Sarah’s Oil turned out to be a surprisingly rich movie to review—both as a historical drama and as a story that pushes Christians to think more deeply about character, truth, and perseverance. Eve and I found ourselves returning to themes familiar to longtime AYJW listeners: the intersection of faith and movie, the tension between real history and storytelling, and the challenge of Christian discernment in a culture shaped by entertainment. Like movies we’ve discussed in past episodes such as Harriet and Hidden Figures, this movie uses a real-life figure—in this case, Sarah Rector—to explore issues of justice, hope, and integrity. So as we unpack this movie, we’re not just revisiting old territory; we’re pressing into what it means to watch with purpose in a world where “inspired by a true story” rarely means the whole story.
First Impressions of Sarah’s Oil
What surprised me most about Sarah’s Oil was how effectively it carried the emotional weight of a story we already knew the broad strokes of. Eve said simply that she enjoyed the movie, and I think that sums up the experience well. Sarah’s Oil blends tension, historical drama, and heartfelt storytelling, even though the outcome is never in doubt—we know Sarah Rector will become one of the wealthiest black girls in early 20th-century America. That predictability doesn’t weaken the narrative; if anything, it highlights the characters more than the plot.
The PG rating deserves a quick clarification. While appropriate for families, Sarah’s Oil includes racial slurs, drinking, sadness, and morally compromised characters. Eve suggested “ten and up,” which feels like the right threshold for parents who want to approach the film thoughtfully with their kids.
One unexpected limitation was the soundtrack—or lack thereof. Despite Kathryn Bostic’s excellent score, nothing has been released commercially, leaving listeners without the musical context we often highlight in AYJW episodes.
Audience turnout varied between our theaters, but both of us expect Sarah’s Oil to appear on Amazon Prime before too long, given its production backing.
Personally, I found the blend of coming-of-age storytelling and historical drama in Sarah’s Oil both warm and compelling. Racism is present but not sensationalized, and Sarah’s Oil avoids turning hardship into spectacle. And while some of Sarah’s involvement is dramatized beyond the historical record, the film’s emotional honesty still resonates. It’s a feel-good movie that never forgets the reality of its setting—and that’s a rare combination.
History as Fact or Fiction?
Movies “inspired by a true story” always walk a tightrope between accuracy and narrative impact, and Sarah’s Oil is no exception. One of the most significant uncertainties involves the portrayal of faith in Sarah Rector’s family. The historical record is simply silent. There’s no firm evidence confirming a personal, lived faith—but no evidence disproving it either. That silence raises a meaningful question for Christians who care about truth: when filmmakers add spiritual elements to historical figures, are they honoring the story or bending it?
This is the same discernment we apply in almost every AYJW episode. We regularly explore places where secular movie making injects themes contrary to Christian living, and the same principles apply here. The issue isn’t creative license—it’s whether that license is used responsibly.
In this case, the cultural context matters. The Rector family were Creek Freedmen, part of a community deeply shaped by Christianity in both enslaved and free households. Early 1900s Oklahoma operated on a kind of shared moral vocabulary; even unfaithful individuals often framed their decisions in religious terms. Against that backdrop, Sarah’s Oil’s portrayal of prayer and trust isn’t historically implausible—it’s culturally consistent.
Another helpful perspective is how close Sarah Rector’s lifetime is to ours. She passed away only a few years before I was born. That proximity means living memory—family stories, community narratives, and firsthand accounts—was still available to the filmmakers. Interviews with her descendants give credibility to the emotional contours of Sarah’s Oil even when specific scenes are dramatized.
Of course, any historical movie uses creative license. Timelines collapse, characters merge, and private moments get imagined. Eve noted that historical films exist to entertain first, even when they illuminate truth. Movies like Hidden Figures, Redtails, and 42 have shown how fiction can spark deeper engagement with real history, inviting viewers to learn more.
