RYAN COOGLER'S "SINNERS"

 

I went to the movies today (Tuesday, 6-10-2025) to see Sinners for the sixth time. It's never happened before in my life. I've heard the soundtrack seven or eight times. It now ties with the Cowboy Carter soundtrack. Sinners is a wonderful and sad movie. I think everyone can identify with at least something in this movie, if they're honest.

Today, I found some posts trending on TikTok where mostly young people (maybe not though) are taking the meaning of this movie in the wrong direction. I really believe that. Here's why:

In frantic attempts to find a sin in every character's closet, they zero in on Annie - and the wrong sin, if there is one. Since they can't find a feasible one to attach to her bosom, they conjure up one: Annie is a witch who sacrifices (kills) her baby girl with Smoke in order to protect Smoke and Stack. Then, they conjure up another dark-hearted thing for Annie to do: She sacrifices (eventually kills) Stack when she reactivates Smoke's neck charm before they leave her house. (That must be when she does it.) So, Mary, whose privileged intrusion brought death to the Black folks, can turn Stack - and she does.

What happens to Stack's protection? Like Annie tells Smoke when he asks her why Hoodoo didn't or couldn't save their baby, " I don't know." Who knows? Stack may have tossed his charm if he had a separate one in the glove compartment of their car, but it is not on his person in the juke joint. I really think Annie makes one bag to "keep you and your crazy-ass brother safe." It must be Karma. It's not for Stack to be protected this time because, logically, without Stack, there can be no Smoke. Stack is "the best part of me," which makes Smoke a shell without him, being identical twins.

For the thinking ones, if Annie does use that spiritual art for evil when it serves her purpose, she knew how to save their baby, which would have required a sacrifice of some sort because the baby couldn't be saved righteously being too far gone, and the baby wouldn't have died. That's witchcraft. Also, she would've told Smoke, "Yes, I can bring him (Stack) back to life" (that's Necromancy). No to all of that darkness. Annie is a spiritual and physical healer with the help of the ancestors. She is a worker in the Light.