OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

I can’t stop thinking about Sinners…

The lighting and costumes have been seared into the retinas of my eyes. Ludwig Göransson’s score echoes in my brain at all times of the day. Sinners is an emotional journey that haunts you long after you leave the theatre, defined by the phenomenal performances, Michael P. Shawver's tight editing, and Coogler’s layered script. I could write at length about why all these elements work - but the truth is that you have to experience the film yourself to truly feel it. 

Writing about the script, the editing, and the plethora of themes that seem to relate to Coogler’s own struggle with creating art in a capitalist system requires an essay diving into each reveal from the film - and I can’t in good conscience ruin these surprises for the reader. But I can write a small portion about the role of dual performances and identity, which highlight the narrative and technical strengths of the film and which begin the discussion about those larger themes. Each of these elements is defined by the time before the vampires and the time after - an indication of the transformation that the characters undergo by the horrors of this one night. 

The first key component in the double performance category is its musical score. Sinners is a movie about African American music. Including all styles of music - from African drumming, to blues and rock music - is critical to the narrative of the film and to the journey of our protagonist, Sammie. Additionally, due to the period piece nature of the film, the score also has to enforce the expectations for its time period - and effectively transform into a horror score once the vampiric element of the film is revealed to the audience. These are the complexities required for a score for Sinners, and Ludwig Göransson manages to meet and exceed these expectations. 

Ludwig Göransson has quickly become one of my favourite composers of the last 5 years, largely due to the all-encompassing style of his soundscapes. It’s impossible to limit Göransson’s scores to just the musical instruments, because his scores define the rhythm of each scene and every soundcue that is within the film. This is the second identity of Sinners' score - it begins as a period piece score which bends into surrealism with the film's narrative, but as the tension increases in the film, the score begins to morph into something more terrifying. The vampiric cult is defined by their music which lacks the chaotic flow of the blues - and after their arrival, the rhythm of the film becomes rigid and tense. The score functions as an audible edit of the film, and it’s impressive work. 

The second dual identity lies in the production & costume design. The first act is primarily centered on introducing the audience to this world - a hefty task for the production design. Each locale that the twins visit to recruit from are decorated to the time period - and feel constructed from that very time. Wooden buildings are critical to Sinners’ world, and it makes every locale feel tactile. The handmade signs, and the era appropriate automobiles, create the authenticity required for the audience to buy into the film - and additionally, create the impression of safety & cultural independence required for the film’s themes. 

It’s clear in the first act that institutional racism is thriving - as seen from the cotton fields and the chain-gang - yet the social layer of Sinners seems independent of these horrors. Segregation has apparently created a society where African Americans are free to be themselves, treated with dignity at the train station, able to purchase goods from the local stores, and free to share their beliefs with one another. This, of course, is an illusion that comes crumbling down in the second half of the film - but for the first act, the audience begins to find safety in this world. We begin to buy into the illusion that the Juke Joint is a safe place - with its warm color grade and lantern point lighting… but that all crumbles once the vampires arrive. After this point, the production design takes on new meaning - the automobiles are outside, where the vampires hunt. The building is no longer a place of freedom, where the camera can float through the crowds in long tracking shots - but rather a small, cramped prison where no one is safe. The clothing which once emphasized the freedom to dance is now a point of vulnerability for the cast - and the entire mood shifts under the tension of the film. 

Lastly, the entire cast delivers phenomenal performances defined by the onset of the vampires. Michael B. Jordan plays both Smokestack twins - and differentiates these performances through the varied emotional vulnerability offered to each twin. Stack is far more guarded - even when interacting with Mary, his lover from long ago. Jordan leans into the sarcastic/domineering side of Stack with his dialogue cadence, and that subtle change makes Stack feel far different than Smoke. Smoke, by proxy, is far more emotionally vulnerable - as we see through his relationship to Annie, his estranged wife - and small sequences when Smoke visits the grave of their dead child. Jordan keeps this compassionate character much softer relative to his portrayal of Stack, and it makes for two compelling characters that demand the screen. 

Hailee Steinfeld has the second critical double performance, as Mary, Stack’s lover. While Steinfeld isn’t playing two distinct characters in the same way as Jordan, there is a clear shift in her performance of Mary that is indicative of the performance shifts present in the film for the entire cast. Steinfeld’s performance for Mary is largely one defined by spite and visible hurt - Mary is clearly processing feelings for Stack throughout the opening of the film, and confronting him, with the goal of finding closure. Steinfeld’s performance is biting - and especially when interacting with Jordan, we witness Steinfeld utilize hurt to emphasize her statements. This is heavily contrasted with her interactions with the rest of the cast, which are defined by courtesy, gentleness, and nonchalance. It’s a performance that is very distinct from after the vampires are introduced to the film - where Steinfeld becomes far more assertive in her interactions with Jordan. Where previous interactions can be defined as subtly flirtatious, this later performance dives into seduction - and it’s a powerful change that emphasizes the shift in the film's tone in the second half of the film. 

This shift in performance can also be seen in Li Jun Li’s performance as Grace Chow. Grace, a shop-owner, is a demanding presence in the film’s opening. Grace negotiates with Smoke in a battle of wits, and Jun Li’s performance emphasizes Grace being in full control of the situation. Yet, when the vampires arrive, we see that performance shift dramatically into one of desperation. Jun Li’s performance becomes far more feral as the narrative evolves in perfect step with the escalating tension of the film. 

The only performer who lacks a double performance is Miles Caton, as Sammie, our protagonist - and yet, Caton manages to bring the most depth to the film. Largely, this is a result of Sammie’s character lacking the sharp angles that the rest of the ensemble has - Sammie as a character, is building a core identity, while the remaining cast is already defined by their life and actions. This is accentuated by Caton’s range - Caton’s portrayal of joy, terror, fear, and curiosity are far more raw and ‘undefined’ compared to the rest of the cast. There is a wonder element to Caton’s performance that pulls you into the narrative - especially once Caton begins to sing and brings out that resonator guitar. His musical performance is equally impressive, and it heightens the already out of body experience from the score. 

As a whole, Sinners is a film about the tension between cultural and individual identity - and it’s greatest strengths lie in the layers of meaning Coogler extracts from each and every interaction. Sinners is a film that manages to be energetic and intoxicating, while leaving the audience in a state of ponder after the credits roll. For a blockbuster vampire horror movie, the layers of depth within the screenplay, and every technical decision, create a must see experience that you won’t soon forget.