Streaming on Apple TV+ today is an indie gem of a film, “Fancy Dance,” starring the Oscar nominated Native actress Lily Gladstone.
Directed by Erica Tremblay, a member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation, who has also directed episodes of the hit Hulu series “Reservation Dogs,” “Fancy Dance” is a compelling domestic drama about a queer Seneca-Cayuga woman Jax (Gladstone), who takes unofficial custody of her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) after her sister goes missing. When the local authorities deem her an unfit guardian due to her drug-running past and place her niece with her white grandfather (Shea Whigham), Jax kidnaps Roki in order to fulfill her dream of dancing in the powwow.
It’s a stirring film anchored by a powerhouse performance from Gladstone, who has proven herself one of our most fascinating actresses over the past decade of her career. She was the heart of Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” last year, and was nominated for an Oscar for the role. Thankfully, Apple acquired “Fancy Dance” for distribution after the success of “Flower Moon,” which they also distributed, and it’s a good thing to be in the Lily Gladstone business right now.
If you haven’t yet seen “Killers of the Flower Moon,” stream it on Apple TV+ alongside “Fancy Dance,” or check out these other memorable performances from Gladstone available on streaming.
Gladstone starred this year in the Hulu miniseries “Under the Bridge,” which was developed and steered by young filmmaker Quinn Shepherd. Gladstone plays a police officer in British Columbia investigating the case of young Indigenous woman who has gone missing. Riley Keough and Archie Panjabi co-star. Stream all eight episodes on Hulu now.
Last year, Gladstone also starred in the meditative road movie “The Unknown Country” directed by Morrisa Maltz, which toes the line between fiction and documentary. Gladstone contributed to the writing of the film along with co-star Lainey Shangreaux. The collaborators are working on a follow-up, “Jazzy,” which is coming soon. Stream “The Unknown Country” on Mubi or rent it elsewhere.
Gladstone’s breakout performance in Kelly Reichardt’s 2016 study of three different Montana women “Certain Women” was one of the first times film fans took notice of the actress and her quietly compelling presence, particularly in the scenes she shared with Kristen Stewart. Gladstone also appeared in Reichardt’s 2019 film “First Cow,” a story of friendship and pastry with the tale of the first cow to make its way to a rough Oregon gold rush outpost. Stream “Certain Women” on Criterion, Kanopy, Mubi, or rent it elsewhere, and rent “First Cow” on all digital platforms.
Finally, one of Gladstone’s first films is the 2013 film “Winter in the Blood,” set and filmed in her native Montana, directed by brothers Alex Smith and Andrew J. Smith. Based on a novel by James Welch, Chaske Spencer stars as a Native man on a hallucinatory odyssey. Stream it on Kanopy or rent it on other digital platforms.
