I was afraid Amazon Studios might release an earnest, noble film that would sugarcoat the real true story of Sarah Rector, the first black child to inherit oil wealth. Let's be honest - many films of its ilk tend to soften the realities of the time, specifically in the early 1900's when kindness and empathy were in short supply towards black people and the few white people who supported them. Thankfully, director Cyrus Nowrasteh aims to reveal the racism of the Jim Crow South and balance it with the hope and faith required to make that leap forward. This Sarah is no Disney-fied smart aleck - she is also self-aware and good with numbers.
Sarah Rector (an astonishing debut by Naya Desir-Johnson), an 11-year-old Oklahoma girl, hears the roar, the humming sound of oil rattling beneath her feet in land considered barren (anyone who has read or seen "Killers of the Flower Moon," another Oklahoma true story, knows what is coming next). Sarah is elated and enthusiastic about this discovery despite not seeing a drop of oil - she tells her parents that her God-given ears know it is true. It is 159 acres of land and, thanks to the Treaty of 1866, she is the owner of such land thanks to her Creek Indian ancestry. She convinces her father to venture to oil companies to determine the land's value. Most are reluctant to participate except for one, a seemingly courteous Jim Devnan (Garret Dillahunt), an oil company executive. Jim has his team drill and they find nothing (of course, they do. It turns out they want the land for themselves regardless of the signed deed to Sarah).
Along the way she meets friendly wildcatter Bert (Zachary Levi) at an all-white diner where he buys her a lemonade. A friendship grows between them when she insists that he helps her cultivate that oil along with Bert's trusty Mexican friend/partner, Mace (Mel Rodriguez). These two wildcatters seem too good to be true yet they turn out to be the good guys - they really want to aid Sarah in drilling that oil and making her wealthy. Naturally, the other oil prospectors led by Jim has them threatening Sarah and her family with guns. And Bert has lost money in his past prospecting missions, and no doubt that the oil execs will make a sweet financial deal with Bert while he becomes Sarah's guardian in order to protect her wealth.
"Sarah's Oil" could have been rougher in its depiction of the hardships of a young smart girl obtaining the mineral rights to the land. This is a simplified tale yet I was quite moved by it. Naya Desir-Johnson brings such vibrancy and hope to this Sarah Rector that you are swept along by her - you want her to succeed. Money is the name of the game and there is no way on God's green earth that these white businessmen and swindlers/con men will not get their greedy hands on the oil. You have to admire Sarah's tenacity and strength - she seems older than her years suggest. That is the beauty of "Sarah's Oil" - it is Sarah's story through and through and, despite the presence of the fictitious Bert and Mace, they are refreshingly not white saviors. Sarah is determined and proud and her religious parents, Joe and Rose (sincerely played by Kenric Green and Sonequa Martin-Green), are ready to support her daughter in her cause despite initial doubts by Pops (property tax alone of 30 dollars is tough on an impoverished family). As far as biographical tales go (we get too few about black pioneers in early 20th century America), this is that rare movie that feels inspired and inspiring.
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