By Alexis Blue
The southern summer had cooled to a tolerable temperature, but the heat at Club Juke was hotter than ever — with drinks flowing and feet moving on the dance floor. Sammie stood in the center of the juke, strumming his guitar as spirits from the past and future danced in circles from his Blues.
“There are legends of people with the gift of making music so true, it can conjure spirits from the past and the future,” said the film’s narrator.
Ryan Coogler’s film Sinners premiered on April 3 and was released April 18, ticket sales generating $48 million its first weekend in theaters and $45 million this past weekend according to the Variety. Coogler’s film is set in 1932, following the storyline of two twin brothers named Smoke and Stack — both played by Michael B. Jordan — as they return to the Mississippi Delta and find themselves face-to-face with the devil, so to speak.
Director and screenwriter for Fruitvale Station, Creed and Black Panther, Coogler dabbled in a new genre of horror with Sinners, while also tackling deeper truths. The film touches on Jim Crow racism rampant in the South during this time period, religion, and the larger role that music plays within society and culture — particularly Blues music, which gave voice to the stories of Black Americans at the hand of segregation.
When first watching the preview for the film, I don’t think I entirely grasped what kind of evil these “sinners” were facing, until further investigation showed that this evil was in fact… vampires. I let out an audible groan because, typically, I find vampires in film and television rather corny and overdone. Unpopular opinion — I could never understand the hype around Twilight because it is corny and the acting is too. Sue me! But Coogler’s jab at vampires on screen was tasteful and acknowledged the deeper role they played in religion as a tangible representation of the devil.
The theme of religion throughout the entire film begins in the opening scene. The movie opens to a strikingly white church into which Sammie “Preacher Boy” — played by Miles Caton — stumbles, the remnants of a guitar in hand. For one, I must applaud Caton for his role and vocals in this film because I was shook in my seat at the Mill Creek Cinema listening to him sing. I was even more shocked to find out that this was his debut Hollywood film at the ripe age of 20. I am incredibly impressed and hope to see more of Caton on the big screen.
In addition to Preacher Boy, I was enthralled by the casting and the acting in the film — chef’s kiss. Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Li Jun Li, Delroy Lindo and Jack O’Connell all made it nearly impossible to take my eyes off the screen.
Two characters I must acknowledge are Annie, played by Mosaku, and Delta Slim, played by Lindo. That feeling when you watch horror movies and think, “Gosh, why are these people so stupid?” and “Why are they running toward that really creepy noise?” was not really jumping out at me in this film — and we have Annie to thank for that. She is the voice of reason we all need in horror movies. As for Slim, he is the comedic break we needed amongst all the bloodsuckers, because two hours of straight panic would be exhausting.
Jordan’s role as both twins, Smoke and Stack, is also worth noting. The cinematography was seamless as both twins appeared on screen at the same time, making me forget that they were even being played solely by Jordan.
One of my overall favorite parts of this film was the care that Coolger took to build the audience’s relationships with the characters, with the plot revealing the antagonist over an hour into the film. This first hour of the film was spent well, developing the complexities of each character and foreshadowing their future sins.
The foreshadowing, the symbolism and the complex themes of this movie that transcend the oftentimes trite nature of vampires leave me still trying to uncover all the hidden messages tucked into the unexpectedness of this film. I challenge you to figure them out for yourselves, you bloodsuckers!
Alexis Blue is a junior at Cal Poly Humboldt, majoring in journalism and minoring in writing. She enjoys drinking coffee, sunsets on the beach and playing soccer.
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