Killers of the Flower Moon follows the real-life 1920s murders of Osage members after oil was found on their Oklahoma land. The 2023 epic Western crime drama film is directed and produced by Martin Scorsese and it stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser. Even though the film has received high praise from critics, one of the film’s consultants admitted that he had complicated feelings after watching the film.
STRONG OPINIONS FOR THE FILM
Christopher Cote, who was an Osage language consultant for the film, told The Hollywood Reporter that he was nervous about the film but now that he has seen it, he has some strong opinions.
“As an Osage, I really wanted this to be from the perspective of Mollie and what her family experienced, but I think it would take an Osage to do it. Martin Scorsese, not being Osage, I think he did a great job representing our people, but this history is being told almost from the perspective of Ernst Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and they kind of give him this conscience and kind of depict that there’s love. But when somebody conspires to murder your entire family, that’s not love. That’s not love, that’s just beyond abuse.”
-Christopher Cote-
Cote continues by talking about how this film isn’t made for just an Osage audience but for everyone. “For those who have been disenfranchised, they can relate, but for other countries that have their acts and their history of repression, this is an opportunity for them to ask themselves this question of morality.”
Another Osage language consultant for the film, Janis Carpenter spoke about how she has mixed feelings on the film as well. “Some things were so interesting to see, and we have so many of our tribal people that are in the movie that it’s wonderful to see them. But then there are some things that were pretty hard to take.”
All About Killers of the Flower Moon
The Apple Studio film’s official synopsis reads: “Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), Killers of the Flower Moon tracks the suspicious murders of members of the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight after oil was discovered.” The film is based on American journalist David Grann’s 2017 bestselling book. An earlier novel on the same topic by Chickasaw author Linda Hogan called Mean Spirit was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1991.
In the book, it detailed the newly formed FBI’s investigation of the murders as well as the eventual trial and conviction of one of the men who was the mastermind behind the plot.
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In Osage County, Oklahoma, the early spring brings in the arrival of millions of tiny multicolored wildflowers that resemble confetti. In May, larger plants like black-eyed Susans overwhelmed and suffocated the tiny flowers, burying them underground. When this would happen, the Osage people would call it the season of the flower-killing moon. The title of the name, the Killers of the Flower Moon became a play on words.
Killers of the Flower Moon is set to release in theaters on October 20. There has been no word when it will be released to streaming but it will likely be streamed on Apple TV+ and other sites in 2024.
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter
