Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

I have been meaning to write about this movie for over a year, and am finally getting down to it. I love the collaborations between Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio and ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ was the best opportunity of them all – Martin Scorsese collaborating with both in the same project.

The movie is based on a book, and focuses on a series of murders of the Osage tribe members in the 1920s. The Osage Nation was transformed post the discovery of oil, and attracted the attention of a corrupt political boss.

DiCaprio’s character is a World War 1 veteran who comes back to stay with his uncle, the corrupt political boss, played by De Niro. Aided by the brainwashing of his uncle, he then gets romantically involved with Lily Gladstone’s character (a refreshing performance and casting), gets married and then has children with her.

Gladstone’s character belongs to the Osage tribe, and one by one, members of her family are found mysteriously dead. Thelma Schoonmaker’s movie editing kept me on the edge, waiting to see what happens next. Watch the movie to see how the story unfolds, the role that Brendan Fraser plays as De Niro’s lawyer (I loved this casting too) and the references to J. Edgar Hoover’s role. As an aside, I was reminded of DiCaprio’s portrayal of J. Edgar Hoover in Clint Eastwood’s ‘J. Edgar’.

Via ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, I got to know about some Native American customs. I also got to know about the impact and occurrence of diabetes among Native Americans. It was moving to see Gladstone’s character suffer because of the illness and her criminal husband, and heartening to see the quick recovery she makes when agents of the Bureau of Investigation help her.

I had noticed DiCaprio’s stained teeth in the movie, and recollect reading a review mentioning the same point. His handsome face acquired a different character because of this. The scene where he gets paddled is menacing, and yet again I marvelled at how Scorsese depicts violence. I also noticed Gladstone’s beautiful smile and expression in one scene (when she is driven in a motorcar), and later read that it was a spontaneous and unplanned reaction that was retained in the final cut.

I highly recommend watching this movie. The IMDB rating is now 7.6.

Beautiful Boy (2018)

When I logged into Prime after long, I came across ‘Beautiful Boy’ starring Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet. I like both performers, and started watching the movie without knowing anything about it. The pace of the movie startled me, and I then looked it up – the movie is based on books written by David and Nic Sheff, and portrays the impact of drug addiction on addicts and their families.

When I started undergoing treatment for mental health issues, I was angry that substance abuse is also considered a mental health disorder. My mind kept saying, “They have control over the intake, unlike my issues”. Now, I know better. Many addicts have other mental health issues as well, and it is saddening to think of what they go through.

I can’t say I can relate to substance abuse, but given my struggles with excessive sugar intake for the past 5 years, I understand substance abuse a bit more. It takes courage to admit to the issue, take steps to overcome the addiction, and stay clean for long periods. Family support can make a difference, as can psychological counselling.

Coming back to the movie, I loved the portrayal of the relationship of Timothy’ character with his stepmom and step-siblings, the difficult bond between the father and the son (the father desperately wants to help, but is unable to), the impact of drugs on academics and work. Timothy is already lean and he lost weight further for his role as the drug addict. This is the scary part for me always – when actors take their roles seriously and look the part.

The movie reminded me of ‘Requiem for a dream’ and Jared Leto’s heroin addicted character, and I know Jared is far more impactful. ‘Beautiful Boy’ is more for the parents who struggle with their children becoming addicts, who need to accept the low recovery rates, and who end up questioning their upbringing style.

As per John Hopkins, a nationally representative survey of more than 2,300 Americans, fielded in spring 2023, suggests that 32 percent of the U.S. adult population, or an estimated 82.7 million individuals, has lost someone they know to a fatal drug overdose. It makes me want to look up for India data, and I will do so sometime. This is not a holiday-season movie, but worth a watch.