Eve compared this to biblical fiction, where authors fill in cultural details Scripture doesn’t describe. The Ark Encounter’s clear labeling of “fact” versus “creative license” is a helpful model. Christian storytellers should handle truth with transparency and integrity, even when creatively shaping it.
That leads us to Scripture, where truthfulness and encouragement go hand in hand.
“But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37)
“What then, brothers and sisters? Whenever you come together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Everything is to be done for building up.” (1 Corinthians 14:26)
“Learn to do what is good. Pursue justice. Correct the oppressor. Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.” (Isaiah 1:17)
In the end, Sarah’s Oil succeeds not by pretending to be a documentary, but by highlighting real wounds and real resilience. It invites viewers—especially Christians—to search beyond the surface and engage the true history with a discerning, honest mind.
Riggin’ Rights and Wrongs
One of the most striking lines in Sarah’s Oil comes when Burt tells young Sarah, “When the game is rigged, it’s best you do the rigging.” That line captures a whole worldview—a belief that injustice justifies retaliation. It’s a familiar attitude in our culture, and even more so in movies. But it’s an attitude Scripture rejects outright.
For Christians, there is never a circumstance where wrongdoing becomes righteous. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is filled with believers who held fast to Christ even when survival might have come from compromise. That contrast highlights a basic truth: following Jesus means refusing to mirror the world’s methods.
“Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
“But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct.” (1 Peter 1:15)
“You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice.” (Exodus 23:2)
“Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness or you’ll be like him yourself.” (Proverbs 26:4)
“Don’t envy a violent man or choose any of his ways; for the devious are detestable to the Lord, but he is a friend to the upright.” (Proverbs 3:31–32)
“Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)
“There is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered, nothing hidden that won’t be made known.” (Luke 12:2)
“Before the Lord, for he is coming—for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his faithfulness.” (Psalm 96:13)
When we look at biblical examples—Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and Jesus Himself—we see the opposite of Burt’s advice. They endured injustice without compromising holiness. And earlier in this episode, Eve reminded us through Jacob’s story that “men’s justice is never God’s justice.” That’s as true today as it was then.
Scripture consistently calls us not to “rig the game,” but to trust the God who judges rightly.
Discernment and Trustworthiness
Discernment plays a major role in Sarah’s Oil, especially in the movie’s handling of trust. Burt is introduced as a con man, yet he’s often kinder to Sarah than the world around her. She trusts him because he treats her with dignity in a moment when others refuse even basic kindness. But that trust becomes dangerous the moment Burt bends to pressure from the oil barons.
Sarah’s Oil illustrates how easily trust can be misplaced—especially by the vulnerable—and how discernment protects us from harm. Scripture teaches that discernment isn’t just a spiritual gift; it’s a skill Christians grow into.
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)
“But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)
“And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment.” (Philippians 1:9)
“Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)
Eve’s earlier reference to Jacob’s story reminds us that misplaced trust has consequences—and that God can use those painful experiences for growth. The Bereans in Acts offer the opposite picture: believers who examined everything carefully before embracing it. That’s discernment in action.
Even the assessor subplot in Sarah’s Oil reinforces the idea: one assessor is corrupt, one was honest, and their hospitality revealed their character. Discernment isn’t mystical—it’s practiced, tested, and lived out.
Conclusion
As we wrap up, I keep thinking about that moment earlier when Eve teased me about “patting myself on the back” for finding new angles on familiar themes. She wasn’t wrong, but seeing things from fresh perspectives is part of growing in discernment—and that’s something we hope to model on Are You Just Watching? Sarah’s Oil gave us new space to explore timeless questions: the relationship between history and storytelling, the temptation to meet injustice with compromise, and the importance of knowing whom—and what—to trust. Sarah’s true story is remarkable, but the film’s themes give us even more to think about. And as always, our aim isn’t just to watch, but to watch wisely—to think, test, grow, and help others watch with the critical thinking of an entertained Christian.
Please support the podcast!
