‘Osage Indian murders’ serves as the backdrop for Martin Scorsese’s film ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

During the early 1900s, the Osage Nation, a Native American tribe residing in an Oklahoma reservation, faced a tumultuous period marked by fear and violence. This dark chapter, known as the Osage Indian murders, serves as the backdrop for Martin Scorsese’s highly anticipated film, Killers of the Flower Moon.

Based on journalist David Grann’s non-fiction book of the same name, the movie is set to have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, presented in the Out of Competition category. Scorsese and Eric Roth have collaborated on the screenplay, drawing inspiration from Grann’s work, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.

With a budget of $200 million, the film boasts an impressive ensemble cast, including frequent collaborators of Scorsese such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. They are joined by Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow, and other notable actors. The movie delves into a mesmerizing and tragic tale that, despite its historical setting, remains remarkably grounded in reality.

The Osage Nation, encompassing both the Native American tribe and the region in Oklahoma, served as their ancestral homeland. Like many other Native American communities, the Osage Nation faced numerous challenges and injustices, having been displaced from their original lands through treaties with the US government.

However, their fortunes took a significant turn in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the discovery of vast oil reserves beneath their lands. Retaining the mineral rights to their territory, they suddenly became incredibly wealthy, receiving royalties from oil companies for the extraction of oil.

Nevertheless, this newfound wealth attracted a darker side characterized by greed, corruption, and exploitation. The Osage people encountered numerous difficulties as unscrupulous individuals sought to take advantage of their riches, subjecting them to fraud, theft, and manipulation in an attempt to control their wealth.

In the early 1920s, the Osage community was plagued by a series of inexplicable disappearances and deaths. Tribe members began dying under suspicious circumstances, instilling fear and paranoia. One by one, Osage men and women were found murdered, their deaths shrouded in mystery. The community lived in terror as loved ones vanished, while the culprits remained elusive.

These chilling murders became known as the Osage murders or the Reign of Terror. The film adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon aims to deliver a riveting cinematic experience that not only entertains but also educates and provokes thought. Set in the 1920s, the movie explores the murders that took place after oil was discovered on Osage land, leading the FBI to launch an investigation.

Following its premiere at Cannes on May 20, Killers of the Flower Moon will have a limited release in select theaters on October 6 and a wider release on October 20. At a later stage, it will also be available for streaming on Apple TV+.