Sinners

This is the kind of movie that will surprise you if you have no idea what the movie is about. The first half is like a western, but it is full of song and dance, and then it turns into a vampire horror movie. It has a multi-ethnic cast, a great fusion of cultures, and no reservations about pornography/violence. It is a very interesting and surprising movie. I have to say that Ryan Coogler is really good at choosing music. The soundtrack of Black Panther was very good at that time. It was both culturally representative and made the movie look more exciting. This movie is the same. It contains a lot of soul music with electric guitar as the main theme, and there are also many cheerful dance music. The soundtrack will definitely be a memorable place.

There are Africans, Asians, and Aboriginals in the film, and there are also Peking Opera actors. It is really a great fusion of ethnic minority cultures. Moreover, the sudden appearance of vampires in a western movie does not feel abrupt. Michael B Jordan plays two roles. At first, it was hard to tell them apart. They could only be distinguished by the different hats they wore. But later, their personalities gradually became clear. Even without hats and with the same hairstyle, the audience could still tell them apart. Moreover, the twins are typical Western heroes, and they are very cool. Even though I personally think there is a bit too much violence in the later part, they are generally likable and attractive male characters. Many explicit sex scenes are often very long and have many details, which I didn't expect lol In addition, the IMAX rubber camera was used for shooting, and the picture quality and photography are excellent. The twin brothers played by Michael B Jordan also have many scenes in the same frame. The special effects are very good, and there are no flaws at all. It is very natural, and sometimes you will forget that it is played by one person. The part after the killing begins is full of horror and suspense, while the previous part requires patience.

This is a work that Ryan Coogler is very open to. It can be seen that there are almost no restrictions and reservations, so sometimes it feels too crazy, but overall it is a fresh viewing experience. Originally, I was not very interested in westerns, blood and gun battles, but I have to say that the characters in the film are well-shaped, the lines are vivid and interesting, and they will not make people feel sleepy.

The film wants to answer this question, what is a sinner? Is it theft, murder and arson that are sinners? Is it not in line with the expectations of the community (society) that are sinners? Is it not in line with moral constraints that are sinners? Or something else? The film is named "The Sinner", but it does not specify who the sinners are. Are those black people who are born with black skin sinners? Are those white vampires sinners? Are the 3K white people who gain existing benefits sinners? Or do all people have original sin? The Chinese woman dared to love and hate, and faced the problem head-on. She was the first to stand up against the vampires and perish with them. This heroic woman left a deep impression. Disordered time and space There is a period of disordered time and space in the film, which interweaves various beliefs. From ancient times to the present, is it to explore "original sin" or the transmission of beliefs? Or is it to explore communication with "ancestors"? Explore colonialism (immigration) Whether black, Asian, or Irish, they are all immigrants. The local Indians are colonized. Whether it is immigration or colonization, being transformed, violating the original beliefs, violating the wishes of the "ancestors", are they sinners? The evil capitalism has the "desires" caused by capitalism, and people are tempted. Is "capitalism" the "root of all evil" or "human nature" itself? Dreams and reality In the end, the "missionary boy" violated reality (his father's missionary expectations), did not put down the broken "guitar" in his hand, left his hometown, went to the vast city, went to pursue his dreams, and formed his own band (Pearline-the name of his first love). Freedom that can't be sought At the end of the film, the elderly "missionary boy" recalled that the afternoon that changed his life was the happiest and freest hours of his life, and it was forever imprinted in his heart. I think this state is often when "love is just beginning" and "unworldly", but when ordinary people have "wisdom", they lose the ability to enjoy primitive joy. To answer this question, who is the sinner, or what is the sinner? I think (and the film also expresses this) that if you have lost the ability to connect with your "ancestors" or cannot get together with your "ancestors" (not against the wishes of your ancestors), you are a sinner. Just like "vampires", they are isolated from the circle of "ancestors" and can never communicate with them. I want to ask if "vampires" can dream? People make mistakes, and the world changes very quickly. From the perspective of the long river of history, whether you believe in Jesus or believe in primitive religions; whether you are black, yellow, or white; whether you are a capitalist economy or an agricultural economy; whether you sing blues, folk songs, or rock and roll, rap, you can't say that these are a "sin", but some changes. The real "sin" is the loss of "humanity" itself, the loss of connection with "ancestors", the loss of the ability to dream, the loss of the most basic goodness, like a walking corpse, falling into infinite nothingness. In real society, are there such "sinners"? It's worth pondering!

