Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” is an American horror film set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta. The film stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as twin brothers Smoke and Stack, who return to their hometown in the Jim Crow South to escape their violent past as Chicago mob enforcers and establish a new life by opening a juke joint. On the opening night of the Juke Club, party-goers confront supernatural evil – vampires trying to steal Black music.
Assistant Professor of Media Studies Phillip Cunningham, whose research focuses on African American representation in popular culture, talks about what’s going on in the background that landed the film 16 Oscar nominations and launched a new era for Black film.
Why should we watch “Sinners”?
While Ryan Coogler is probably the most successful Black director right now, the film – a vampire gothic set in the South – wasn’t expected to be a mainstream success. It turned out to be a phenomenon. On the surface, it’s a beautiful-looking film, and it’s an original idea at a time when most of the top-grossing films are often sequels. It’s also not a standard horror film. There are layers and nuances – really neat and cool things that stretch the idea of what a genre picture can do.
There’s a sequence in the juke joint that has gotten a lot of praise for the cinematography, and it pays homage to the history of Black music. You get all kinds of representation – Native American, Irish, Asian, Black – it’s a really diverse film. The acting is phenomenal, too. You have veterans like Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku getting Oscar nominations, and Michael B. Jordan playing the twins. Some people don’t even realize it’s the same actor.
You describe the film’s success, in part, as the result of a “perfect storm.”
“Sinners” represents an interesting time where we had an Oscar nominee that really resonated with a lot of Americans. Academy Award nominations for Best Film usually don’t resonate with your average viewer. So, many of those movies that win, they get a little Oscar buzz towards the end, where people want to watch them to see what the films are about, but none of them are ever really blockbusters – as in films given a whole lot of money and a huge marketing push in expectation that they’re going to be a success.
What changes in the film industry and media consumption have created an environment that might clear space for more films with Black actors and audiences?
This is where industry expertise comes in. Coogler negotiated a deal with Warner Bros. that allowed him to regain ownership of the film’s rights after 25 years because they didn’t think it would be a big hit. By betting on himself, Coogler has ensured that he – not a corporation – will eventually own the licensing and legacy of this work. It’s a rare act of agency that challenges the entire studio system.
While there are Black movies being made, most of them are on streaming platforms such as Netflix. In terms of the theaters, there haven’t really been many Black-cast films going to the theaters in a very long time.
You’ve noted that the industry lives in fear of the Netflix model. How is “Sinners” an act of resistance?
To understand Netflix, you have to look back at the 1946 U.S. vs. Paramount case, which said studios couldn’t own their own theaters. Netflix has essentially brought that old model back –they own the production and the “theater” (the app). They can survive on subscriptions alone, while traditional studios need a box-office hit. “Sinners” is a win for the theatrical experience because it combats ambient viewing – where people just have a movie on in the background. You can’t ambiently view “Sinners. It demands your attention. The film gave people a reason to leave their couch.
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Why the 16-Oscar nominee ‘Sinners’ is a radical act of industry resistance
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