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In 2019, thousands or maybe millions of people – me included – were introduced to the events of the Tulsa race massacre via HBO's Watchmen. Around that time, I also found out what that 90's Rosewood film I never rented was about. In 2023, I found out about the Osage Indian murders as I was reading the synopsis to this film. Just everyday, common tragedies.
Set in the early 20th Century, Killers of the Flower Moon follows the events around those murders. Sparked by the discovery of oil in Osage Nation, the Natives had "wealth" but were still assigned white "guardians" to help them "administer" it because of their "incompetence". Notice all the quotations, because none of those were real to the Osage. They weren't incompetent, but they still didn't get their wealth, and there were certainly no guardians administering nothing, at least not in good will.
The story mostly revolves around Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), a war veteran that arrives in town only to find himself entangled with an Osage, Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone). What he's too incompetent to realize (or is he?) is that this is all a scheme from his powerful uncle, William Hale (Robert De Niro) to try to gain control of the Osage oil and wealth, through arranged marriages, theft, but also murder.
This is one of those films that's more enraging than it is pleasing. Certainly that's not a slight at its craft because most things from the film are top of the line. From the performances to the cinematography, from the score to the way it builds this relationship between Ernest and Mollie. But the enraging thing is not only that it's all for show, but that it really happened.
I'm from Puerto Rico, so maybe it's understandable that I wouldn't necessarily be exposed to these "common tragedies" before. But I consider myself fairly well read and educated, and yet it seems that every now and then, I lift up a rock and uncover another "everyday, common tragedy" like this inflicted upon the same groups; Emmett Till, Rock Springs, the 1871 Chinese massacre in Los Angeles. People shouldn't forget, but we also shouldn't need Martin Scorsese or a TV show to remind us and make us care.
Grade:
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
(2023, Scorsese)
A film nominated for Best Picture or Best International Feature in the upcoming Oscars
(2023, Scorsese)
A film nominated for Best Picture or Best International Feature in the upcoming Oscars
"Oh, yeah? I mean, there might be a public outcry for a while. But then you know what happens? People forget. They don't remember. They don't care. They just don't care. It's just gonna be another everyday, common tragedy."
In 2019, thousands or maybe millions of people – me included – were introduced to the events of the Tulsa race massacre via HBO's Watchmen. Around that time, I also found out what that 90's Rosewood film I never rented was about. In 2023, I found out about the Osage Indian murders as I was reading the synopsis to this film. Just everyday, common tragedies.
Set in the early 20th Century, Killers of the Flower Moon follows the events around those murders. Sparked by the discovery of oil in Osage Nation, the Natives had "wealth" but were still assigned white "guardians" to help them "administer" it because of their "incompetence". Notice all the quotations, because none of those were real to the Osage. They weren't incompetent, but they still didn't get their wealth, and there were certainly no guardians administering nothing, at least not in good will.
The story mostly revolves around Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), a war veteran that arrives in town only to find himself entangled with an Osage, Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone). What he's too incompetent to realize (or is he?) is that this is all a scheme from his powerful uncle, William Hale (Robert De Niro) to try to gain control of the Osage oil and wealth, through arranged marriages, theft, but also murder.
This is one of those films that's more enraging than it is pleasing. Certainly that's not a slight at its craft because most things from the film are top of the line. From the performances to the cinematography, from the score to the way it builds this relationship between Ernest and Mollie. But the enraging thing is not only that it's all for show, but that it really happened.
I'm from Puerto Rico, so maybe it's understandable that I wouldn't necessarily be exposed to these "common tragedies" before. But I consider myself fairly well read and educated, and yet it seems that every now and then, I lift up a rock and uncover another "everyday, common tragedy" like this inflicted upon the same groups; Emmett Till, Rock Springs, the 1871 Chinese massacre in Los Angeles. People shouldn't forget, but we also shouldn't need Martin Scorsese or a TV show to remind us and make us care.
Grade: