On the verge of a major deal to sell the small distillery he runs alongside longtime best friend Brian (Ethan Hawke), harried co-parent Jason (Steve Zahn) lives apart from ex-wife Deb (Rosemarie Dewitt) and teen daughter Claire (a magnetic Audrey Zahn in her feature debut), all while bearing the weight of the loss of his son, Jack. When lifelong dancer Claire and her best friend Kat (Mackenzie Ziegler) are invited to compete in the Southeastern Regional Dance Finals, Jason finds himself an unwitting and unprepared chaperone, thrown head-first into the world of crazed dance moms, cheap motels and a terrifyingly accomplished competitor nicknamed Dolph. Yet as Claire advances through the ranks, she and her dad find themselves truly discovering one another for perhaps the first time — a perfectly imperfect duo still in sync — in this sharp, heartfelt slice-of-life comedy also co-written and produced by Steve Zahn.

Directed and co-written by acclaimed actor Rick Gomez, She Dances shines with an authenticity that can only come from the lived-in rhythms of family and the unshakeable bond connecting fathers and daughters. Bolstered by an incredible supporting cast including Sonequa Martin-Green and Haley Fish, Zahn has crafted a warm, playful and moving portrait of the shared heartbeat between parent and child, united and dancing their way to a better day.—Cedar Sherbert

Rick Gomez