Lily Gladstone Doesn’t Believe ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is a Martin Scorsese Western for a Heartbreaking Reason

Martin Scorsese’s hotly anticipated Leonardo Dicaprio collaborative Killers of the Flower Moon has landed in theaters. With the movie garnering rave reviews, fans are hailing it as a classic masterpiece from Scorsese, who proved in his 80s that the icon is still able to deliver such a gripping and intense narrative with an epic proposition.

Based on a true story, the film depicts the 1920s Osage County murder investigation, which exposed a shocking conspiracy against the Osage Native. Actress Lily Gladstone, who plays Osage woman Mollie Burkhart, asserts that the movie transcends the traditional Western genre that typically portrays Native Americans as one-dimensional characters.

Lily Gladstone calls Martin Scorsese’s Western the ‘Great American Tragedy’

Blackfeet/Niimíipuu actress Lily Gladstone is well-known for her compelling portrayals in both television and film.  Gladstone has gained recognition for her roles through Certain Women, and later on, she was further familiarized with the role of Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon.

According to the Screen Rant, Killers of the Flower Moon challenges conventional Wild West perceptions, providing a more nuanced and authentic representation of the American Native community. While speaking to the Empire, Gladstone says the Martin Scorsese movie surpasses the typical Western narrative, where Indigenous characters have historically suffered stereotyping.

“A lot of people are wanting to call this ‘Martin Scorsese’s Western.’ With natives and Westerns, we are so dehumanized that it just kind of feels like we’re part of the landscape – instead of humans that are telling a story.”

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She added that the film is instead “A Great American Tragedy”. Gladstone portrays Mollie, a Native American woman in the Osage tribe. The movie predominantly diverts the focus into the Osage community instead of becoming a white man’s precaudal narrative which delves into the dark and disturbing reality of the Osage people in the US.

Killers of the Flower Moon: A Pivotal Indigenous Revelation

Gladstone’s character is wed to suspicious cattle rancher Ernest played by Leonardo DiCaprio, whose uncle William Hale of Robert De Niro is determined to gain control over the oil under their feet in Oklahoma. The movie also features an ensemble cast with impressive performances from Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser.

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Killers of the Flower Moon serves as a rare and pivotal example in cinema that sheds light on the overlooked history of the American native community. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, DiCaprio highlights how the film is instrumental in comprehending the forgotten traditions and experiences of these Indigenous peoples.

“It’s a completely forgotten part of American history and an open wound that still festers. Hollywood has a long history and checkered past in its depiction of Native American people. We need to do more. You know, we are coming towards a great reckoning of our past. The more that these stories can be told in a truthful way, the more it can be a healing process”.

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Killers of the Flower Moon debuted in 2023 at Cannes. The film is based on the non-fiction book by David Gramm, which depicts a series of murders that took place in Osage County, Oklahoma, in the 1920s after oil was discovered in Osage Land. The series of brutal murders leads to an FBI investigation, which uncovers a shocking conspiracy.

The movie Killers of the Flower Moon is in cinemas now.