Hollywood remains obsessed with racism, witness DEI-style policies and absurd casting choices.
Racism, particularly the toxic kind displayed during the early part of the 20th century, endures as a fertile ground for storytellers.
Director Cyrus Nowrasteh strikes gold, or better yet, Texas Tea, with “Sarah’s Oil.” The fact-based yarn leans into the subject without lectures or virtue signaling tics. It’s the stunning story of a black girl’s quest to find oil beneath land given to her through the Dawes Allotment Act of 1887.
The racists of the era, alas, had other ideas.
It’s a heckuva yarn, one Nowrasteh delivers with plenty of Hollywood spit polish. Hissable enemies. Triumphant heroines. And enough grit to remind us how bigotry once stalked this great nation.
Young Sarah Rector (a solid Naya Desir-Johnson) becomes the owner of a large swath of Oklahoma land, thanks to her dual heritage – Black and Native American. And, she insists, those 160 acres of seemingly barren land brim with oil.
Her faith tells her so. Recent oil discoveries on neighboring properties do, too.
That draws the attention of a local oil company led by Garret Dillahunt, perfectly cast as the story’s villain. There’s a reason he’s sniffing around her land, but he holds his cards tightly to his chest.
Sarah finds an unlikely ally in Bert (Zachary Levi). He’s a duplicitous soul with a kernel of goodness lurking within. Just how big, though, is anyone’s guess.
Together, the two attempt to dig deep enough, literally, to prove Sarah’s instincts are sound.
It won’t be easy. Drilling equipment isn’t cheap. And the company run by Dillahunt’s character won’t let Sarah dig without a fight. And can Sarah and her tight-knit family trust Bert?
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“Sarah’s Oil” takes sizable license with the facts in question. What emerges is an audience pleaser that’s accessible and smart. Young Desir-Johnson wisely underplays her role, offering some wise-beyond-her-years moments as well as child-like glee and impatience.
That balance matters.
Levi plays Bert broadly, but within the confines of Nowrasteh’s tone he becomes the film’s emotional flashpoint. Yes, he’s a scoundrel, but he’s chasing redemption as well as cold, hard cash.
The film offers sturdy pacing, solid performances, and an unusual heroine. Christian audiences won’t have to look far for spiritual succor, but it’s integrated effortlessly into the screenplay, courtesy of Nowrasteh and his creative partner/bride Betsy Nowrasteh.
A third-act clash feels too clean given the oil company’s lascivious ways, but it wraps the story up in a tensely affixed bow. It also reminds us of the film’s roots and why this story deserved a big-screen closeup.
Parts of “Sarah’s Oil” overlap “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a larger-scale production recalling the chilling hate that consumed many from that chapter in U.S. history. The former captures the era’s raw racism in unsettling fashion, but without “Moon’s” R-rated flourishes.
That bigotry gripped the mainstream. something “Sarah’s Oil” won’t deny. Even one of Sarah’s closest allies isn’t immune to the casual bigotry.
Nowrasteh’s film doesn’t frame that hate from a 21st century lens. That gives his film an unexpected and necessary edge.
HiT or Miss: “Sarah’s Oil” is a smart, satisfying tale spun from a remarable story that’s ripe for a Hollywood treatment.
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