At the Myrna Loy (ended Tuesday)
Lily Gladstone’s star has risen, but she’s carrying her Blackfeet roots with her into the Hollywood spotlight.
Slate magazine reports that while Paramount was campaigning for her to win Best Actress for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Gladstone was spending her time and energy supporting her small Indie film, “Fancy Dance.” She filmed “Fancy Dance” during breaks from “Flower Moon.”
Gladstone is committed to telling Indigenous stories, humanizing America’s original settlers and sharing their struggles. “Fancy Dance” is just such an intimate portrait of a sad side of Native life.
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“Fancy Dance” arrived in Helena as America prepared to celebrate July Fourth.
On that same day Arlee, Montana, will host its annual Powwow celebrating Indigenous life – including serving up scrumptious fry bread.
I have fond memories of our family visiting the Arlee Powwow and watching our daughter Katherine join in the dancing as drums beat and voices sang. We sometimes also would drive five minutes north to the Garden of 1000 Buddhas, a Tibetan Buddhist center.
And then we would light a few fireworks to celebrate America’s birthday.
A multicultural feast in Montana. Whooda thunk?
A powwow is at the center of Erica Tremblay’s “Fancy Dance,” which was filmed in Oklahoma with a predominately Indigenous cast.
Roki, a 13-year-old teen, longs to attend a powwow where she and her mom have danced together.
But Roki’s mom has vanished, and Roki’s staying with her Aunt Jax (Gladstone). We suspect from the start that this missing Indigenous woman may not return.
With few funds to support Roki, Jax gets money however she can – sometimes legal, often not. Roki learns to shoplift and even hides a stolen gun in her bag.
These are two sweet women, trapped by poverty and by racism. They are trying to survive, while they search for Roki’s mom. Authorities don’t seem to care that another Native woman has vanished – and they want to remove Roki to foster care.
As the noose tightens, Jax and Roki flee – and find their way to the powwow.
They smile, lift their arms to the sky and dance to the rhythm of the drums, filled with the spirit.
We don’t know what’s next – but, then again, we do.
Costner tells a new Montana story
“Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One” (R)
Kevin Costner mortgaged one of his homes to help finance a dream he’s been chasing for 30 years: an epic four-part Western, “Horizon.”
The public, who loved “Yellowstone,” has not yet discovered “Horizon.”
The film opened to an embarrassing $11 million, after investing north of $100 million. Trade magazines called the opening a “disaster,” “a bust” and “a flop.” It “bit the dust,” said The New York Times.
While I admire Costner’s commitment to the Western – and to Montana – I almost fell asleep on my saddle during the opening three-hour chapter.
“Horizon” scatters its focus over four separate stories, with none of them sufficiently fleshed out – yet.
At its worse, the tale sinks to a horse opera: A good guy duels a bad guy to the death; an innocent kid is asked to kill a man; and Costner and a Pretty Woman (not Julia Roberts) ride off on horseback with a kid in tow.
Let’s be fair, though. If you shoot enough threes, you’ll sink some of them – and there are some fine performances longing for more screen time.
Sienna Miller is particularly good as Frances Kittredge, who loses both her husband and her son. But Kittredge has the faith and strength to carve out a fulfilling life with her surviving young daughter.
Miller’s better than Costner in “Horizon” and could save this epic if the script moves her to center stage and gives her more attention.
Predictably, the cinematography is breathtaking. The tale starts in Montana, but the production was shot in Utah.
It’s clear that Costner loves the West and wants to pay tribute to the land and its people. We can be thankful for that.
Costner also deserves credit for partnering with area tribes to ensure that all their lands were protected and honored, and that the depiction Indigenous characters was respectful.
Costner mostly avoids stereotypes and cliches – although the massacre made me uncomfortable.
“Horizon” opened on the day of the first presidential debate.
Perhaps Joe and Kevin should meet at a saloon in Tombstone to trade tips on how to make their next outing more memorable than their opening acts.
May the Great Spirit be with them both!
Brent Northup has been reviewing movies for 47 years in Helena, Seattle and Houston. He is a professor of communication and journalism at Carroll College.
