Sinners

“Last time I seen my brother. Last time I seen the sun. And just for a few hours, we was free.” What do you call a film that holds up to perfection on a rewatch? A masterpiece. I knew this film was special on my first viewing in IMAX, and I thoroughly studied the film and wrote a review that I’m so proud of. But after its release on HBO Max just two days ago, I jumped on it quickly, and this time to just sit back and enjoy it. I truly believe Sinners has marked a point in history for cinema. A completely original film, with Warner Bros. making a deal with Ryan Coogler that has never been seen before, granting Coogler ownership of the film for 25 years. And guess what? It is absolutely paying off. A film about cultural vampirism, in an era where studios are relying on sequels and remakes, Sinners is the perfect film to turn the film industry around for good. In my first review, I touched on quite literally everything, from its story, themes, to its music, and cinematography. So there’s really not much left to say, but that something struck me on a rewatch; Sinners is a film about freedom. On this rewatch, all my worries, everything negative that was on my mind, completely went away for this 137 minutes. There’s something beautiful about the art of film, it being a form of escapism, like the juke joint in this film for the African Americans in the Jim Crow South. So still today, everything that looms over us, while we should still embrace it and use it to make us better, we need to live our lives with freedom. Set everything aside for just a moment, and take in every blessing.