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| Poster for 'Sarah's Oil.' Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios. |
Naya Desir-Johnson triumphed as the eponymous character of Sarah's Oil. She channeled intelligence, comic relief, and proud spirit in her role as child oil baron Sarah Rector. I also enjoyed Zachary Levi's role as Sarah's business partner Bert Smith with his Southwestern charm and protectiveness over Sarah. You'll also appreciate the performance of Sonequa Martin-Green as Sarah's mother, the costume designing by Michael T. Boyd, the scoring by Kathryn Bostic, and the filming in Oklahoma where the story took place.
In the early 1900s, Sarah Rector, played by Desir-Johnson, was granted land that, unbeknownst to people of power at the time, had crude oil gushing underneath the infertile land. With help wildcatter from Bert Smith, played by Levi, and her family, and eventually others in Oklahoma, Sarah shows certain racist people that she will stop at nothing to drill for that oil and make a great life for her, her family, and maybe other people of color around the state.
I liked Desir-Johnson's performance and the characterization of Sarah. She was just 11 years old, but she was outspoken in her Christian faith and well-versed in business slang. She was so smart that she beat Bert's friend Mace, played by Mel Rodriguez, in chess on probably her first try. She even could see through Bert trying and failing to con wealthy widows to help their oil business.
Aside from laughing at Bert's trouble with conning widows, I liked his friendly demeanor and how he was willing to go through lengths to keep Sarah safe. Like Michael Oher to Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side, Sarah played a foil to Bert, making him want to be a better man and be one of few non-colored people to stand up for blacks during such harsh times, including when he got her a lemonade when a whites-only restaurant denied her one.
I commend Sonequa Martin-Green's performance as Sarah's mother Rose. Despite the trials, such as enforcers sent to steal Sarah's deed to the land, she did her best to stay strong for the family and remind them to keep their heads high instead of being terrorized.
The score from Kathryn Bostic did good with illustrating the trouble brewing for Sarah's family while also incorporating some good gospel or Southern music to remind them that their moments of victory were ahead. You'll also like the costumes for the cast making them look their best even in the darkest of times. The filming in Oklahoma reminded me of Sinners. And the film reminded me of Marshall, where both blacks and whites learned to work together to change the system in the Jim Crow era.
I give the film an 8.5/10. I just would've liked a different ending on Bert's part, where he'd stay with the family instead of looking for his next prospecting job. But then again, this is Sarah's story, and it was well-told. I recommend Sarah's Oil. You'll commend Naya Desir-Johnson's empowering performance.
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