Sinners
Sinners
From Ryan Coogler - director of "Black Panther" and "Creed" - and starring Michael B. Jordan, comes a new vision of fear: "Sinners." Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Kim Kindler reviewed6d ago
This movie got me hooked on vibes alone. The early 1900s aesthetic and grid. The sense of warmth the characters give off. The elating music. And yes, also the gory end. This was one of those rare movies that didn't communicate to me solely through dialogue or cinematography, but blended all its elements so well as to make me feel what I think it intended me to. And I think a lot of people who have given this movie as high a rating feel the same.
Unfortunately, all the pieces don't quite fit together once I try to engage with it on a deeper level than that. I feel like I see a lot of interesting and beautiful clusters of Puzzle pieces in front of me, that just actively repel each other when I try to connect them. Each is very clear in its messaging, but not quite compatible with the others.
I also feel like the balance is off. The Vampires in this have their place thematically and plotwise, but still only feel like a way to make this movie more approachable for the typical moviegoer. A lot of people feel like there is a lot of exposition for very little payoff. But I feel more like what a lot of other people were saying, that this just feels like two movies, blending into each other at the mid-point. Where one of them loses their big third Act and the other one is missing their first and second. Once the Vampires show up, everything happens so fast. There is no buildup there. Thing is: I enjoyed both of these movies separately. I was so entrenched in this little world that the twins came back to. Loved the people I met. Was excited for the story ahead.
And I also loved the gory, lore-heavy Vampire cat and mouse movie I got. And I even think they do flow well into each other, but ultimately do not make a whole that was satisfying to me.
And lastly, as someone as far removed from the culture and life of a black person as probably humanly possible, I still feel like this was a great representation of black trauma, the power of music, the longing for a sense of agency, and the cycle of oppression, even if it's not a deep exploration of these things. At least as far as I can discern that. Which makes it even more tragic to me that it doesn't add up to a cohesive whole.
Any other Movie that looked this stylish and tried to do something so outlandish as this one did, I might have been a bit more lenient with. But to me, Sinners promised a beautiful ocean of meaning and impact and emotions, but once I tried to dip deeper, it turned out to be rather shallow.