lily Gladstone is excellent in 'Fancy Dance'

Isabel Deroy-Olson and Lily Gladstone in 'Fancy Dance'

thumbnail: Lily Gladstone is excellent in 'Fancy Dance'
thumbnail: Isabel Deroy-Olson and Lily Gladstone in 'Fancy Dance'
Chris Wasser

The standout performer of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone delivers another sensational turn in this chewy, complex drama that – among other things – sheds light on the criminal mistreatment of indigenous women in contemporary America.

Gladstone is Jax, a native of Oklahoma’s Seneca-Cayuga Nation Reservation, and a stand-in guardian for her teenage niece Roki (Isabel DeRoy-Olson). The child’s mother is missing, and the authorities don’t seem to care.

They are, however, interested in Jax’s past and whether she’s a suitable minder for Roki.

Isabel Deroy-Olson and Lily Gladstone in 'Fancy Dance'

Everything goes sideways after Jax’s white father Frank (Shea Whigham) re-enters the equation, forcing Jax and her niece to hit the road in search of answers.

There is only one way this story will end for our unfortunate protagonist – but first-time feature filmmaker Erica Tremblay spins a sensitive, soulful tale from a predictable premise.

It’s a little like an old-fashioned TV movie – shaky and sentimental in places – but Gladstone is in marvellous form, and this well-intentioned feature is lucky to have her.

Three stars