Fangs, fear and a fusion of sound carry Ryan Coogler’s latest film, Sinners. The supernatural horror film, which Coogler wrote, produced and directed, is set in the 1930’s American south. It follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Michael B. Jordan, who return home to Mississippi after criminal pursuits in Chicago catch up to them. Yet, what they encounter for their homecoming is anything but welcoming.
Through a pulse pounding score from award-winning composer and frequent collaborator Ludwig Göransson, Coogler paints a chilling and visceral work of historical fiction that mirrors our own modern day reality, wrestling with themes of redemption, survival, regret, and the duality of man. There are moments in Sinners that left me breathless, aghast at the symmetry Coogler has mastered between sight and sound. The cinematography is rich and layered with texture and motifs. And the score, heavily entrenched in the Blues, is not just a key part of the story. It’s a heartbeat flowing through it. Through Sinners, Coogler cements himself as one of the greatest filmmakers of our time, joining the likes of Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan for supreme levels of technical achievement, and Guillermo del Toro and Quentin Tarantino for narrative and world-building. Sinners is a movie that demands cinematic viewing at its highest form. It will be a tough film to topple for the mantle of “best film of the year,” come awards season.
Chicago is mentioned heavily in Sinners, so it was only right that Coogler and Göransson touch down in the city for a premiere. They were joined by Blues icon Buddy Guy, who has a role in the film that’s best kept secret. In a post-screening discussion, moderated by yours truly, Coogler shouted out Chicago’s role in Blues, his life, and his own personal ties to the genre.
“My father-in-law is from Chicago,” revealed Coogler. “Through my relationship with my wife (Zenzi Evans, co-producer on the film), through our relationship with Chairman (Fred Hampton Jr.), it’s become like a second home for me. So it was great to work on this and to fly in and meet with Buddy.”
Coogler’s uncle, James, a Mississippi native, became an emotional entry point for him in developing the film. He passed away while Coogler was working on the first Creed film.
“This movie was for him,” said Coogler. “What I found myself doing, whenever I missed my uncle, it all played. All the blues records that we would listen to would remind me of him. I feel like I was kind of conjuring him. It was like he was sitting there listening with me. So, I was doing that listening to those records while I was writing the script. You know, and the idea kind of came to me.”
Göransson said crafting the musical flavor of Sinners was, “a very intense process,” and demanded more involvement from him beyond the recording studio.
“I also lived on set. Normally I just work out of my studio, but for this film, I went out with Ryan and Zinzi, and we all lived, I lived in New Orleans, where we shot the film for three months and had the actors. Delroy (Lindo, who plays Delta Slim) came to the studio every day and practiced his piano. Jayme (Lawson, who plays Pearline) was in every day, learning the song. Everyone was so devoted because they knew how special this was.”
Coogler described his characters, “like a violin,” weaving through the story. “I thought it would be cool to give them something on the opposite end of that spectrum, supernaturally.”
“I also love the theatrical experience. I love sitting in the theater watching scary movies and hearing people shout at the screen and all that good stuff. So I combined all those two elements, because this was really personal for me.”
Sinners hits theaters nationwide April 18, filmed for IMAX. It’s rated R for “strong bloody violence, sexual content and language.