The Sinner is a really beautiful surrealist music thriller vampire film, a black allegory that combines crime, the supernatural and black cultural memory. Although some parts are a bit far-fetched, it essentially uses music not only as a background, but also actively participates in the plot construction and emotional presentation, composing a deep movement about sin, pain, struggle and redemption. It can be called a rare good movie this year. It is a rare music movie after La La Land, so I watch this movie more from a musical perspective: 🎵 Fusion of music styles: a dialogue between retro and modern🎷 Blues roots: Set in Mississippi in the 1930s, the music draws heavily on the Delta Blues style of that era. A large number of iconic elements such as slide guitar, harmonica, low voice and low drum beats are used to create a bleak, gloomy, but real and powerful atmosphere. It reconstructs the soundscape of the suffering and tenacity of southern blacks in that era. This not only restores the historical texture, but also conveys the living conditions of the black community under social oppression. Exhausted, sad, yet stubborn, just like the struggle of the protagonist brothers in the film in the face of fate. 🎧Modern sound effects mixing: The electronic sound effects and low-frequency drums are quietly integrated into the blues, making the music not only retro, but also with a touch of surrealism and mystery. Vampires and supernatural elements echo perfectly, creating a sense of time and space interweaving. The most amazing thing is the scene where the entire spirit world, reality, and the future are shuttled by playing the guitar, bringing music, dance, and art to the peak of these years. What is outrageous is that whether it is Indians, white people, or Chinese Peking Opera, they are all cleverly integrated, and this shot alone is worth the ticket price. With a lot of distortion, heavy low frequencies and female humming, it creates an almost religious "sound of depravity", deepening the horror atmosphere. 🧠 The function of music in narrative: Michael B. Jordan plays two characters, Smoke and Stack, twins with very different personalities. The music also deliberately creates unique timbre imprints for the two characters. Smoke and Stack have completely different personalities, and the music also reflects this contrast: * Smoke's soundtrack is low and restrained, expressing his inner depression and regret. The music is more melancholy and slow, and the bass and organ show his inner pain and struggle. * Stack's restless drums and improvisational blues express his impulsiveness and anger at reality. It has a sense of rhythm and is mixed with jazz elements, reflecting his more radical and restless side. Various atmosphere creation and plot driving forces: * When the brothers return to Mississippi and open a music bar, the background music gradually transitions from the fast pace of Chicago city to the tranquility and historical heaviness of the southern countryside. * When vampires appear, the music adds dissonant intervals, repeated low-frequency vibrations, and reversed sampling sound effects to create danger and the unknown. ✝️ 3. The interweaving of religion and music Religious symbols can be seen everywhere, and music constantly swings between "holiness" and "depravity": showing that religion itself can also be a hotbed of oppression and sin, forming a sense of irony of "devil's voice in sacred music". At the end of the film, when blues and electronic music, hymns and wailing interweave into a finale that is almost like a religious ritual, we finally understand: sinners are not born to be depraved, but are souls singing in struggle.

It's ambitious, it's bold, it's wild like Babylon, it's graphically gory like Evil Dead, it's high-conceptual with social implications like Jordan Peele, but also with Ryan Coogler's own style of lighting and colors. It's an original and philosophical entertainment, but not exactly what I'd call a good film. Separated by the climactic one-shot where the soul-stirring blues conjures music and carnival across time, the movie is essentially two-part: the first built around storyful characters but demanding attention to heavy dialogue, the second classic horror with mediocre elements of sandbox and bloodshed. There'sa clear jump from art film to commercial, most likely because Coogler spent too much time creating an allegory instead of figuring out how realistically the plot should move on. Hence there'sa pretty obvious pacing issue with the latter half that can only be resolved by allowing an unconvincing crashout and a suddenly arrived finale. I understand the message of unwanted death by cultural intrusion and assimilation but that's no excuse for the reckless massacre without emotional buildup --- to see the correct way of killing off a group of protagonists, I recommend Train to Busan.

