The Oscars countdown continues! On the thirteenth episode of All the Film Things, I am joined by brothers, filmmaker Freddy Burgos and artist Bernardo Goya to talk about Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon! This episode is explicit and spoiler- filled.
Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic crime drama film based on a true story depicted in the book by David Grann, about the betrayal of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma. The film follows Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he returns from war to live with his uncle William “King” Hale (Robert DeNiro). Hale sets Ernest up to be a driver which leads him to meeting Molly Kyle (Lily Gladstone). Ernest and Molly fall in love but Ernest is “under Hale’s spell” as they, with help from a few others, plot to kill her family in order to take their wealth. It’s a heartbreaking, brutal story focused on this plot while also giving a voice to a story that has been hidden in history for decades. Killers of the Flower Moon marks the first time Scorsese directed his two muses, DeNiro and DiCaprio, in a film. The film also stars Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, Brendan Fraser, and John Lithgow. Just last week, Killers of the Flower Moon earned ten Oscar nominations, including the award for “Best Picture”. We are a little over a month away to learning if the film will take home a few Oscars!
This episode is both Freddy and Bernardo’s ATFT debut! We met on the set of our friend Craig Pedroza’s upcoming film We Dream of Eden in 2022. They truly saved this episode. My original guest became unavailable so I was scrambling to find a guest. I asked Bernardo if he’d be interested and he was (!!) so he brought along his brother and the three of us had a great conversation! I learned early on this was a perfect film for us to discuss since they are big Martin Scorsese fans… and it shows in the episode! They have a joint YouTube channel called Fresh Lad Collective where they post, according to their bio, "cinematic shenanigans" which includes short films, vlogs, and compilations. Check out their channel by clicking this link: https://www.youtube.com/@freshladcollective/featured
In this episode, Freddy, Bernardo, and I attempt to understand the complicated grey areas of the film such as the highly debated question, “Does Ernest really love Molly?”. Bernardo gave this film high praise, regarding it as Scorsese’s “magnum opus”. Since Freddy and Bernardo are big fans of Scorsese, a lot of the episode focuses on him as they compare this film to previous films in Scorsese’s filmography such as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and The Departed. I spoke about the Scorsese film from the New Hollywood era that made me gain an even stronger respect for him. We also talked about the mafia- like parallel/ similarities, the dynamic between Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro, Lily Gladstone’s powerful and moving performance, and much more!
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