When I first posted about Ryan Coogler’s new film Sinners, I called it gospel.
Not a film. Not just cinema. Gospel.
And I meant that.
But later that day, my father (as expected) messaged me:
“Gospel??? Good news?”
A simple question—but it stopped me. Not because I regretted saying it, but because I realized I needed to clarify what I meant. And who I was speaking to.
So here’s a fuller reflection—what that one-word caption cracked open.
I wasn’t talking about scripture. I wasn’t talking about The Gospel. I meant gospel in the way we define it after faith—when it becomes shorthand for something undeniable. Truth. A revelation. Something that pulls back the veil and forces you to contend with what you believe, who you are, and what you’re becoming.
Sinners does that. It’s not just a story. It’s a parable. A cautionary tale disguised as a genre film. And to be honest, I’m not even one for overt horror or supernatural movies. I was raised to understand how thin that veil is—and how quickly you can invite things in when you’re not spiritually grounded.
But I also know the power of rhythm and blues. Of ancestral folk music. Of storytelling and oral traditions passed through breath, body, and blood. These forms carry truth—gospel, in that second and third definition. And if you’re not spiritually aware, yes, you can bring spirits home with you. But if you are, you see it for what it is. You feel the weight of what it’s trying to communicate.
That’s what this film does. It reaches people who may never step into a church, never read a holy book, never hear a sermon—but they’ll watch Sinners. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll be the only light, the only reflection of truth they’ll recognize.
I’m not trying to preach. But I am saying this…
We can lose ourselves to anything.
Family. Fame. Blood. Music. Pleasure. Power.
And sometimes we even call that worship.
So yes, I said gospel.
Because Sinners made me feel something eternal. Something truthful. Something ancient and urgent.
And that’s not the kind of thing I post and walk away from. That’s the kind of thing I sit with. That I write more about. That I’ll return to over and over again.
Because this isn’t just a reaction.
It’s the beginning of a conversation.
A full FILMS review coming soon.
Lastly, I read this earlier today and it feels like a correlation to your words and my wonder. Enjoy
An important read
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I have been following different takes on this film leaning heavily into seeing it but having a long history with difficult with horror genre pre-adult Christian headlocks against things like this however in the last 17 years I have been evolving into the understanding of what white supremacy, Christian conquering global identify has mislabeled in different cultures and specifically Black American African experience. I absolutely loved what you wrote here. If I could sit through the Passion of Christ, I can sit through this prepped to expect a taste of enjoyment you portrayed here. Thank you for your review beautiful person.