Still In Bloom

Sinners is not only the best film of 2025, but one of the greatest films ever made, regardless of whether Hollywood recognizes it as such.

Sinners is a perfect film, from the casting, to the cinematography, to the music, and the writing. This movie blends vampirism, spirituality, blues and the Mississippi Delta for a ride like no other.

I just watched for the *11th* time and there’s not a piece of Sinners that isn’t award worthy. I’ve seen it in every format I could (IMAX, 70mm, AMC Laser, and at home on Blu-ray). Each and every time, I did notice something different. That, to me, is the epitome of a great film. When the end credits roll, you can start it over. You can never get tired of it, always discover new things. Where you can be entertained and informed.

Everything is so rich, and I’m going to breakdown all there is to love, from its originality, to its themes, and the craft making of it all.

Originality & Inspirations

Similar to Black Panther, director Ryan Coogler explores ancestral reconnection in this film. This film can be considered a love letter to Coogler’s Uncle James, as many of the inspirations for Sinners is drawn from his love for the blues.

Coogler once viewed the blues as “old man music”, but found comfort in it after his beloved uncle passed away. Buddy Guy, who plays an older version of Sammy in the film, was Uncle James’ favorite musician.

I also consider this film a love letter to the South. We don’t always get to see the South, especially Black people in the South, represented in such a beautiful and complex way. This representation felt timely with 2025’s Met Gala theme entitled, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style“.

Black Southerners were stylish, and dressed down even when they were marching for freedom.

The South was just one inspiration for this film, as the inspiration for the vampires came from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. There were many other influences for Sinners, which Coogler detailed in his letter provided to IndieWire below:

Spiritual Themes

One of my favorite things about Sinners is how it examines the relationship between Black southerners, oppression, and spirituality. As someone who is recovering from religious trauma, I appreciate the criticisms of Christianity.

The first villain of this film isn’t Remmick, but Sammy’s own father. Early in the film Jed curses him, saying, “You keep dancin’ with the devil, one day he’s gonna follow you home.” Blues (and sometimes all secular music) is demonized, which is particularly unfair to Sammy and the gift he has.

Sammy even kept his word to Jed, saying he would be back in time for service once he left for the night. Even after the traumatic night he had, he came back to church, and was met with contempt.

Sinners touches on why so many have left the church, as some Christians lack compassion and become too judgmental and harping over certain sins (that may not even really be sins). While the film is entitled, Sinners, many of the sins were ways Black Americans coped with the oppression of the time.

In my own journey, I have had to separate God from Christianity in the traditional religious view, as there are too many ties with the religion and it has been used to oppress Black Americans.

In Christianity, other religions are also demonized, but hoodoo has a comforting presence in this film, guiding Annie to help protect the other characters for most of the film. For accuracy, Coogler consulted African American and American Religious scholar Dr. Yvonne Chireau who authored Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition.

“The strongest aspect of Hoodoo, I would argue, is that it is a tradition of healing,” Chireau says, which she believes Coogler accurately conveys in the film. “Hoodoo isn’t just practice, but thought. Hoodoo for enslaved people, [which] carried after slavery, was the means of healing relationships. Between lovers and families like we see with Annie and [Michael B. Jordan’s] Smoke, but also relationships between the living and dead. This is paramount to Black American people, because the chain between the living and the dead from Africa to America was severed during the Middle Passage.”

— Dr. Yvonne Chireau, Teen Vogue

Still, Hoodoo is portrayed to have its own limitations, as it ultimately can’t save everyone from death. Annie’s magic worked for Smoke, but not their baby. And she knew she was going to die, which is why she told Smoke not to let her turn, so she could be reunited with the ancestors.

Dr. Chireau also stated that blues and Hoodoo connected, and there is a lot of Christianity in Vodou and Hoodoo. The juke becomes a sacred space for those who have worked hard in the field all day, and for the community to connect with their ancestors.

Distinguished Characters, Brilliant Performances

A good movie needs interesting characters, and a good villain especially. Remmick is one of my favorite characters of all time. He was written so thoughtfully. Someone noticed how when he’s pleading with the Hogwoods, that he switches from “Choctaw” to “dirty Indians” after he notices the klan outfit.

He carries around gold as the currency, and behaves in a way that alludes to him living in a time before racism was prevalent. He definitely was around during the colonization of Ireland, which was first invaded by England in 1169.

