Blog Post #4 - Sunken Place

 

For this week's Blog Post, I am going to talk about the movie Sinners by Ryan Coogler. I was lucky enough to watch this movie in theaters when it first came out a few months ago. Before going into the movie, I had no idea what the movie was about. I was going in with no expectations, but I saw online on Instagram and Twitter (X) how amazing this movie was. All of those amazing reviews ultimately convinced me to go to the theater, which I have not done in years!! 

Every single moment and frame felt intentional and had a purpose from the very start of the movie. Beyond the physical gore and horror, like the blood and vampire depictions came to life, the movie really dove deep into messages regarding Black lives in America. I really liked how the Juke Joint, which represented self agency and culture in a town filled with racism and segregation, was sort of the central setting for the movie. Then, the first vampires come and infiltrate the juke joint showing lots of blood and fighting. To me, these violent scenes depicted how Black bodies are ripped apart and consumed for the benefit of others in America, both physically and emotionally. In addition to Black bodies, I think this depiction also represented how Black culture is extracted and consumed by others in America. 

Another scene that stuck out to me was the musical performance inside of the juke joint. Like I was talking about before, when the music and blues were sung and played, I felt a sense of community and spirit that the Black community were united by in the film. I felt like this movie used both the juke joint as a place that unites and represents power within the Black community. 

Overall, the aspect that I liked most about the film was how they used traditional Black Horror tropes like vampires to send deeper messages like how Black bodies and cultures are being used and extracted for the benefit of others. Although this movie did dive deep into the negative realities of the Black community, I also liked the central message of the juke joint and how it represents resilience and strength as well. The juke joint was symbolic in this sense. Overall, I think the takeaway message from this film illustrated themes of Black strength and unity against racism and segregation. I am hoping that Coogler makes a sequel to this film so that I can watch and analyze that further!