“For just a few hours, we were free.”
Set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta, “Sinners” tells the story of a pair of Black twins, Smoke and Stack, effortlessly played by Michael B. Jordan, to the point you can tell the twins apart, despite being played by the same actor.
Directed by Ryan Coogler, this film encompasses sex, violence, the blues, racism, and the connection between the colonization of the Irish and the mistreatment of African Americans, and much, much more.
I don’t even know where to start with this film; the soundtrack repeatedly sent chills down my spine. In addition to the Smoke and Stack twins, Miles Caton portrays Sammie Moore, a preacher’s son who feels drawn to the blues despite his father discouraging it.
In addition to Canton’s voice being smooth as water, the intertwining of these storylines through both editing and acting draws in the viewer without revealing too much of the story until the end.
The song choice for the soundtrack left me speechless; “Pick Poor Robin Clean” reminded me of the cultural appropriation of the blues, with white people using African American culture for entertainment while still abusing and taking advantage of the same people they are stealing from.
The cinematography of “Sinners” is unparalleled by any other movie I’ve seen this year. The lighting, shading, and mise-en-scène pull you in, and it feels like you are experiencing the film with the characters. Much of this can be credited to Ruth Carter for costuming, with small details drawing your attention to the desired focal point of every scene.
Smoke and Stack’s costuming fits their characters and personalities stunningly, while Mary (Hailee Steinfeld) stands out as one of the few white women in the film, wearing different fabrics than the rest of the Black characters to emphasize the difference in their upbringing and struggle.
The movie employs cinematography devices that I don’t want to spoil if you haven’t seen it yet, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen many of these tricks done.
One example of this is the use of contacts to change the actors’ eye colors, almost illuminating them. The film hired a specialist to reference the way that animal eyes glow when hit with light in the dark, using a special material to create contacts with a glowing effect.
There are so many hidden easter eggs in this film that every time I re-watch it, I discover more and more; in the introductory scene with the preacher in the church, he is surrounded by three crosses: the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, as much of this film also explores religious themes.
From the beginning of the film, the viewer is aware that something is amiss due to the tense scenes and recurring symbolism – Stack stabbing the rattlesnake in the head with Smoke’s knife, if interpreted through Christian beliefs, could represent a warning of impending change or temptation, while also illustrating how they work better together.
Bert (Peter Dreimanis) and Joan (Lola Kirke) are Klansmen, and I won’t spoil more than that, except for the symbolism of the vultures sitting on top of their house before a crucial plot point is revealed. These same vultures return to circle the roof of the Juke Joint on its opening night, revealing that a death or disaster will soon happen.
The entire cast performs stunningly, and this might be the best role Hailee Steinfeld has ever performed in, and many of her lines had me giggling until I spat out my drink, or sped my heart up.
If you watch this film, you must pay attention to the small details, because everything has meaning.
Now, I may include some minor spoilers about this film in the following section.
One of my favorite aspects of this film is the time spent developing the characters, their pasts, and their relationships. The writer doesn’t introduce a character just to kill them off – the viewer becomes enveloped within their life, so that their death hits much harder.
Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) is a lovable doorman, and the viewer sees his initial hesitation to help with the Juke Joint due to his experiences with racism, making his death hurt so much more.
Annie’s character (Wunmi Mosaku) is filled with symbolism, with her house (especially the doorway) being covered in haint blue, along with her clothing and beads, to ward off evil spirits.
Also, this may be the only film I have ever seen that the post-credit scene genuinely changed my perspective on the storyline; I thought this film couldn’t get much better until I saw that scene, which added even deeper character development.
Finally, Sammie singing the same song he sang to Stack at the beginning of the film in the post-credit scene was the cherry on top that I didn’t know I needed.
Rating: 5/5
