Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon is an absolute tour de force, a movie with an intimidating runtime that will be nominated in most if not all of the major categories at the 96th Academy Awards. The book-to-screen adaptation of David Grann’s enthralling non-fiction work that detailing the Osage Murders and the birth of the FBI left no stone unturned in its retelling of the cruel and vicious killings. The same is also true in regard to its exploration of the Native American tribe at the heart of its story.
While you wait for Killers of the Flower Moon to eventually join Apple TV+'s best movies on the streaming platform, now is as good time as any to watch a handful of documentaries that shed light on both the Osage Murders as well as other aspects of Native American history and culture. These seven films shed light on the rich cultures of the various tribes and their respective places in American history. So let's talk these out.
Osage Murders (2022)
Though rather short (it’s barely 13 minutes long), the documentary titled Osage Murders, provides an incredibly detailed and thorough dive into the systematic killings of wealthy members of the Native American tribe in the early 20th century. Directed by Dan Bigbee Jr., it focuses on the real-life events that would later appear in Killers of the Flower Moon, including the harrowing explosion at the Smith home in Fairfax.
There's a keen focus on the prominent families who made up the Osage population in the Oklahoma town as well as their history, culture and tragic deaths, which were the basis for Martin Scorsese’s crime epic. This insightful and well-made short film is a tremendous watch for those captivated by Scorsese's latest and want to learn more about the stories that inspired it.
Native America (2018 - 2023)
While Osage Murders mostly focuses on a single topic, the PBS docuseries Native America has a much larger scope and spends a considerably larger amount of time detailing practically every aspect of the American Indian experience dating back centuries. With episodes exploring the vast kingdoms and empires spread across the Americas to more modern times, it's next to impossible to come out of this experience not knowing more than you did going in.
If you're in search of a better understanding of Native American tribes and want greater context for the events depicted in Flower Moon, there are few better documentary series worth checking out.
Stream Native America on PBS.
Buy Native America on Amazon.
American Experience: We Shall Remain (2009)
Since its debut in 1988, PBS’ American Experience series has spent countless hours telling all kinds of stories about important and interesting events and people from the nation’s storied history That's included everything from the Civil Rights Movement to various military conflicts to pop culture. In 2009, the producers of the program turned their attention to Native American history with the multi-part series subtitled We Shall Remain.
Throughout five episodes ranging from 60 to 90 minutes in length each, this outstanding exploration of the Native American experience dives into the history and culture of various tribes that have all called the North American continent home. Starting in the 17 century and going to the American Indian Movement’s last stand at Wounded Knee in 1973, the series focuses on the triumphs and tragedies of America’s first inhabitants and what they’ve faced over the years.
Stream American Experience: We Shall Remain on Hoopla.
Stream American Experience: We Shall Remain on PBS.
Buy American Experience: We Shall Remain on Amazon.
The American Buffalo (2023)
If you are a fan of Ken Burns’ various documentaries like The Ninth Inning, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, The War and The Civil War, then the decorated documentarian’s 2023 effort, The American Buffalo, is worthy of a watch (if you haven’t already). Though its primary focus is on the buffalo throughout this three-part film, it also spends a large portion of its runtime discussing the interconnectedness of the animal and various Native American tribes.
The project details the symbiotic relationship of animal and man and the way in which American Indians honored the beast that sustained them for years. There's also focus placed on how the arrival of American business interests put both man and animal in jeopardy. All in all, the film provides greater context for Martin Scorsese’s sprawling epic of greed and evil.
Stream The American Buffalo on PBS.
Buy The American Buffalo on Amazon.
Reel Injun (2010)
Directed by Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge, and Jeremiah Hayes, the 2009 documentary, Reel Injun, chronicles the portrayal of Native people in various Hollywood movies. Through extensive interviews with filmmakers and actors like Graham Greene, Clint Eastwood, and several others, the documentary pieces together how depictions of Native tribes, have changed over the years. Films like Flower Moon flipping the narrative, allowing for more realistic portrayals that are representative of the people as opposed to having White men in makeup using terrible accents.
This is a particularly interesting documentary to check out after the 2023 new movie release for several reasons. First, it’s fascinating to see how depictions of Native people have evolved to what we saw in Martin Scorsese’s movie and, secondly, this production features interviews with the late Robbie Robertson, the former member of The Band and Scorsese’s longtime collaborator, who scored the new film.
Stream Reel Injun on Prime Video.
Stream Reel Injun on Tubi.
America's Hidden Stories (2019 - 2023)
The Smithsonian Channel’s America’s Hidden Stories series has spent three seasons diving into historical events and people who don’t seem to get enough attention as those with more well-known stories. The show’s third season opens with “The Osage Murders,” a documentary directed by late filmmaker David Bishop that detailed the reign of terror depicted in Killers.
David Bishop, a member of the Osage tribe who passed away a few weeks before the documentary aired, uses his time to explore the dark period in the reservation’s history. He also dives into his own family’s journey through extensive interviews and a visit to the land. This is a historical and personal account worth watching.
Buy America’s Hidden Stories on Amazon.
What Was Ours (2016)
Mat Hames’ 2017 documentary film, What Was Ours, follows a group of Native Americans as they travel to the Field Museum in Chicago in hopes of finding artifacts taken from Shoshone and Arapaho tribes in Wyoming years earlier. These ancestral items, like the journey to find them, teach the documentary’s subjects about their history and themselves along the way.
Far more personal and introspective than other documentaries on this list, What Was Ours still focuses on the big picture of Native history and culture, as well as the steps taken to preserve it for future generations.
Stream What Was Ours on Prime Video.
Just like Killers of the Flower Moon and its great depictions of Native American characters, these seven documentaries do a fantastic job of telling the story of Native people, their history and their culture. And while we don’t yet know when Martin Scorsese’s movies will be streaming for those with Apple TV+ subscriptions, these non-fiction series and films are more than enough to hold viewers over.