Are You Just Watching? is listener supported. Special thanks to our current patrons: Isaias Santillano, Craig Hardee, Stephen Brown II, and David Lefton, for their generous support. We can't continue to share critical thinking for the entertained Christian without your financial help, so please head on over to our Patreon page and become one of our supporting patrons!
Share your feedback!
What did you think of Sarah's Oil? We would like to know, even if just your reactions to the trailer or the topics we shared in this episode. Or what general critical-thinking and entertainment thoughts or questions do you have? Would you like to suggest a movie or TV show for us to give a Christian movie review with critical thinking?
Please connect with us
First Impressions of Sarah’s Oil
What surprised me most about Sarah’s Oil was how effectively it carried the emotional weight of a story we already knew the broad strokes of. Eve said simply that she enjoyed the movie, and I think that sums up the experience well. Sarah’s Oil blends tension, historical drama, and heartfelt storytelling, even though the outcome is never in doubt—we know Sarah Rector will become one of the wealthiest black girls in early 20th-century America. That predictability doesn’t weaken the narrative; if anything, it highlights the characters more than the plot.
The PG rating deserves a quick clarification. While appropriate for families, Sarah’s Oil includes racial slurs, drinking, sadness, and morally compromised characters. Eve suggested “ten and up,” which feels like the right threshold for parents who want to approach the film thoughtfully with their kids.
One unexpected limitation was the soundtrack—or lack thereof. Despite Kathryn Bostic’s excellent score, nothing has been released commercially, leaving listeners without the musical context we often highlight in AYJW episodes.
Audience turnout varied between our theaters, but both of us expect Sarah’s Oil to appear on Amazon Prime before too long, given its production backing.
Personally, I found the blend of coming-of-age storytelling and historical drama in Sarah’s Oil both warm and compelling. Racism is present but not sensationalized, and Sarah’s Oil avoids turning hardship into spectacle. And while some of Sarah’s involvement is dramatized beyond the historical record, the film’s emotional honesty still resonates. It’s a feel-good movie that never forgets the reality of its setting—and that’s a rare combination.
History as Fact or Fiction?
Movies “inspired by a true story” always walk a tightrope between accuracy and narrative impact, and Sarah’s Oil is no exception. One of the most significant uncertainties involves the portrayal of faith in Sarah Rector’s family. The historical record is simply silent. There’s no firm evidence confirming a personal, lived faith—but no evidence disproving it either. That silence raises a meaningful question for Christians who care about truth: when filmmakers add spiritual elements to historical figures, are they honoring the story or bending it?
This is the same discernment we apply in almost every AYJW episode. We regularly explore places where secular movie making injects themes contrary to Christian living, and the same principles apply here. The issue isn’t creative license—it’s whether that license is used responsibly.
In this case, the cultural context matters. The Rector family were Creek Freedmen, part of a community deeply shaped by Christianity in both enslaved and free households. Early 1900s Oklahoma operated on a kind of shared moral vocabulary; even unfaithful individuals often framed their decisions in religious terms. Against that backdrop, Sarah’s Oil’s portrayal of prayer and trust isn’t historically implausible—it’s culturally consistent.
Another helpful perspective is how close Sarah Rector’s lifetime is to ours. She passed away only a few years before I was born. That proximity means living memory—family stories, community narratives, and firsthand accounts—was still available to the filmmakers. Interviews with her descendants give credibility to the emotional contours of Sarah’s Oil even when specific scenes are dramatized.
Of course, any historical movie uses creative license. Timelines collapse, characters merge, and private moments get imagined. Eve noted that historical films exist to entertain first, even when they illuminate truth. Movies like Hidden Figures, Redtails, and 42 have shown how fiction can spark deeper engagement with real history, inviting viewers to learn more.
Eve compared this to biblical fiction, where authors fill in cultural details Scripture doesn’t describe. The Ark Encounter’s clear labeling of “fact” versus “creative license” is a helpful model. Christian storytellers should handle truth with transparency and integrity, even when creatively shaping it.
