Evangeline Ford
Features Editor
The first moments of the discussion with the cast and director of the upcoming horror film “Sinners” were filled with laughter. It was evident from the stifling of infectious giggles through the answering of the first question that everyone in that room had a genuine connection, and, like Ryan Coogler’s other work, it was a film created with love and care.
“Sinners” is set in the 1930s in the southern United States and is a rich, layered story about a pair of twin brothers grappling with unimaginable evil. Specifically, the undead. Vampires from out of town are hell-bent on turning the loved ones of the two brothers as well as the brothers themselves into vampires. The film is otherworldly and yet grounded in the historically accurate cultural richness of the region. Coogler’s direction gives the film the trademark powerful energy that flows through his other movies. The film notably features Micheal B. Jordan, who stars as both brothers, along with Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jayme Lawson, and Jack O’Connell.
The Bottom Line attended a press conference discussing the film and got to hear personal accounts from the leading actors and the director about the experience of creating it. During the press conference, it was made clear that “Sinners,” although Coogler’s brainchild, was a collaborative effort, and the ideas and opinions of both cast and crew were welcomed. Omar Benson Miller, who plays Cornbread, a friend of the brothers, remarked that “Ryan Coogler runs the most egalitarian set I have ever been on,” continuing on to describe the environment on the set as welcoming and positive. The equitable and community-oriented nature of the experience seems to have shaped the film, from which it has only been improved. Micheal B. Jordan’s career-spanning partnership with Coogler was also discussed, with Coogler citing Jordan as someone who has “an incredible work ethic” and for whom “kindness is the default.”
The themes within “Sinners” make it, without a doubt, a heavy experience. A throughline in much of Coogler’s work is his focus on justice and fighting for those you love. Like many of his previous films, however, he maintains the integrity of his subject matter all while keeping the audience entertained and engaged. The film is aesthetically striking, and many of the cast members spoke about how extraordinary the set was. Wunmi Mosaku, when asked about the influence of the set and environment on her character’s story, shared that the beautifully made sets and the attention to detail, “added to their connection,” referring to the love story between her and one of the brothers. A couple of the actors, including Li Jun Li and Miles Caton, noted that the set was also a learning experience for them, both in the education that Coogler’s detailed and well-researched writing provides and in the experience of being on a high-budget film set.
The most important takeaway, however, was the impact a film set’s culture has on the final product. Coogler along with the stars of this film are worldwide celebrities, and the attitude on set “trickles down” from them, emphasized Coogler. The supportive, kind, humanizing way that it was expected people treated one another in that workplace seemed to be integral to the incredible outcome it produced.