SINNERS: first anniversary of the first watch.
mid-morning on april 24, 2025 in the AMC lincoln square in a seat in front of the biggest IMAX screen in the country, my life changed.
SINNERS, written and directed by ryan coogler.
i was deeply moved during my first experience with the film, smiles and shivers and tears silently rolling down my face again and again – sammie singing for the first time in the car, delta slim’s recounting of terror and tragedy, the surreal montage, smoke’s first real smile, stack reminiscing on the best day of their lives. beyond the storytelling, the technical craft astounded me – the cinematography, wardrobe, production design, screenplay, score and soundtrack, every detail.
however, given how synonymous SINNERS now is with me today (my phone was flooded with messages during awards season as if i too had worked on the film), i expect my first reaction walking out of the theater would surprise people. some might even call it tepid. i don’t say this with regret – my initial words were honest and measured. truthfully, they felt more like pieces of tinder just starting to catch fire.
an excerpt from my april 25, 2025 journal entry:
“thoroughly enjoyed myself. i think [SINNERS] is a film that i will only enjoy more as i see it.
and i love when that happens!…i know this is the least i like this movie.”
an odd thing to say about something i enjoyed. and yet, it felt right. i could already sense that every other time i experienced the film, it would be better. it would be more. and is it ever – 39 watches later, it’s a revelation. a soul-stirring reminder of Black people’s joy and resistance in the midst of bigotry and oppression. an example of the power of collaboration with peers you care deeply about. a testament to how a commitment to telling small, personal stories can lead to astronomical, global, and meaningful impact.
SINNERS’ four oscars showcase the same four areas of the film i’ve been drawn to from my first watch: the writing, the cinematography, the music, and michael b. jordan’s acting performance.
ryan coogler’s original screenplay, in particular, his austere writing – minimal dialogue and even more minimal exposition – to pull us into the world, is a wonder. in SINNERS, we learn new pieces of information, new tidbits of lore, until the very end of the film. and we largely learn who characters are by what they do during the runtime. coogler takes his time, meticulously introducing us to the community members, to the very people we know will be dead by the end of the film, to weave his story of resistance, religion, racism, and freedom in the 1930s jim crow south. he accomplishes this without sacrificing entertainment, without sacrificing the fun that people want to experience in the theater. the mastery of this delicate balance is something we’ve come to expect from coogler’s filmography, and yet, it consistently blows me away. his ability to tell grounded, personal stories that deeply resonate with ever-widening audiences. to put butts in seats with STORIES. as a fellow writer, coogler’s pen is worthy of envy, but i’d rather be in awe.
along with the written word, SINNERS’ cinematography is immediately arresting. the color grade, the saturation, the film stock, the lighting, the lenses. the first full shot of the church in IMAX 70MM was a breathtaking moment – i didn’t know how i knew the church was one of cinematographer autumn durald arkapaw’s favorite scenes to shoot in the entire film, but i just knew. her thoughtfulness, technical precision, and eye as both a still and motion picture photographer make the film a feast for our eyes. we can feel the heat of the juke, the chill of the vampires, we can see the oppressive sun, the ominous moon, the richness and variety of skin tones. it just looks GOOD.
it sounds good too. ludwig göransson’s work on the SINNERS original score is some of his best along with being his most personal. as a composer, his dedication to creating poignant musical soundscapes and continuously working with creatives he’s inspired by and cares for (notably coogler and christopher nolan) already has him seated as one of our preeminent composers today, with 3 oscars under his belt in his early 40s. it’s the connection between friends and family expressed through the SINNERS original score that speaks to me – coogler and göransson’s long-standing friendship, ludwig’s father’s love of the guitar stemming from the blues, from the time and place of coogler’s film, ludwig’s father’s love of the guitar becoming his own love of the guitar, metal being göransson’s version of his father’s blues, ludwig and serena’s (göransson) love and roles as music and life partners. during this awards season, goransson made a point to thank the cast for their work and the inspiration they too provided for his original music. he wasn’t just composing for his dear friend ryan; it was for every other person who cares for coogler along with him – coogler’s longtime creative partners, and those newly added to the family with their work on the film.
at the head of the list of coogler’s longtime creative partners is of course michael b. jordan. i’ve had my quibbles with jordan’s acting (still do honestly), but it’s because i think he’s capable of more as an actor than he’s been showcasing in his films over the past decade. he’s wallace. a character loss that haunts me and so many others forever because jordan embodied the role. i was yearning for him to step into what i believe is the full potential of his power as an actor. hoping he’d get a role to both settle into and elevate. to do more and be more. smoke and stack floored me. i’m endlessly mesmerized by his skill in portraying two interconnected and yet wholly independent men, with their own lives, loves, dreams, fears – enough for us to grieve them separately. ONE MAN did this. a welcome surprise, and also no shock that he performed at his highest level as two men who know exactly who they are. after a career full of coming-of-age stories and journeys, jordan in his late 30s breathed life into men in their 30s. his diligence in crafting their personas and conviction in embodying them onscreen is worthy of much praise, and it was such a delight to see him be recognized by his peers for a job well done.
and all of that is the external. what the film is and has meant to the general audience. internally, SINNERS found me in the midst of extended unemployment with time, an open mind, and anxiety. it became a sanctuary within a sanctuary. a film to call home. through the film, i found my voice as an analytical expositor, a clarifier, a tastemaker. my hyperfixation spilled over into teaching, into helping others understand the connections between the narrative and the technical that make the film a feat of human ingenuity. it’s shown me that people beyond me are craving the deep level of analysis my brain seems wired to do. it’s taught me that sharing is my instinct and that i can be a conduit to people understanding film, to people understanding stories. one year ago, SINNERS was my start, and there’s no end in sight.
