DEVIL MUSIC

Symbolism in Michael B. Jordan's Sinners

- MAYA PHILLIPS

Ryan Coogler's fantastical new black horror film, Sinners, is a critical smash, a box office hit. But the director's latest collaboration with actor Michael B. Jordan has also left viewers with plenty to unpack.

Jordan plays the “Smokestack twins”, Smoke and Stack, who return from working with Al Capone in Chicago to open up a juke joint in their Mississippi hometown. They arrange for their cousin Sammie, the blues-loving son of a disapproving preacher, to perform for the opening. But Sammie's talents quickly attract a group of white vampires who threaten to overtake the town.

Sinners is a work that's interested in moral dichotomies. There are monsters and victims, of course — it’s a vampire movie. But when the film’s characters, objects and themes are examined through the lens of its political subtext, quite a bit is revealed about how Sinners defines good and evil in this supernatural version of the Jim Crow South. What follows is a spoiler-filled breakdown of what the film considers sacred, and what it deems profane.

THE SACRED

THE GUITAR

Sammie treasures his guitar, given to him by Smoke and Stack, who told their cousin that it once belonged to the Delta blues great Charley Patton. The guitar represents the storied history of black music, as when Sammie (Miles Caton) plays in the twins’ juke joint and summons black artists and music makers from the distant past and future. Sammie’s music also attracts Remmick, the main vampire (played by Jack O'Connell), but also ultimately destroys him: In a confrontation, Sammie smashes his guitar over Remmick’s head, giving Smoke the opportunity to stake him.