Sinners (2025) has been making waves, even earning a 100% rating ,upon release, on Rotten Tomatoes, and for good reason. This film is a striking blend of genres that touches on a variety of themes and is filled with of sub-text. It has captured audience by heart, eye, and shock so if you haven’t seen it, I definitely recommend taking your butt to the theater right now! There are a multitude of things to take away from watching Ryan Coogler’s newest film. It touches on history, mysticism, grief & trauma, but is also filled with a sense of love and community. One overarching theme, however, stuck out to me and that is the power and strength we can find when leaning into culture.

While we all have different upbringings and cultural backgrounds, it is obvious that these ties are what can push us through some of the tougher times in our lives. In Sinners there are a lot of evils the characters face. Societal evils, inner demons, and supernatural entities. All of which are trying suck the life out of them. However, the first half of the movie sets us up with an understanding of the time and the people we are watching. These characters are immersed in a world that has seen terrors and each of them have experienced horrible things, but among all of that they have built themselves pathways to connection, joy, and love.

Some of the most beautiful moments in this film are brought to us through song and dance. These are two elements that are prominent in every culture and in Sinners we see just how powerful that can be for community. The essence of this movie is really seen when the characters are singing and dancing. With the setting being in the southern U.S (Mississippi)., we see Blues music as being central to the film. However, what is universal is that music does something deeper than just entertain— It speaks. It tells stories. It conveys emotions and it reflects culture. And, it conjures up spirits of the past. I want to pinpoint this idea because not only does it feel like central message in the film, it’s also a simple way to see and experience how something like a song can bring people together and move entire generations to express, heal, and motivate.

There are obvious things we can’t ignore that are being explicitly expressed in Sinners. These are themes such as racism, war, and generational trauma. They are not just being expressed through one character, but through all. These characters are a representation of history and of present. A simplification of how evils can be passed down through generations. We also have this representation of music. To me this is also a symbol of passing down stories and traditions, which may seem trivial, but is far from it. How I see it, cultural traditions are key to survival. They are how we are taught about what our ancestors have overcome and in that it is how we are able to continue fighting forward. Music, seems to be one of the strongest ways to do this. There is something magical, mystical, and spiritual about music especially when it’s coming from a place of deep hurt and deep love. Something that I felt was really expressed by Ryan Coogler in Sinners. A deep love, appreciation, and hurt for the history of his culture.

In my own world and with my own background, it was a great reminder to appreciate my lineage and what has been passed down to me. Of course, being Chamorro and from Guam is a totally different experience to the deep south African-American culture being expressed in Sinners. Yet, I still found it to empowering. First of all, It’s eye opening to see a visual representation of a history you have heard about and seeing it through the lens of a few specific characters makes it easy to understand how very real this all was. It’s not something to romanticize or forget. Knowledge is empowering and stories are a great way to spark curiosity in those of us who are still largely misinformed. Secondly, it’s also a reminder to take note of your own culture and to lean into it, appreciate it. In my case, I know that what I have is sparse— with a lot of what was true about Chamorros being lost in history or erased. However, culture can also be a feeling of community and that is something that we can hold close. We can hold it close in music, dance, food, the people around us, games, or our homelands. Whatever we have available. Keep that close. To me, Sinners felt like a folktale: A story full of everything you need to speak to the history and culture of your people. What a beautiful thing to do and what a beautiful thing to inspire other people to do.

What are some of your favorite things about your culture?

I think it’s only fitting to listen to the Sinners soundtrack for this one!

Love you, thank you.

Rae