“Killers of the Flower Moon,” the latest release from seasoned director Martin Scorsese, has been on the radar of film critics since 2017. At 80 years old, Scorsese shows no sign of slowing down in this momentous film.

Based on a book of the same name, the film highlights an incredibly grim period in Native American history: the Osage Indian Murders. Dozens of members of the Osage Nation were murdered over several years in the 1920s and 1930s, often at the command of William Hale and his nephew Ernest Burkhart, eerily portrayed by Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, respectively.

Several aspects of this film stuck out to me, but perhaps the most captivating element was the performance of Lily Gladstone. Gladstone, who grew up on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in Montana, plays an Osage woman named Mollie Burkhart. Targeted for their oil wealth, Mollie’s family was killed one by one during the Osage Murders.

Gladstone’s performance is, in one word, haunting. She brings a subtlety to the role that allows her to steal every scene she’s in. In an industry where emphasis is put on over-the-top performances, Gladstone offers a uniquely brilliant take on a complicated character.

I fully believe Gladstone gives the best performance of 2023 in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

In addition to Gladstone’s performance, Scorsese’s masterful direction inserts a variety of elements that demonstrate his genius, but what stuck out most to me was his use of shadows.

In a particularly haunting scene, De Niro sits at the end of a bed with half his face shielded in darkness — a visual that stuck with me well beyond my time sitting in the theater.

Running 206 minutes, “Killers of the Flower Moon” may seem intimidating, but every minute is worth it. By the end, you are only left craving more.