1 month later, here's our thoughts on sinners

It’s been a month since Sinners hit the screens — Ryan Coogler’s ambitious Southern-set horror epic that has stirred conversation and imagination alike. As the dust settles, we’re left with a film that is as haunting as it is heartfelt, one that both dazzles and frustrates, and ultimately stays with you long after the credits roll.

The South as More Than a Backdrop

From the very first frames, Sinners establishes its devotion to the Black South — a region often misunderstood, caricatured, or overlooked in mainstream cinema. Coogler doesn’t shy away from its painful history or the contradictions that define it. Instead, he paints a complex portrait: cotton fields and dusty roads, sharecroppers and juke joints, and the vibrancy of a culture born from struggle and resilience. The film opens with an animated tribute to West African griots and ancestral artistry before landing in 1932 Clarksdale, Mississippi, grounding the story in rich heritage.

Meet the Twins and the Soul of the Story

At the heart of the film are twin brothers Smoke and Stack, played with fiery intensity by Michael B. Jordan. They return from Chicago to their hometown, carrying not just illegal liquor but a dream — to open a juke joint that celebrates Black music and life. The brothers’ dynamic is magnetic: Smoke is the quieter, tender soul bound by grief and love, while Stack is loud, unapologetic, and fiercely alive.

Yet, the real emotional anchor is their young cousin Sammie, a gifted blues musician torn between his supernatural talent and the church-bound expectations of his preacher father. Sammie’s coming-of-age journey adds depth and structure, inviting us to witness a young man’s struggle to find his voice in a world shadowed by oppression and spiritual conflict.

A Story That Swells but Sometimes Stumbles

Coogler takes his time, luxuriating in the small moments — the laughter, the music, the intimacy — before introducing the film’s horror element: Jack O’Connell’s Remmick, a vicious Irish vampire with sinister designs. This shift brings with it a darker, more chaotic energy, but also exposes some of the film’s struggles.

While the vampire mythos is cleverly woven into the narrative, adding intriguing layers like memory absorption alongside the classic traits of garlic and stakes, the villain’s motivations feel thin and underexplored. The pacing suffers as the story tries to juggle sprawling themes, from racism and ancestral ties to love and faith, resulting in moments that don’t always land with the emotional weight they deserve.

Bold Themes and Sensuality That Set Sinners Apart

Where Sinners truly shines is in its refusal to dumb down its message or resort to blunt, explanatory takes on race and history. Instead, Coogler invites a Black audience to engage with questions rarely seen so fully explored on screen — the tension between Christianity and ancestral spirituality, what it means to be Black and belong, and the beauty born from complexity and love against the odds.

The film’s sensuality is unapologetic and mature. Scenes of intimacy, especially between Stack and Mary, push boundaries with humor and rawness, while the tender reunion of Smoke and Annie adds a layer of poignant grief and healing. This honesty about adult desire brings a fresh and thrilling dimension to the story.

A Cinematic Celebration of Black Southern Culture

The film reaches its emotional peak during a jubilant musical sequence where Sammie’s blues meet ancestral rhythms and contemporary hip-hop, blending past, present, and future in a vibrant, transcendent moment. It’s a powerful reminder that Black Southern culture is a living, breathing force — soulful, diverse, and uncontainable.

Final Thoughts: Almost Greatness, but Worth the Journey

Sinners is a bold, ambitious film that doesn’t fully hold together but rewards viewers who immerse themselves in its world. Coogler’s reverence for the Black South and his complex characters offer something rare in horror cinema — a story that is both culturally rich and emotionally resonant.

The film’s uneven pacing and loose narrative in its latter half keep it from achieving the greatness it reaches for, yet its thematic depth and unique voice make it a haunting, unforgettable experience.

A month later, Sinners lingers in our minds — a film that might not be perfect but is absolutely worth watching, discussing, and celebrating for what it tries to do: capture the soul of a region, a people, and a culture that refuse to be forgotten.