Say Something Real
By Michelle Bryant
Michelle Bryant
American Filmmaker Ryan Coogler’s movie “Sinners” hit theaters with a bang, captivating audiences with its gripping tale of vampires, betrayal, and survival. Not one for scary flicks, I decided to woman up and go check out this supernatural thriller. I’d heard the reviews and was familiar with Coogler’s work which includes The Black Panther, Creed, and Fruitvale Station. Even within that context, I wasn’t ready.
With enough popcorn to feed all of Wakanda, I nestled into my seat, reclined back, and waited for the magic. Dripping in blood was a treasure trove of historical references and cultural metaphors many viewers may overlook. More than just a movie about vampires, this film is a cinematic tapestry of the often-erased histories of marginalized communities—Chinese immigrants, Native Americans, the Irish, and most certainly African Americans—all of whom played pivotal roles in shaping the United States. The film’s opening salvo of diverse cultural, racial, and ethnic practices caused me to raise the back on my lounger. I had stumbled into a master class, and with popcorn tossed to the side, I leaned in.
I concede that my degree in African-American history and my family’s insistence on oral Black history afforded me a different view of what was unraveling before me. Layered between the performances of a cast with as many standouts as the film’s nuances were threads of whitewashed history, forgotten contributions, and untold stories.
The film gave a nod to the Chinese laborers, who primarily built the Central Pacific portion of the transcontinental railroad under brutal conditions. The tragic displacement of Native Americans during westward expansion, the struggles of African Americans exiting slavery, and a needle-eye view of the oppression of the Irish. These stories are not just historical footnotes—they are a significant part of the lifeblood of the American experience. Yet, many movie-goers will know little of these experiences, contributions, and the regional significance of the movie’s setting in the Mississippi Delta. And then there are the vampires, hoodoo, haints, and ancestral responses to evil spirits. Intertwine the Ku Klux Klan, and you grab a handful of popcorn and challenge Coogler to make this thematic mess work.
I won’t give the entire movie away, but just a few observations and suggestions: Don’t leave once the credits start rolling.
There is a whole other scene waiting for you. The enemies and threats to freedom are both obvious and ambiguous. Oppressed, who become oppressors, are often unable to see themselves. Ancestral knowledge was and has always been a threat. We have been conditioned to shun our culture, past beliefs, and practices. These themes or narratives in the movie are not accidental.
The erasure of these histories from mainstream education is not new. However, it has taken on a renewed urgency in recent years. Across the country, we are witnessing coordinated efforts to sanitize history curriculums, ban books, and assimilate everyone into the melting pot. This is exactly why history and education are so critical. Without them, we lose the ability to recognize the connections between past and present and can be doomed to repeat mistakes of the past.
Sinners is not just a great movie; it is a case study of why we must fight to preserve and teach history in all its complexity. It is a reminder that the stories we tell—and the stories we omit—shape how we see ourselves and each other. I hope this film inspires each of us to learn more, teach it to others, and protect those lessons for future generations. This is not just an academic exercise but a moral imperative.