Sarah’s Oil Parent Guide

Sarah Rector isn’t your average eleven-year-old girl. Life is economically precarious for her Black family in 1913 but Sarah has an ace in the hole: her land. Descended from Black people enslaved by Creek tribal members in Oklahoma, Sarah is entitled to a land grant of 160 acres.

Although it’s deemed worthless, the young girl feels an immediate bond with her land and is convinced that she hears rivers of oil running underground. Sarah has more than just a belief in the presence of oil in her land: she also possesses rock-solid self-confidence and preternatural maturity. Determined to raise $30 to pay her property taxes, Sarah drags her father from one oil company to another trying to interest them in exploratory drilling. After companies either dismiss them or attempt to exploit them, Sarah joins forces with Bert Smith, a wildcatter with a history of swindling wealthy widows.

All oil exploration is risky, but Sarah Rector faces more challenges than usual. Racism, corporate violence, and the wholesale use of white guardianship for Black children all complicate the perilous world in which she lives. Finding oil is likely to be the easy part – holding onto her land and its wealth will be far more difficult and dangerous.

Given that Sarah Rector was once known as the “richest colored girl in America”, there’s not much suspense in the plot. And sadly, the playbook of white oilmen and grifters ripping off people of color will be all too familiar. This film brings the tale down to a PG level, making the story and its issues accessible to a wider audience. Sarah’s Oil is not a particularly sophisticated film, but it effectively delivers themes of courage, dignity, faith, honesty, persistence, and racial equality.

Unfortunately, this production’s weaknesses detract from the impact of its story. Although Naya Desir-Johnson delivers plenty of courage and spunk in her portrayal of Sarah Rector, the adult cast members are less impressive. Zachary Levi is particularly bad, turning in a performance so bug-eyed and goofy that it makes his character in Shazam! look serious. In fact, thanks to Mr. Levi, this movie has a weird vibe that feels like someone crossed Killers of the Flower Moon with The Apple Dumpling Gang.

Complaints aside, Sarah’s Oil provides a kid-friendly introduction to big issues in American history, racial discrimination, and resource development. Aside from a few racial slurs, the only real issue in the film is violence, which is on the high end for a PG-rated film. There are repeated scenes of firearms threat, with a dog and a man being shot off-screen. Children are shot at and threatened with guns and there is mention of children being murdered. Throw in other scenes of beatings and explosion, and this film is too scary for little kids. But for older children, there are some decent lessons to be learned. Sarah’s Oil might not be a great film, and it is a very loose adaptation of the true story, but it still has lessons to teach.

About author

Kirsten Hawkes

Kirsten Hawkes has a BA in Political Science and English and has worked in international development and medical education and marketing. Kirsten enjoys reading, watching movies, and debating politics with her husband and sometimes unwilling children.