Remmick is also extremely funny. Some of his best lines were improvised by actor Jack O’Connell.

Likability aside, the community he was trying to build was still a form of oppression, and Sammy was his prey. Remmick put up a tough fight, and he didn’t die easy – it took a steak to the heart, silver to the head, and sunlight to fully end him.

The whole ensemble was truly something, as everyone was clocked in. But there are a few performances that deserve accolades. Miles Canton delivered a great debut performance as Sammy. It was an important casting decision to have a fresh face that was as talented as he was written to be. The audience and Stack had similar reactions the first time we heard Sammy sing.

Michael B. Jordan’s portrayal of the twins is no small feat. He played them both with such complexity. And as some critics have noted, he really played three characters, as he played Stack before and after becoming a vampire. He also had to tap into a grieving Smoke, who lost both his brother and the love of his life.

The twins were in fact very different, as even Wunmi Mosaku (Annie) mentioned that she feel if Smoke or Stack was walking up to her on set. Though a lot of VFX helped bring the twins to life, that technology only enhanced the work Jordan and his body double put into the role.

Mosaku’s performance is also crucial to the film, and her work should not be overlooked this awards season. Her character and her spirituality are such essential aspects of this film, and to helping the crew stand a chance against Remmick. Annie is the heart of the story in many ways.

While her death was the hardest to watch, I feel comforted that her spirit lived on with Smoke and their daughter.

Another performance I loved was Omar Miller’s as Cornbread. The scene after he was turned was both chilling and hilarious.

Last but not least, Delroy Lindo needs to leave with something. Delta Slim embodied uncles of that time period so well. And the car scene – powerful stuff. The way he tells the story of his friends, and the way he immediately breaks into song. An incredible (improvised) moment that captures how Black Americans cope.

In tandem with great acting, Sinners has some of the most quotable lines ever. Here are some of my favorite line deliveries:

• “Nah, we cousins” – twins
• “All money come with blood, baby” – Smoke
• “Your body didn’t forget me” – Annie
• “Blues wasn’t forced on us like that religion” – Delta Slim
• “You can rob trains and banks but you can’t steal this pussy from me?” – Mary
• “No vision” – Stack
• “And what is it we ought to be doing” – Delta Slim
  • “Being kind to one another” – Cornbread
• “Come on in you mutherfuckas!” – Grace
• “Sammaaayyy” – Remmick
• “Last time I seen my brother, last time I seen the sun” – Stack

Incredible Vision

Ryan Coogler has been one of my favorite filmmakers since his debut film. He made Fruitvale Station when he was 25, fresh out of grad school at USC. Directing an ensemble and a story like this is very inspiring to say the least.

Over the years, Coogler has earned trust from his audience, as we know we can expect greatness (and great representation for Black people) from him. Even if he doesn’t get all the acclaim he deserves, he has something money can’t buy: a loyal following.

I am a part of his loyal fanbase, as I know that with his films come intentionality, masterful craft making, and unique storytelling.

Much of the production and decision-making around Sinners tells me Coogler is a genius. Not many can direct such an ensemble or plot with all these elements so seamlessly. Further, the visual storytelling is on a whole other level.

There are a few scenes that utilize empty space, such as when Cornbread was trying to reenter the juke after being turned. There are also many scenes at the part of the movie that were blocked as though it were a play, which adds to the classic feel of it all.

The opening shots that parallel Jed and Remmick are not only aesthetically amazing but depict the links between Christianity and oppression mentioned earlier.

I also really appreciate the way he depicted trauma in this film – the car scene with Delta Slim and the usage of was incredibly impactful storytelling.

He really knew the best way to put such a layered story together, even knowing what to delete and rearrange, as the film was supposed to begin with Remmick at the Hogwood home.

Also, he is open to suggestions from his cast. A prime example of this being that Li Jun Li (Grace) asked him to add a flashback of Lisa to help the audience understand her.

History Lessons

With a Coogler film, you can often expect some sort of lesson in culture or history. In Sinners, the true horror is that regardless of the vampires, Black Americans were always in danger (necropolitics is has become a trend in horror). For Smoke and Stack in particular, their death was inevitable anyway, between the gangs and the klan.

In the twins and Sammy’s journey, Coogler nods to the Great Migration, as many Black Chicagoans have origins in Mississippi (my family included). “The klan don’t exist no more,” was very funny to me, as they definitely existed in the ’30s and still exist today.

Coogler is very considerate about having authentic representation, as he cast actors that were actually Choctaw and highlighted a lesser known history of Chinese Mississippians in the Delta.

Real Lovers Making a Comeback

I was surprised by how freaked out the characters in Sinners were but they were also real lovers. The men really yearned for their ladies and the dialogue around it felt romantic.

In particular, Annie and Smoke’s relationship was special to watch. They respected each other, and listened to one another in times of panic. They didn’t question each other’s authority (minus when Annie told Smoke to leave Stack’s body alone, as he was grieving).

Coogler seems to be a real lover in real life, as he has such care for his wife and creative partner Zinzi Coogler.

Master of his craft

You can feel when someone loves their craft. And it’s infectious. Coogler is my favorite director because he is very humble and has a beautiful mind. He seems to be a good male gemini (rare).

In this interview, he talks about his intent to make the best movie he can, and how once its in the world, it belongs to the audience.

Part of his success can be attributed to those he’s worked with.

Impeccable Cinematography

Sinners has some of the best cinematic moments in the history of film, which can be accredited to Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC. She is the first female DP to shoot on 15-perf IMAX 65mm film and the first to combine IMAX with Ultra Panavision 70, creating distinct visuals for the film. She has previously worked with Coogler on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Her work is truly gorgeous, and hard to put to words just how much so. View this slideshow of some of my favorite shots:

Music Brings It All Together

The music is honestly the true star of this film. The score stayed in my mind long after the movie was off the screen. Seriously, my mind would be wired as I was trying to going to bed.

Ludwig Göransson has been a longtime creative partner of Coogler’s, and did what needed to be done for the film’s soundtrack. I love that Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” helped inspire some of the music for Sinners, as Göransson would work with music legend Raphael Saadiq on the soundtrack. He also collaborated with Buddy Guy and his wife, Serena Göransson, who served as the executive music producer.

There are many songs to love, from “I Lied To You” to “Pale Moon”. These songs also captured the thesis of the movie, how music conjures spirits.

Further, Coogler should win best director for the music sequence scene(s) alone. That one scene, you know the scene, is literally transcendent. It could have gone so wrong if not executed to perfection.

The soundtrack for this movie was so good, I found myself singing songs I’d never thought I’d enjoy. “Pick Poor Robin Clean” and “Rocky Road to Dublin” were also iconic. Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan agrees, stating that the river dance scene is “the most specular musical inversion since Kubrick’s ‘Singin’ in the Rain’”.

A Film That Will Stand the Test of Time

Sinners is a film that’s both acclaimed and popular. It ended up being one of the highest grossing original and R-rated films, bringing in $368 million worldwide, ($280 million domestic and $88 million international).

For all the reasons mentioned above, I am so grateful this movie exists. It means so much to me.

A Few Reflections…

Tea I realized after watching so many times:

• I don’t think Remmick or Pearline are lying about their spouses…
• Growth is realizing: Grace was real. You can’t expect people to act rational in unfathomable scenarios. She was ready to act, and scared for her daughter.
  • Lowkey, maybe she should’ve went with Bo and let him turn her. They could’ve let Lisa live and run the store and turned her when she was older.
• I feel so bad for Cornbread’s wife. And Mary and Pearline’s husbands…
• The town probably assumed the klan killed everyone.
• There was another person that was there to help them fight the vampires (pictured on the far left above)
• Double meaning when Annie says, “if you put that smoke out, you can hold her”. She was referring to the cigarette and Smoke, the gangster. In the afterlife, she didn’t want Smoke, but Elijah.
• Sammy’s gift saved him. While his song attracted Remmick in the first place, the guitar literally saved him, and gave his life a whole new meaning.

What Hollywood can learn from Sinners:

• Give creatives more agency.
  • Let Ryan Coogler do whatever he wants.
• Horror is a valid genre.
• Original stories matter!
• Go woke, go rich, actually!
• Movies belong in theaters, sometimes for extended and multi-format viewings.
• Black movies can win for more than stories about slavery or drugs.
  • I hope Sinners racks up during this awards season, but as I said, it’s still goated regardless.