That leads us to Scripture, where truthfulness and encouragement go hand in hand.
In the end, Sarah’s Oil succeeds not by pretending to be a documentary, but by highlighting real wounds and real resilience. It invites viewers—especially Christians—to search beyond the surface and engage the true history with a discerning, honest mind.
Riggin’ Rights and Wrongs
One of the most striking lines in Sarah’s Oil comes when Burt tells young Sarah, “When the game is rigged, it’s best you do the rigging.” That line captures a whole worldview—a belief that injustice justifies retaliation. It’s a familiar attitude in our culture, and even more so in movies. But it’s an attitude Scripture rejects outright.
For Christians, there is never a circumstance where wrongdoing becomes righteous. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is filled with believers who held fast to Christ even when survival might have come from compromise. That contrast highlights a basic truth: following Jesus means refusing to mirror the world’s methods.
When we look at biblical examples—Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and Jesus Himself—we see the opposite of Burt’s advice. They endured injustice without compromising holiness. And earlier in this episode, Eve reminded us through Jacob’s story that “men’s justice is never God’s justice.” That’s as true today as it was then.
Scripture consistently calls us not to “rig the game,” but to trust the God who judges rightly.
Discernment and Trustworthiness
Discernment plays a major role in Sarah’s Oil, especially in the movie’s handling of trust. Burt is introduced as a con man, yet he’s often kinder to Sarah than the world around her. She trusts him because he treats her with dignity in a moment when others refuse even basic kindness. But that trust becomes dangerous the moment Burt bends to pressure from the oil barons.
Sarah’s Oil illustrates how easily trust can be misplaced—especially by the vulnerable—and how discernment protects us from harm. Scripture teaches that discernment isn’t just a spiritual gift; it’s a skill Christians grow into.
Eve’s earlier reference to Jacob’s story reminds us that misplaced trust has consequences—and that God can use those painful experiences for growth. The Bereans in Acts offer the opposite picture: believers who examined everything carefully before embracing it. That’s discernment in action.
Even the assessor subplot in Sarah’s Oil reinforces the idea: one assessor is corrupt, one was honest, and their hospitality revealed their character. Discernment isn’t mystical—it’s practiced, tested, and lived out.
Conclusion
As we wrap up, I keep thinking about that moment earlier when Eve teased me about “patting myself on the back” for finding new angles on familiar themes. She wasn’t wrong, but seeing things from fresh perspectives is part of growing in discernment—and that’s something we hope to model on Are You Just Watching? Sarah’s Oil gave us new space to explore timeless questions: the relationship between history and storytelling, the temptation to meet injustice with compromise, and the importance of knowing whom—and what—to trust. Sarah’s true story is remarkable, but the film’s themes give us even more to think about. And as always, our aim isn’t just to watch, but to watch wisely—to think, test, grow, and help others watch with the critical thinking of an entertained Christian.
Please support the podcast!
Are You Just Watching? is listener supported. Special thanks to our current patrons: Isaias Santillano, Craig Hardee, Stephen Brown II, and David Lefton, for their generous support. We can't continue to share critical thinking for the entertained Christian without your financial help, so please head on over to our Patreon page and become one of our supporting patrons!
Share your feedback!
What did you think of Sarah's Oil? We would like to know, even if just your reactions to the trailer or the topics we shared in this episode. Or what general critical-thinking and entertainment thoughts or questions do you have? Would you like to suggest a movie or TV show for us to give a Christian movie review with critical thinking?
Please connect with us
Tim
Where theology, technology, and storytelling quietly collide.
About the Author
Disciple of the Christ, husband of one, father of four, veteran of the United States Army, and geek to the very core, Tim remembers some of the 1970s and still tries to forget much of the 1980s. He spends his days working as a Unified Communications Engineer in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and too many nights in the clutches of a good story—whether found in a book, on a screen, at a gaming table, or in the essays he writes for his Substack, The Long Watch.