Exclusive: Actress Devery Jacobs Unleashes a Fiery Critique on ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Indigenous Representation

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Reservation Dogs star Devery Jacobs slammed the portrayal of indigenous people in the new Martin Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone star in the movie, which is an adaptation of David Grann's 2017 book of the same title. Set in the 1920s, the plot revolves around a string of murders that occurred in the Osage Nation, Oklahoma. Expressing their opinion on Monday, October 23, Jacobs, a 30-year-old individual, described the film as agonizing, relentless, and excessively graphic.

The indigenous Canadian actress expressed her distress, stating: "As a Native person, watching this movie was extremely painful. It was like reliving the horrific acts committed against our ancestors, and having to endure a movie that explicitly depicted these atrocities. The only relief came in the form of 30-minute scenes where white men discussed and plotted the killings."

Killers of the Flower Moon recounts the real-life events of the Osage people being displaced from their ancestral lands and forced to move to a reservation in present-day Oklahoma. They soon discovered valuable oil reserves beneath their new territory, making them targets in a sinister plot of murder.

Jacobs expressed discontent with the portrayal of Osage characters, stating that they were poorly developed compared to their white counterparts who were given much more attention and depth.

She further commented that the representation of the actual individuals in their harrowing deaths lacked honor and dignity. Instead, she believed that showcasing more instances of Native women being murdered on screen normalizes the violence inflicted upon them and further degrades their humanity.

JaNae Collins, Lily Gladstone, Cara Jade Myers and Jillian Dion in “Killers of the Flower Moon” Apple Studios

Former Osage Nation Chief Jim Gray does not agree with Jacobs' criticism of the film, but he did have initial doubts. "I was concerned about being exploited once again - not necessarily through the loss of resources and land, but in the way our story would be portrayed," Gray told CNN earlier this month.

Gray, the great-grandson of Henry Roan, an Osage man whose murder exposed a sinister plan to eliminate members of the Osage nation, expressed his concerns to Scorsese about the need for an original film. "My main worry was being exploited once more, not just in terms of losing our resources and land, but in how our story of resource loss and land deprivation would be portrayed," Gray shared with CNN recently.

Gray, the great-grandson of Henry Roan, an Osage man whose murder exposed a sinister plan to eliminate Osage nation members, approached Scorsese with a request to create an unparalleled cinematic experience.

"Envision yourself as the director who brings something completely unprecedented to the film industry. The kind of movie that will be hailed as the epitome of excellence," Gray passionately expressed to the renowned filmmaker.

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Scorsese sought guidance from Chad Renfro, an ambassador for the Osage nation, and a consulting producer on the film. Renfro acknowledged the rarity of a small Native nation receiving such a platform and expressed mixed emotions about watching their horrifying story come to life. Nonetheless, he found it thrilling to witness the story unfold in such a powerful way.

Renfro believes that the Osage input into the film can set a precedent for future projects.

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio star in Apple Studios' "Killers of the Flower Moon," which is setting a new standard for future projects. The film aims to inspire Hollywood and filmmakers to respectfully represent diverse cultures in their works.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Killers of the Flower Moon earned $23.3 million at the box office over the weekend, securing the second position behind Taylor Swift's Eras Tour film, which garnered $33.2 million.