“You got a better chance of convicting a man of kicking a dog than killing an Indian.”

Story: WWI is over, hooray! Ernest Burkhart heads to live with his Uncle William King Hale, and begins to put down roots. Marries a lovely Osage woman named Molly, makes friends…and finds that the Osage people have a whole lot of money. Money his Uncle decides would better serve other folks. Y’know, white folks. Ick.

Genre I’d put it in: Excellent Epics That Need Intermissions
Release Date: 2023
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the book of the same name by David Grann, which itself is a nonfiction account of the Osage Indian murders.

Gotta say: First things first. Yes, this film is over three and a half hours long. Four, if you’re counting the ungodly amount of ads and trailers shown at the multiplex. And yes, Moon is definitely gonna be showered with nominations from all types of film organizations come this year’s Award Season Onslaught. But for me? As much as I think this film could be best enjoyed on a big screen, I love the idea of being able to pause this loooooong film from time to time. That way you can do whatever you need to do, start back up, and not miss a moment. Because honey, you won’t want to miss one second.

Sadly, my bladder had other ideas when I was at the multiplex. I only missed a few minutes (I’m fast, y’all), but I was sad I did. This is a Scorsese joint, and it’s just as cinematically gorgeous as you’d expect from this old guard legend. There are shots in Moon that are so breathtaking, individual stills could be hung on your wall as art. I haven’t felt that way since Mr. Turner. The wide shot of land – filmed in Osage and Washington counties, Oklahoma – show the gorgeous area the Osage call home. Fine; the city of Pawhuska had several areas “de-aged” to look like the 1920s, but that gorgeous land? Au naturel, y’all.

As with 2016’s Silence, Moon was a labor of love for Marty, and while the earlier film can be a bit of a slog? Moon‘s storytelling is so crisp it’s almost addictive. Moon is longer, yet didn’t feel as exhausting. How’d that happen? Well, I think the multi-act structure of the story kept things interesting. Both are excellent, well done films, but Moon‘s shifts from historical drama to character-driven period piece to courtroom drama kept my little pea-brain pleasantly enraptured. Plus, the performances are, obviously, stellar. This is Marty, y’all, and he’s firing on all cylinders. Special shout-outs to Lily Gladstone as Molly, Jesse Plemons as Bureau of Investigation (later known as the FBI) Agent Tom White, and an absolutely electric Cara Jade Myers as Molly’s sister Anna. While Gladstone and Myers run the gamut of emotions you can’t help but be pulled into, Plemons’ no-nonsense-but-a-secret-marshmallow White gives a touch of hope after so much horrific murder.

And did I absolute hate-hate-hate every single disgusting character that took advantage of the Osage in this film? Oh indeed. I wanted to stop the film, build a time machine, find these characters real-life counterparts, and smack them ’til I felt better. That so many of them walked away relatively unscathed was the cherry on top of this heartbreak sundae. BTW, Marty wraps up the story in a wonderfully unique way; there’s a shift from the courtrooms and prisons to a 1950s “Lucky Strike Presents” radio show, where the cast narrates and acts out the outcome of court cases, and some individuals lives. It took me a sec to catch up, but it was a welcome palate cleanser after all the anger and frustration I’d had pent up in me, after seeing so much out-and-out evil perpetrated against too many good people.

BTW, a court case brought against the US Government was settled in the Osage Nation’s favor, to the tune of 380 million dollars. But the Osage’s land is now threatened by wind turbines, so. Two steps forward, one step back? I can only hope that Moon shines a light on the grievous injustices done to the Osage people, and Indigenous Americans as a whole.

Speaking of moons…how about cutting a check to the Quileute, Stephanie Meyer? Especially after all that uncompensated appropriation. Man, I hate us USA-types sometimes. Sorry. Off-topic. Guess I am tired after Moon, after all. G’night!

#Protip: For more information on the Osage Nation? Check out the Osage Museum’s website. It’s full of amazing info, including Osage-English (and vice versa) pages, loads of research, and an incredible collection of artifacts, photographs, and other historical items. While hitting the actual museum would be best, there’s lots of wonderful stuff you can check out online. There’s also a very good interview with author David Grann at Storyteller’s Studio, where Grann gets into his research, and how he was able to share this horrific moment in history with the general public. Fair warning; it will break your heart.