It’s frustrating to watch a movie that gets most everything right but ends up going off the rails when it really counts. Such is the case with writer-director Erica Tremblay’s third feature outing about a Native American woman (Lily Gladstone) from Oklahoma’s Seneca-Cayuga Reservation who goes in search of her missing sister (Hauli Gray) at the Grand Nations Powwow in Oklahoma City with her 13-year-old niece (Isabel Deroy-Olson) in tow. But the duo’s road trip odyssey soon turns into a statewide crime-ridden misadventure not unlike the narrative in “Thelma & Louise” (1991). Much of this multilayered tale is actually carried off quite skillfully, spotlighting the challenges that indigenous people (especially women) face and presenting a story with a capably executed, tension-filled, edge-of-your-seat quality, prompting viewers to wonder what’s coming next. However, as the story wears on, it becomes increasingly implausible, culminating in a climax that’s more than a little difficult to believe, its heartfelt sentiments notwithstanding. There are also some intriguing back story elements scattered throughout that, quite frankly, could have been better developed and resolved. That’s indeed a shame, considering how these shortcomings undermine the production’s many strong points. These weaknesses also take away from the outstanding performances of Gladstone (who turns in even better…

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