Gladstone urges indigenous people to watch Killers of the Flower Moon “when and only if you feel ready.”

Actress Lily Gladstone urges Native women and youth to watch Killers of the Flower Moon only when they feel ready and with safe company. There is a lot of generational grief to process.

She emphasizes that the film is recent history with a lasting impact on Native people today. It is important to be kind and gentle with each other while processing and healing from this story.

Native actress Devery Jacobs criticizes the film for its explicit and graphic portrayal of the atrocities committed against Indigenous people. However, she praises Lily Gladstone’s performance and calls for her to receive an Oscar nomination.

Actress Lily Gladstone has an important message for Native Americans regarding Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Gladstone, of Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage, stars in the crime epic as Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman married to white settler Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio).

The film, based on a book of the same name by David Grann, recounts the horrific real-life murders of dozens of members of Oklahoma’s oil-rich Osage tribe in an attempt to steal their wealth during the 1920s. Scorsese has maintained that he wanted to tell the harrowing story of the Osage most authentically, and the film includes graphic scenes of violence against Native Americans. In a multi-thread post, Gladstone urged audiences, “especially Native women and youth” to watch the film only when, and if, they felt prepared.

“The most pressing thing I’ve wanted to say about ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ especially to Native Women & Youth: See it when and only if you feel ready, and see it with people you feel safe with. You’ll likely have a lot of generational grief to process. You’re not alone,” she wrote.

Gladstone shared mental health resources available to those needing support before continuing:

“I’m so proud of the film we made with so many Osage Nation leaders, artists, educators & community advocates. Never forget this story is recent history with a lasting impact on breathing, feeling people today. It belongs to them, & we all have so much to learn from it. In this process of learning about the horrific Reign of Terror, remember that the Osage remain. Native People remain. And this story is a lot to take in. Be kind, and please be gentle with each other. There is much to process, and much to heal.”