On Nov. 7, “Sarah’s Oil” premiered in theaters, promising an engaging experience inspired by the true story of Sarah Rector, directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh. The historical biopic received mixed reviews and follows the story of Sarah Rector, a young African American girl who becomes an entrepreneur at age 11 after taking ownership of oil-rich land in early 1900s America, fighting for her success in the oil industry.

The story begins when Sarah, played by Naya Desir-Johnson, inherits a piece of land in 1907 through the federal allotment program established for members of the Muscogee Nation. Although it was a large parcel of land, it was initially considered barren and undesirable. When the first act begins in 1913, Sarah actively begins searching for an oil company to drill her land, but things quickly get complicated.

Sarah and her father find themselves ignored at every doorstep until a corrupt oil tycoon, Devnan, accepts their offer and leases the land. He builds an oil drill, inciting a chain of events centered around the battle for the property rights and deed of Rector’s land.

Along the way, Sarah partners with Texas wildcatters to maintain control of the land. This includes Mace, played by Mel Rodriguez, and Bert Smith, played by Zachary Levi, popular for his roles in “Shazam!” and “Tangled.” Throughout the film, Sarah grows close to Bert and Mace, sharing an affinity for each other in multiple scenes.

The film deals with dark subject matter based on real events in the confines of a PG rating. “Sarah’s Oil” is a family-friendly film with Christian undertones, weak acting, sanitized depictions of racism and a disregard for the Black perspective — all of which ultimately undermine the film.

Desir-Johnson is a promising child actress, but her performance is ultimately disappointing. She delivered her lines poorly and showed little expression, even in emotional scenes. Her portrayal of Rector was stiff and lacked personality, presenting the historical figure as more of a plot device than a real person.

Sarah often calls out people like Levi’s character and tells them not to cuss or think about their souls, coming across as an annoying character trying to be deeper than they actually are. Her constant prayer, often during time-sensitive activities, didn’t help her likability either. There is no way to prove what Rector was truly like in real life, but it was definitely a choice to characterize her as unfavorably self-righteous.

Another troubling moment occurs when Sarah and Bert drive to a predominantly Black town to have their oil examined by a geologist. During the drive, Bert suddenly refers to their destination as “coontown,” resulting in an uncomfortable silence. He quickly apologizes to Sarah, claiming he didn’t mean it. The subsequent dialogue between the two is awkward, poorly written and comes across as if it was written by someone with no personal understanding of racism.

Throughout the film, the depiction of racism remains surface-level and cartoonish, giving the impression that the movie is intended for a white audience. Even though white violence peaked in the decade in which the film is set — including massacres such as the 1919 Red Summer — the world depicted in “Sarah’s Oil” barely addresses these events and only briefly acknowledges the murders stemming from European American and Native American land disputes.

The character of Bert is a horrible person who the film silently centers as the main character. Even though the film is narrated by an adult Sarah, the film somehow manages to focus more on Bert’s actions and development. He betrays Sarah in the third act of the film and it is glossed over.

Simply put, the audience is meant to sympathize with him, even though he is entirely selfish. Overall, he is the only main character who makes big decisions that impact the plot — Sarah is just a pawn used by other characters.

However, Sonequa Martin-Green had the best performance in the film, showcasing great emotional depth — displaying her range and vulnerability as Rose Rector, Sarah’s mother. She shines with the small screen time her character is given, making her a key driving force to watch the movie.

Regarding historical inaccuracies, the character of Smith was entirely fictional, Rector is depicted as being treated kindly by many white characters and a fabricated rivalry with an oil tycoon makes the film heavily fictionalized.

Hopefully, “Sarah’s Oil” does not define a new standard for future Black movies of this quality to be made, but as encouragement to create and highlight more overlooked black stories. “Sarah’s Oil” is a success story about Black people defying odds, but it ultimately presents their journey in a disappointing manner that fails to inspire and truly tell their stories from a Black perspective.

Rating: 2/5