Ryan Coogler continues to reach new heights. It’s an impressive feat, considering his already remarkable filmography with critically acclaimed films like “Fruitvale Station” (2013), “Creed” (2015), “Black Panther” (2018) and now “Sinners” (2025). Coogler has firmly established his voice in modern cinema. In “Sinners,” he delves into powerful themes of family, forgiveness, redemption, religion and the unifying force of music. Known for seamlessly blending cinematic craft with meaningful social commentary, Coogler once again delivers. At its core, “Sinners” opens up a conversation about the complexities of race relations in the 1900s and how their impact still reverberates today.
The Emphasis on Irish Culture
Coogler is very intentional. The main antagonist in the story, Remmick, is a vampire we later learn is Irish and was turned during times when the Irish were being taken over by the English. In the 12th century, England began their take over of Ireland which lasted all the way into the 16th and 17th centuries. In doing so, they asserted their control by taking over Irish lands and imposing English language, culture, customs and religions ultimately leading to the suppression of Irish culture.
Those effects are similar to those of the Americans’ effect on Africans. The slave trade brought Africans to America and, over the course of centuries, saw to the loss of African culture, languages and religions in an effort to replace them with American culture. It just so happens that the suppression of African culture over the years has resulted in a new wave of African American culture that blended resilience with creativity, giving rise to powerful expressions in music, language, fashion and activism.
There is a reason Remmick is drawn to the juke joint and to Sammie’s music. The Blues are something Slim tells Sammie they “brought with them from home.” Remmick saw that African Americans, despite the horrible things happening around them and to them, kept remnants of the culture of their motherland and turned it into something beautiful and joyful. It doesn’t seem like he was ever able to do that with his Irish culture, and so he singles out Sammie as someone who he believes can connect him back to his home, as Sammie remains connected to his home through the Blues.
A Discussion on Religion
There has been a lot of online commentary on the aspects of religion in “Sinners.” Coogler speaks to the indoctrination of Western religious beliefs on the Black community and other communities around the world. The part that is most controversial is the characters’ use of hoodoo (which is a known religion practiced in Africa) being a repellent to the vampires, while a prayer did nothing. Many people connect God with being the one and only repellent of evil, so that part of the story is unpopular online.
In the movie itself, the conversation is not on the basis of religion itself but on its use against African Americans and other marginalized communities in past history. When Remmick is attempting to kill Sammie, Sammie begins reciting the Our Father prayer. Remmick joins in saying the prayer him showing that the prayer will not save him. Remmick describes the prayer saying, “I hated them, but those words brought me comfort. Tales of a man above and a devil below, and lies of a dominion over beast and man.” He is describing the way the English indoctrinated his people into the Catholic religion. In a sense, that also happened to African Americans. They deemed African spiritual practices as “demonic” and pushed Catholicism into the places they conquered.
Coogler makes the deliberate decision to show how African American spiritual practices are laughed at or are dismissed as being fake as a result of the pressure the Western world has put on communities throughout history to believe only in God. There is less and less acceptance of different religious practices than there ever was. Even now, politicians seek to blend law with their religious beliefs, casting aside diversity in beliefs in the process. That conditioning started centuries ago, and Coogler sought to bring light to that.
The Meaning of Freedom
Overall, Coogler explores the true meaning of freedom in “Sinners.” In the end, Stack says that the one night at the juke joint, before the vampires came, was the one night he ever felt fully free. The reason the beginning of the movie shows so much of the organizing and success of the opening night juke joint is to emphasize the different characters, their background and their different quests for freedom. In many ways, all the characters’ connection and love of music and dancing is what made them feel most free. Basking in their culture in a place built for them by them made them feel free. His depiction of the hard times of African Americans, but the importance of still finding that joy in music, art and togetherness is the main message.
Justine Koffi Fourth Year Media and Culture Major (NABJ’s Treasurer)