Why is the movie “Flower Moon” about Leonardo DiCaprio’s character?

Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon

Melinda Sue Gordon

Martin Scorsese breaks down exactly why Moonflower Killers It ended up focusing too much on the villainous Ernest Burckhardt, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

The director spoke about the topic after some criticism the film received from the indigenous community. During a virtual press event on Wednesday, Scorsese was joined by stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons.

The Apple TV+ film tells the real-life tragedy that occurred in the 1920s for members of the Osage Nation after oil was found on their land in Oklahoma. It received great critical acclaim. But some members of the indigenous community said the story should have focused more on the character of Molly Burkhart (Gladstone) and other Osage affected by the murders. There was also criticism that DiCaprio’s Ernest seemed overly sympathetic, and should not have been the main focus of the film. The group’s questions were presented in advance, and they were not asked about the criticism directly, but Scorsese and DiCaprio still touched on some of the issues raised.

Scorsese first explained how the project — which was co-written by the director and Eric Roth and based on the 2017 book by David Grann — ended up centering on Ernst. The famed director first indicated that DiCaprio was originally going to play heroic FBI agent Tom White, who ended up playing Plemons.

“We took the character of Tom White that Leo was going to play, and after two years (of development), we took it to its limits,” Scorsese said. “We felt, in the end, that the story seen through the eyes of the FBI coming from Washington to this area to find out who did it — as David Grann pointed out — was (more) a question of who is who.” He didn’t do that Do it. Once I started to understand more the complicity and how we can all be guilty in life…and the fact that I got to know a lot of the Osage people because I kept coming back to Oklahoma, and I kept hearing the stories and they kept talking. About how families stay there.

She recalled how Margie Burkhart, granddaughter of Molly and Ernest Burkhart, noticed that her grandparents were in love.

“A lot of these deceptions, betrayals, and murders came from people who really loved each other,” Scorsese continued. “In the end, we were stuck.” “We couldn’t really get to the true nature of this tragedy, and at that point (Leo asked): ‘Where’s the heart of it?’ I said: ‘Well, the heart of it is that Molly and Ernest are in love.’ To play Ernest,” and at that point everything was turned upside down…. And so the Bureau of Investigation came in and solved a lot of cases… But primarily, it’s told, as much as possible, from the ground level of the Osage. and European Americans together.

DiCaprio added: “As far-fetched as it may seem to others who have seen this film — who are shocked by the atrocities Ernest continues to commit and Molly’s understanding of what’s happening — it’s based on compelling evidence and a sense of community from the Osage. It’s something they’ve never spoken about publicly before.” In many ways. And here we are, 100 years later, bringing these ghosts and stories of the past to actual sites and working with the direct descendants of this tragedy.

“It was a different culture,” Gladstone noted. It was a different time. It was a different time. But the most important element of it all, for me, is that I was never alone on set. If I wasn’t sure what choice I was making, there was not just one but several Osage people at every production level on hand. I felt very comfortable as an actor, and it was also necessary because drawing on culture in such an energetic way sets the scene.

Criticism began at the film’s Los Angeles premiere, where Christopher Cote, an Osage language consultant who worked on the film, expressed mixed feelings about the story’s focus on… Hollywood Reporter.

“As an Osage, I really wanted this to be from Molly’s perspective and what her family experienced, but I think it’s going to take an Osage to do that,” Cote said. “Martin Scorsese, not the Osage, I think he did a great job of representing our people, but this history is told almost from the perspective of Ernest Burckhardt and they kind of give him this conscience and they kind of portray that there is love. But when someone conspires to kill your entire family, it’s not Love. This is not love, this is more than just abuse.

After the film was released on October 20, Reservation dogs Star Devery Jacobs criticized the film in a scathing thread on X.

“Being a Native American, watching this movie was hellfire,” she wrote. “Imagine the worst atrocities committed against your ancestors, and then having to sit through a movie explicitly full of them, with the only respite being 30-minute scenes of murderous white men talking about or planning the killings…I don’t feel that these honors have been shown.” And dignity for very real people in the horrific depiction of their deaths. On the contrary, I believe that by showing more murdered indigenous women on screen, it normalizes the violence committed against us and further dehumanizes our people.

However, Jacobs praised Gladstone’s performance, saying, “Give Lily her damned Oscar.”

On Tuesday, news broke moon flower He will receive the Vanguard Award at this year’s Palm Springs International Film Festival. The Vanguard Award is a collective honor “to distinguish the film crew and director in recognition of their collective work on an exceptional cinematic project,” according to the festival. Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone will receive the award.