Sinners (Slight Spoilers)

So, I watched the latest Ryan Coogler movie, and I have to tell you, my mind was blown. I need to see it at least one more time, and next time I’m taking a notebook. The movie was not scary, and I’m scared of almost everything, so if that’s what is keeping you from seeing it, go buy your ticket today.

Here are the top 5 lessons I learned from this incredible movie. I will warn you, there are some spoilers, so if you care about that kind of thing, go see the movie first, and come back.

1. There is art/music/literature that transcends time and space. It bends genres and crosses cultural divides. These creators must be protected at all costs. They are our future. They are the way out. That’s why book bans and censorship are so dangerous. There is sacred knowledge that the powers that be don’t want us to be able to access. I have long believed that poets are the prophets of this generation. Please take this as my plea to support your local arts. Go to the fairs and the plays. Buy a print, Commission a piece if you can. Tip the musician who is performing at brunch. Read the book, and if you can’t afford any of that, at least like and share good content. Let the artist know you appreciate their work.
2. ***Spoiler alert***There are people who would rather die than to let their sacred knowledge fall into the wrong hands. Annie, by far, is my favorite character in this movie. Besides being absolutely gorgeous, she was also the only one who knew how to fight the evil outside the door. The reason Stack and Mary were so upset when Annie died is because they knew what a resource she would have been to their tribe. Annie knew it too, which is why she made Smoke promise to do what needed to be done. Annie was a praying woman, a wise old soul with life-saving, life-giving, skills and abilities. There are people and places who would exploit those gifts in the worst ways.
3. **Slight spoiler alert**Just because you can hop back and forth between two worlds, doesn’t mean you should! I don’t care if you are doing it for financial gain or for fun. There is a danger to your soul and to the people around you. I know that for survival’s sake, many of us have had to code switch for years. It’s a requirement for many communities. It’s actually a valuable skill. But Mary wasn’t code-switching. What she was doing was far more dangerous. She was trying to exploit her appearance and her proximity to whiteness in an effort to make herself more valuable to a community that already valued her. In doing so, she made herself and her loved ones subject to attack.
4. Heed the warnings. Buying a slaughterhouse from a klansman is wild work. The invaders sang a song about cannibalism, and all our heroes heard was good harmony. Folks are telling you every day who they are. You see it in how they talk to other people. You see it in how they talk to you. You see it in how they vote. Believe your eyes and your ears.
5. Vampires (formally known as culture vultures) come in every tribe, every language, every Creed and every color. Beware of people and organizations who will drain the very life out of you, while in exchange, they offer you the promise of eternal life. If this movie wasn’t a much needed critique of the American church, I don’t know what is! The movie left me with one very serious question. Who were the sinners, here? Because the vampires looked a whole lot like church folk to me.

I promise there is more, but this is what stood out to me at first glance. I’m interested in your thoughts. In the meantime, a clove a day keeps the vampires away.