She Dances is a captivating father/daughter dramedy that relays a visceral message of grief, acceptance and moving forward. 

 

In Rick Gomez’ feature debut - Audrey Zahn is introduced as Claire, a woman on the brink of turning 17 that is forced to reconcile with her estranged father to navigate a dance competition. On the trip, accompanied by her duo partner, Kat (Mackenzie Ziegler) they fight for a spot in the final rounds - only to be suddenly knocked down exponentially when a disaster happens on stage. 

 

The film is about a dance competition and the rivalry between the “big bad” dancer that everyone is afraid to compete against. It can also be a film about a father and daughter dealing with their grief, coming together through the bond of their past and working through their grief together. Steve Zahn is absolutely terrific in this film and his dramatic performance, alongside his (real-life) daughter, sincerely brought a tear to my eye. The chemistry is naturally off the wall with these two, and as their relationship blossoms while dealing with their situation, things become beautifully simple. 

 

Audrey Zahn is a breakout in this film, bringing a realism to her portrayal of Clare, classically trained as a dancer throughout her life, She Dances is clearly loosely based on her story (with plenty of embellishments). Zahn captures the fight with their emotions and the struggle to find the right passage to release them - showcasing her willingness to quit when she is forced to tackle her trauma head-on. Zahn is practically a revenant as Claire, coming out of the fog of her grief and into the light of her father’s embrace and her ability to release her emotions through the power of her final dance. 

 

It feels shameful not to mention the fantastic inclusion of Sonequa Martin-Green and Ethan Hawke in their respective roles, guiding the two lost souls on their paths. One scene in particular between Hawke and Zahn sharing a meal might be one of my favorite scenes of the entire year thus far - it’s that emotionally captivating. 

 

She Dances doesn’t always put its right foot forward when it comes to capturing the actual dance however. That is one fault of the film is the execution of the dance itself. Now it's highly possible that maybe this form of dance just doesn’t grab me on an emotional level and that’s what hindered the delivery. From an outsider's perspective, it felt like it detached from the dance too often, was unfocused and lost a fair share of its reverence. These sequences stitch everything together in a beautiful package, but on their own they lack the significance that they so clearly want to be. That is apart from the final dance, which is beautifully choreographed and an emotional depiction of finally coming to terms with your grief head on. 

 

She Dances is a gripping tale of grief and trauma told through the eyes of a father and daughter working through it all in one fateful weekend trip. Steve and Audrey Zahn are phenomenal in their on-screen paired debut, leading the way to a desire for more from both in these kinds of profound, crowd-pleasing roles.