Sarah’s Oil is a 2025 biographical drama about Sarah Rector, an 11-year-old girl whose “worthless” plot of land in Oklahoma turns out to be full of oil. The film tells the story of her struggle for her rights and dignity against corrupt tycoons for whom wealth matters more than human life.

In 1913, Sarah Rector inherits nearly 160 acres of barren land in Glenpool, Oklahoma. The family is poor, but Sarah, with the support of her mother Rose, believes there is oil beneath their land.

Sarah convinces her father to allow oil executive Jim Devnan to conduct a survey. Devnan discovers that the land is indeed rich in oil, but he keeps this a secret from the family because he wants to take their property for himself.

Devnan first sends his men, Earl and Jimsye, to steal the title deed. They fail, but they shoot and wound Sarah’s dog, which runs away.

Sarah therefore enlists the help of the rough-and-tumble driller Bert Smith—a con artist who preys on widows—and his Mexican partner, Mace. Together, they use the equipment left behind by Devnan and begin searching for oil on the property themselves. Gradually, the conflict over the oil and the land escalates.

Drama

USA, 2025, 103 min

Directed by: Cyrus Nowrasteh;

Starring: Zachary Levi, Naya Desir-Johnson, Sonequa Martin-Green, Garret Dillahunt, Mel Rodriguez, Kenric Green, Bridget Regan, Stelio Savante, Vic Trevino;

Parents Guide:

Racist attitudes toward Black people. Talk about a loose woman. Multiple instances of shooting or threatening with a gun. A dog being shot. Talk about breasts spilling out of a corset. A statement that she used to go to church until she got caught up in the oil rush. Bert maintains a fraudulent financial relationship with several widows. A few instances of fighting. A scene depicting the killing of two children over oil. The swear word “damn” is used several times. One instance of a man being shot. One instance of rambling about “Mother Earth.”

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