Killers of the Flower Moon
Killers of the Flower Moon
1919, Osage County, Oklahoma. Due to the discovery of oil on their land the Osage people are per capita the wealthiest people in the United States. Having just been discharged from the US Army, Ernest Burkhart returns to the area to work for his wealthy uncle, William Hale. Lately many Osage people have died in suspicious circumstances but nothing is being done about it.
tellum reviewedAugust 17, 2025
I hesitate to say this because white people get really upset when I criticize this movie, but it just comes across as Native American trauma porn. Native culture is barely highlighted despite the movie being about them, and doesn’t even do a good job making them sympathetic as their wealth is more prominently displayed than what makes them Native. Leo’s scowl dominates the film to the point that it’s not even subtle that it’s first and foremost a narrative from a white lens. Then Scorsese directly inserts himself in the ending as the arbiter of truth, completely unironically. It’s great that these tragic events are brought to light, but Hollywood is so terrible about appropriating other cultures history and filtering it in such a way that it becomes their story more-so than the people who had to live through that history.