A Thriller about the Native American Experience

Sundance 2023: Elegant dance Review

Erica Trembley Elegant dance It’s the kind of crime thriller that is reminiscent of another time but also unmistakably contemporary. It’s the kind of mid-budget adult movie with a morally complex conceit that, if released during the Clinton administration, could star Ashley Judd and Jena Malone. Instead, it uses those pulpy tropes to illustrate the dangers that Native American communities struggle with to this day.

When we first meet Jax (Lily Gladstone) and her niece Roki (newcomer Isabel Deroy-Olsen) they are foraging for food together. Jax shows his 13-year-old niece how to extract what they need from a plant without killing it when they come across a man fishing. The two share a quiet exchange before Jax walks down to the creek to bathe in the clear water and warm sun; a distraction for the agile Roki to pick up the man’s keys and wallet. This mix of vice and native culture is at the core of Tremblay’s debut feature film.

Street wise Jax has been taking care of Roki ever since his mother went missing, a fairly common occurrence, though this time it seems different. Gladstone embodies the queer con man with fiery efficiency. His bruised arms and confident gait immediately support his con-art persona, but the measured cracks in his acting allow a glimpse of the love for his family that drives his choices.

The two run petty scams while the impressionable Roki focuses on the annual state powwow, where she and her mother…