A Not-So Review: Sinners

Am I a sinner for missing this movie last year in the cinema when I actually did plan to watch it in the first place?

Sitting in the farther corner of a two-story coffee shop, not even a soul seems to sense the bits and bursts of different emotions tickling around my spot as I finished Sinners on my phone. I was initially planning to complete the movie later tonight, but the kick of matcha and blueberry together with the vegetarian salad I ordered encouraged me to plug my earphones into my phone.

I was more or less 15 minutes away from finishing the movie when I left it earlier because I needed to freshen up for my dental appointment. And here I am right now. Aside from brushing off a LANY song from my head and the voices of strangers catching up in the air, I am feeling a little guilty for leaving my drinks sweaty because I am getting occupied with how I can put my post-movie high into words on my notes app.

The clock just turned 7:38 pm and I am supposed to go home now as I need to feed Pino his dinner. But! But I need to let these emotions out of my system. I need to capitalize on this moment because I feel like, with a little nudge, I am capable of finishing a not-so review of Sinners.

But I am feeling a little cold. The aircon seems to send a shiver into my tummy and now I can feel the air moving inside and finding its way out to fart. Sinners is a good shit! I thought One Battle After Another was my best movie recently, but Sinners walked in so casually with a breeze that I immediately rated it 5 stars and tapped the heart on it on Letterboxd.

I don't know if it's because of the Friday air that put me in a clear mood and therefore made me see this movie. But no, this movie is just really good. The scene where Sammie started strumming his guitar, with his people circling around the juke joint waiting for him. And the sequence after that marked my that's-it moment, an early juncture of the movie that already piqued my interest and could potentially keep me seated until the last second of it.

The twins and how they speak captured me first. Or is it the charm of Michael B. Jordan, who I once thought was the same as Michael Jordan? It was the clip of Nicki Minaj on an award show where she said something along the lines of, “Shout out to blah blah for my outfit tonight. And to Michael B. Jordan who will take it off tonight.” And I have seen several clips online where they named him the most beautiful man.

So seeing him in the movie in two bodies made me think they had someone who looked almost exactly identical to him, or that he just has a twin in real life. Then here's Sammie and his guitar breathing blue melodies behind his father's preaching. When he strummed his guitar and sang behind the moving wheels of his cousin, Stack, I felt a soul in his voice and that made me wonder why his father said demons would follow his music.

The scenes leading up to the night of the opening of the juke joint were so spectacular. The tickling of the piano on Slim's fingers, the bodies moving merrily around the newly bought sawmill, the stealing and meaningful glances between Sammie and Pearline, the grudge and longing of Mary towards Stack, the perfect night that everyone thought would be endless, only to be punctuated by the presence of some suspicious folks.

What a horror it is to be manipulated by your buried fears and have them used against you. Mary got the gold coins for Stack, but the moment they locked themselves in the room was when the joy of the night completely halted.

Music brings people together… and even the dead ones.

The guitar that made Sammie alive is truly what kept him alive.

The ending credits were perfect that they made my salad even tastier. This is what films do, especially the good ones. They make you enjoy and appreciate the little things around you. Damn, even the slices of red pepper tasted so sweet.

I got home half an hour ago as of writing. It is 9:33 pm now. I'm on the edge of the bed upstairs, feeling the softness of the mattress. Pino just got up as Mama went upstairs to hang some laundry. I haven't brushed my teeth yet but I am feeling little joys because I was finally able to write. It has been months.

It's good to be back.

Hope I can come back as often as I can. But I need to take a quick shower now.

TGIF!