Devery Jacobs shares her opinion on Martin Scorsese’s new film Flower Moon Killerswhich chronicles the murders of indigenous members of the Osage tribe in the 1920s in Oklahoma.
While the film, based on the novel by David Grann, has received widespread critical praise for its storytelling and technical achievements, many members of the indigenous community, including Devery, have objected to its portrayal of the Osage people.
The 30-year-old Canadian actress who starred in the hit Hulu series Reserve dogsbrought to xformerly known as Twitter, to express discontent with Flower Moon KillersExcessive violence and the one-dimensional portrait of indigenous peoples.
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Devery began: “I HAVE THOUGHTS. I HAVE STRONG FEELINGS. “This movie was painful, exhausting, unforgiving and unnecessarily graphic.”
She continued: “Being a native, watching this movie was hell. Imagine the worst atrocities committed against her ancestors, and then having to sit through a movie explicitly full of them, with the only respite being 30-minute-long scenes of murderous white men talking or planning the murders.”
Devery praised Lily Gladstone’s performance and Martin’s technical direction, but criticized how the film’s “painfully underwritten” Osage characters took a backseat to the white men who were “given much more courtesy and depth” .
He added: “I don’t think these very real people were shown honor or dignity in the horrible description of their deaths. On the contrary, I believe that showing more murdered Native women on screen normalizes the violence committed against us and further dehumanizes our people.”
The actress acknowledged the members of the Osage community involved in the film and reflected on “how cathartic it is for these stories to finally be recognized, especially on a platform as prestigious as this film.”
Devery then emphasized that he would have preferred an Osage filmmaker to take on the project, noting that Flower Moon Killers exemplifies “the problem when non-native directors are given the freedom to tell our stories; “They center the white perspective and focus on the pain of native people.”
In addition to the film itself, Devery questioned the reception from moviegoers, many of whom applauded Martin’s script.
“And to top it all off; To see the way movie nerds celebrate and eat this shit? My stomach hurts,” she wrote. “I can’t believe it needs to be said, but Indigenous people exist beyond our pain, trauma and atrocities. Our pride in being native, our languages, cultures, joy and love are much more interesting and humanizing than showing the horrors that white men inflicted on us.”
And he concluded: “Ultimately, after 100 years of the way indigenous communities have been portrayed in film, is this really the representation we needed?”
Find out if Flower Moon Killers It has an end credits scene.
Read Devery Jacobs’ full thread below…
Being a native, watching this movie was hell. Imagine the worst atrocities committed against your ancestors, and then having to sit through a movie explicitly filled with them, with the only respite being 30-minute-long scenes of murderous white men talking or planning the murders.
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
It should be noted that Lily Gladstone is an absolute legend and carried Mollie with tremendous grace. All the amazing indigenous actors were the only redeeming factors of this film. Give Lily the damn Oscar of hers.
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
But while all the performances were solid, if you look proportionally, each of the Osage characters felt painfully underwritten, while the white men were given much more courtesy and depth.
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
I can now understand that Martin Scorsese’s technical direction is compelling and seeing $200 million on screen is a sight to behold. I understand that the point of this violence is to add brutal shock value that forces people to understand the real horrors that happened to this community, BUT—
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
I don’t think these very real people were shown honor or dignity in the horrible description of their deaths.
On the contrary, I believe that showing more murdered Native women on screen normalizes the violence committed against us and further dehumanizes our people.
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
(And to top it all off, seeing the way movie nerds celebrate and eat this shit? My stomach hurts.)
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
I can’t believe it needs to be said, but Indigenous people exist beyond our pain, trauma, and atrocities. Our pride in being native, our languages, cultures, joy and love are much more interesting and humanizing than showing the horrors that white men inflicted on us.
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
This is the problem when non-native directors are given the freedom to tell our stories; they center the white perspective and focus on the pain of the natives.
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
To the Osage communities involved in the creation of this film; I can only imagine how cathartic it is to finally have these stories and stories recognized, especially on a platform as prestigious as this film. There was beautiful work done by many Wazhazhe in this film.
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
But I admit I’d rather see a $200 million movie from an Osage filmmaker telling this story any day of the week.
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
—And I’m sorry, but Scorsese decided to end with a shot of Ilonshka dancing and drums? This does not exempt the film from presenting the natives as helpless victims without agency.
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
RIP to Mollie, Anna, Minnie, Rita and all the other very real Osage who were murdered out of greed. Tobacco is down for the countless Osage people today, whose family histories have been marked by these atrocities. The pain is real and is not limited to the 3 hours and 26 minutes of the film.
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
And a huge “Fuck you” to real life, white Oklahomans, who still carry and benefit from these blood-stained head rights.
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
All in all, after 100 years of the way Indigenous communities have been portrayed in film, is this really the representation we needed? #MoonFlowerKillers
—Devery Jacobs (@kdeveryjacobs) October 23, 2023
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn