From hoodoo to blues music to Choctaw indigenous representation, Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan have taken moviemaking to another level with “Sinners.” It’s no surprise, the movie is getting love at the box office and here’s just some of the reasons why.

Intention. That’s the word that comes to mind when one tries to summarize what made Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Sinners’ film the masterpiece that it was on the big screen.

The film breaks the boundaries of genre and stirs the soul on multiple levels, making it hard to put in one box.

Sinners is history, horror, romance, and comedy all in one. Coogler’s directing and Jordan’s acting transport us through time, the ability to connect with so many different aspects of the storytelling is a hallmark of the film’s beauty.

The 1930s film about two twin brothers who return to their native Mississippi to launch a new business venture, only to come face-to-face with a unique evil in the midst of their bluesy adventure is shattering Hollywood box office expectations for a reason (the film has already earned $61 million globally).

It’s hard to talk about “Sinners” without giving away too much of the plot or surprises that make it so effective as a moviegoing experience, so be forewarned that there a light spoilers ahead (ex. who/what makes the film a horror flick, what characters you’ll meet, discussion of theme). 

If you haven’t seen the film yet, bookmark this piece and come back to it. Like those lost souls outside the juke joint in Mississippi that night in “Sinners,” we’ll be right here waiting for you when you’re ready.

1. Black spirituality is neither vilified nor limited.

“Sinners” gives us a look at both church and hoodoo as spaces of refuge for Black people, when typically movies only portray Black spirituality in one light.  Annie’s hoodoo practice is full of knowledge and training, and it provides protection and connection for Smoke and the entire crew when they need it most.  While the film is fictional, Ryan Coogler actually hired a hoodoo consultant, Dr. Yvonne Patricia Chireau, to ensure accuracy in the portrayal of the African American spiritual practice. Chireau writes that hoodoo “makes use of natural and supernatural elements in order to create and effect change in the human experience,” and that’s exactly what it did in “Sinners.” It’s a refreshing portrayal and once you see the end of the movie (hints of a spoiler), some will appreciate the not-so-subtle message that spiritual freedom doesn’t look the same for everyone.

2. The history in the movie is the best example of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Coogler and his team went out of their way to be accurate and broad in their representation of the intersecting histories that meet in the Mississippi Delta.  This was not forced or done for the sake of appearances but literally for accuracy.  There are Chinese Mississippians who run a local store, bridging worlds that cater to both white and Black folks.  There are the stunning Choctaw who not only see things for what they are but are also shown with agency and power in the film as they hunt down evil then go about their business.  This is what we mean when we say diversity makes a film better because after the film I certainly ran off to read more about communities whose stories had been left out of many history discussions to learn more.

3. Michael B. Jordan’s love interest in a fully realized brown-skinned beauty with depth.

The love between Annie and Smoke in “Sinners” jumped *off* the screen (did you feel the chemistry in that shack scene?!).  It was tender and erotic all at once.  But what made it even more important was that it was finally representative of Black love we know exists off the screen, in the real world. Annie, played by the gorgeous Wunmi Mosaku, is beautiful, sexy, and a force to be reckoned with.  She’s also melanated, tall, full-bodied, and the object of love and desire– a combination that Hollywood doesn’t portray enough on the big screen.  “Sinners” casting did it right and set an example for why mainstream movie and TV makers need to expand their narrow definitions and imagination when it comes to female love interests.

4. That music scene is everything.  Yes, you know the one.

(Scene spoiler about to be described if you want to keep swiping or reading…) When Miles played that guitar and opened up a portal to the past and future, I almost teared up in the theater. Not only was his deep voice soul-stirring, the visuals Ryan Coogler gave us felt otherworldly– a visual manifestation of what I felt at 2AM while swag surfing in a club or 4AM chipping on the road in Port of Spain in Trinidad playing mas back in the day. The masked dancer, break dancing, even the “twerking” are not without a historical context.

The power of Black music as a single connective thread rooted in Africa is an essential reminder, particularly for Black Americans, that our story started well before chattel slavery and that our ancestors defiantly, thoughtfully, and carefully kept our culture alive and passed it forward.  The focus on the Blues genre specifically though– how it perfectly captures our pain, stories, and survival, shows that resistance is often musical.

We are not alone nor without purpose in our expression.

5. Horror is both real and symbolic— from the KKK to the evil on the ground.

In many traditional horror films, the horror is in the monster or evil force that is terrorizing people from start to finish.  In “Sinners” we see the horror of racism– how it limits, oppresses, and unfairly attempts to steal joy from Black people, even when we’re minding our own business.  When Remmick, the ghoulish one, tries to talk his way into the Klansmen house, he uses racism to butter up his victims because he knows it works (he could really run for office in 2025…) And at the juke joint, Remmick tries to manipulate with promises of a racial utopia where color won’t limit Black people’s ambitions and talents.  Racism and its social construction create problems everywhere.  Just look at how Mary thinks she has an “in” with the visiting musicians and unlocks hell.  But one of the most chilling scenes doesn’t involve demons or vampires at all– it’s when Delta Slim describes the lynching of an innocent man.  That’s a devil we all know is too real.