Sinners
Ok this is going to be a long one, so bare with me...
This was my fourth time seeing this in theaters. And I will continue to see it at every re-release until the end of time. I don't think a movie has ever stuck with me as much as this one has, and, for me, it will forever be unequivocally the greatest movie of all time.
First of all, Ludwig Goransson might be one of the most genius composers of all time. Every single note of music you hear in this film is 100% intentional and it really shows. Not only are the blues backing tracks amazing (and the selection of blues songs, Pick Poor Robin Clean is the eeriest shit those vampires could’ve sang), but the short gothic interludes when the vampires are introduced are just perfect. The opening song Filídh, Firekeepers, and Griots has to be one of my favorites in the score. The Rocky Road To Dublin motif playing every time Remmick is on screen gives me goosebumps. The music truly conveys both the love and pain felt throughout the characters and their stories throughout.
Four scenes really stand out to me in this movie:
The first, of course, is the I Lied To You sequence. I mean, I can still remember the chills I got the first time I watched it, and it doesn't fail to make me emotional with every watch. Something about the transcendental and uniting quality of music and emotion across generations is portrayed so perfectly here and really makes me tear up.
Secondly, the Pale, Pale Moon sequence is also one of those scenes that has you wondering how the hell you sat through any movie at all before this one, because this one just clears them all. Remmick flying to pounce on Mary as Pearline sings the opening notes, followed by interjecting scenes of the cheating gambler being beat, Mary seducing and killing stack, and Pearline performing make for 5 minutes of film that you can't rip your eyes from even if you tried. This is the point where shit's really hitting the fan, and both the music and the cinematography make that clear.
Third, the scene where Remmick is this close to killing Sammie -- where he explains that he comes from the era of the protestant colonization of Ireland and joins Sammie in saying the Lord's Prayer while we simultaneously see Smoke and Stack in a battle of life and death. I truly love a complex villain, and Remmick is just that. He doesn't believe that what he is doing is wrong, and his motivations are backed simply by the fact that he's gone 300-400 years without seeing his family and just wants to see them again. He feels completely justified in what he is doing to these people and genuinely thinks that they will benefit from it too. He sees the comfort that christianity brings Sammie but, at the same time, resents it for causing the forced diaspora of his people. I really love that when he's almost preaching his cause to Sammie, he repeatedly dunks him into the river, something of a baptism into his way of thinking -- into his cult. I love religious imagery and this movie makes masterful use of it while still not failing to call out its faults in true southern gothic fashion. And all the while seeing Smoke and Stack duke it out while still retaining even a sliver of brotherly banter is amazing. I mean, what would you really do in that situation, where someone you've been intertwined with/protecting since birth is not in a situation that requires you to kill them for their own good? Do you kill them for the common good or do you let them live, not only for them but for yourself?
The last scene (or I guess it's a couple scenes) that I love is the entire last 15 minutes (including the first post credit scene). When Jedidiah is calling Sammie to leave behind his old "sinning" ways, he claims that God will help him reclaim his "heart, voice, and soul." As he says those words, the movie cuts back to flashbacks of Pearline, Delta Slim, and Sammie playing the guitar. If that isn't a gut punch, then I don't know what is. Moving forward a bit to the first post credit scene where Stack and Mary visit an older Sammie and he asks stack if, before everything went down, it was the best day of his life has me in tears every time. Even at his old age, Sammie still wonders what his older cousin thinks and seeks his approval. and Stack responding with the fact that 'of course it was the best day of his life, it was the last day he saw his brother and the last time he saw the sun' fucking guts me. Not to mention the fact that in the middle of his response, Last Time (I Seen the Sun) starts playing. Like do NOT get me started with that song. That shit has me bawling before the final credits even roll.
Everything about this movie is transcendental. If it doesn't reach you in story, it will reach you in music, or character, or setting (though I think it really nails it in reaching the audience through all of these things). I will never forget walking out of the theatre after seeing it for the first time, in complete awe. This movie became the soundtrack to my graduation and the catalyst for making one of my best friends. It reminded me of the beauty of writing, both for literature and for film, and inspired me to create more art myself. This is very dramatic in retrospect but seriously, it will forever be my favorite movie of all time.
With awards season coming up, I really need to see Sinners sweep. It's undeniably the best picture of the year, no doubt to the credit of the best director, best actor, and best supporting actor and actress. It easily has the best original score and song. The makeup design genuinely has no way of losing (I've never seen "reductive" makeup looks in my life before this movie. Makeup is always used to be additive, and using it to make a face look half-ripped apart is miraculous). The casting is mint in every way. If this movie doesn't sweep, it's confirmation the system is rigged.