Last weekend I went to the cinema to watch "Sinners", directed by Ryan Coogler, starring Michael B. Jordan, all in English. To be honest, I didn't follow some of the dialogues, but the pictures, music and atmosphere of this movie are really amazing! I felt a little dizzy after watching it, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt that it was interesting, as if it had a lot of deep meaning. The following are my feelings, plus some hindsight interpretations, to share with you! Plot: The collision of blues bars and vampires The story takes place in Mississippi in 1932. Twin brothers Smok and Stark (both played by Michael B. Jordan) returned to their hometown Clarkdale from Chicago. With a sum of stolen money, they bought a broken sawmill and wanted to turn it into a "Juke Joint"-a bar for the black community to dance and listen to blues, escaping their past criminal life. They found their cousin Sammy (played by Miles Caton), a blues genius who plays guitar super well, to perform for the bar. As a result, on the night the bar opened, vampires appeared! A vampire leader named Remick (played by Jack O'Connell) was attracted by Sammy's music and messed up the whole night with a group of vampires. At the beginning of the movie, Sammy fell into the church with blood all over his body and a broken guitar. It felt like he had experienced something big, and then he told the story of the day before in reverse. The first half is about the brothers preparing a bar and showing the life of the black community; the second half becomes a vampire horror movie, and the pace is so fast that I am a little confused. Sammy's music seems to have a kind of magic that can summon evil forces. I didn't quite understand this at the time, but after watching it, I felt that it was a big metaphor. Highlights: The music and pictures are amazing. Although I didn't understand all the English dialogues, the audio-visual effects of this movie are really invincible! Sammy's blues performance, the guitar sounded, accompanied by African drums and colorful lights, and it felt like the whole theater was shaking. The director used a rotating lens to shoot the bar like a carnival party, which is super contagious! The cotton fields, old houses, and bars at night in Mississippi are as beautiful as paintings, and even the dark tones of the vampires are particularly touching. The soundtrack (which seems to be composed by Ludwig Göransson) uses an old guitar from 1932, which is very vintage. Michael B. Jordan plays two brothers, Smoak (in blue) is gentle and responsible, and Stark (in red) is impulsive and adventurous. His acting is amazing! Especially the confrontation between the two of them, my heart was in my throat. Sammy's actor is also very good. I wanted to applaud him when he played the guitar. The supporting roles, such as Annie (Smoak's old love) and Mary (who has a story with Stark), are also impressive. Confused: I didn't understand the language and background. To be honest, I missed a lot of details because the whole English was used. For example, why did the vampire Remick insist on Sammy's music? I guess it has something to do with the supernatural power of music, but I don't fully understand what happened. There are also the brothers' pasts. It mentioned that their father was very violent, and Smoak seemed to have killed his father. I listened to the general idea of ​​these conversations, which felt heavy but I didn't catch them all. At the end, Sammy sang a song in the church (I think it was called "This Little Light of Mine"), which was changed to a blues style. It was very touching, but I didn't react at the time why this song was chosen. I also saw the background of racial discrimination. In the movie, white people (like Hogwood of the KKK) always bullied black people, and the bar was a "safe place" for them, but I didn't fully understand these historical backgrounds. Later, I looked up some information and learned how difficult it was for black people in the United States in 1932. Blues music was their way of expressing pain and hope. Deep interpretation: Metaphors of music, race and trauma After watching it, I looked up some analysis. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that this movie was not just a horror movie, but it had a lot of deep meanings: • Blues is the soul, but also a curse: Sammy's music is the soul of the movie, representing the resilience and resistance of black culture. His guitar sound can "pierce life and death", even vampires are attracted, and it feels like the "summoning soul" in African legends. But this power is also dangerous. Remick wants to use it to control others, as if saying that art can both liberate people and be used by evil forces. Sammy finally sang the blues version of "This Little Light of Mine" in the church, which was equivalent to integrating religion and black culture, telling his father: My music is not a sin, it is my light! • Vampires and racial oppression: Remick's vampire army is very "diverse" on the surface (there are whites and blacks), and it also promises "freedom", but it is actually slavery. Isn't this a satire on the false equality in American history? In 1932, black people were oppressed by Jim Crow laws. Smoak and his friends opened a bar to build a free space, but vampires and white racists (like Hogwood) threatened them. Remick, the Irish vampire, is also very interesting. He said that he also knows the taste of oppression, but in the end he became an oppressor. It feels like he is talking about the complex human nature of "victims may become perpetrators." • Continuation of family trauma: Smoak and Stark were abused by their father when they were young, and Smoak even killed his father. This shadow has always followed them. Sammy is like the hope of the next generation. He uses music to fight against the pain of his family. At the end of the film, in the 1992 scene, Stark and Mary (both still vampires) came to see Sammy's performance, which shows that the brotherhood has not been broken even after 60 years. This scene touched me a lot, and I felt that it was saying: Trauma will leave scars, but the love between family members can heal. Feelings: Worth watching twice, it's better with subtitles "Sinners" shocked me and made me feel dizzy. The shock is because the music, pictures and actors are so strong. The mix of blues and vampires is weird, but super creative! Sammy's guitar sound and the carnival scene in the bar will really give you goose bumps. The dizziness is because I didn't follow the English dialogue and historical background, and missed a lot of deep meaning. For example, Sammy's song at the end of the film, I later learned that it was challenging his father's religious beliefs, which is particularly powerful. This movie is not only scary, but also tells the story of black history, the power of music and family ties. Vampires are a horror shell, and inside it is a story about survival and resistance. If you are a horror movie fan, or interested in blues and American history, you must not miss it! However, I strongly recommend looking for a version with Chinese subtitles, otherwise you may be confused after watching it like me. I am already preparing to watch it again, hoping to fill in the details I didn’t understand, especially those metaphors about music and race, which are really worth savoring!