“Sinners” is a movie that was released this year in April, and to say it’s good is an understatement.
It is a phenomenal movie grounded in the realities of the Jim Crow era with fantastical horror elements that helped to symbolize oppression, assimilation and cultural appropriation.
The film has a predominantly Black cast. It features talented actors like Michael B. Jordan. He does not just play one character, but two characters who are twins.
The protagonist, Sammie Moore, was played by Miles Caton. This was Caton’s debut film, but his performance shined nevertheless.
The movie was phenomenal from start to finish. It starts off a little slow, but compared to all the fast-paced movies that are released nowadays, it is more preferred.
The film does a great job of showing off a realistic lifestyle of the 1930s. That era was during an era where Black people lived under extreme oppression and segregation.
It also does not hold back on showing the rich Black musical culture of the past, present and future.
An iconic performance scene about halfway through that really shows the musical culture and made the movie watching experience absolutely amazing.
All that to say, the praise it has been getting is well deserved.
However, the topic of why it matters so much to have the representation of different cultures is a constant question for many. The topic is even more important now as marginalized groups lives are being affected everyday during Donald Trump’s presidency.
“Sinners,” despite being a horror film, does not stray from the era it is portraying. A fair share of bigotry and discrimination against Black people happens throughout the film.
The horror elements also make a good metaphor for that. Jack O’Connell plays the antagonist of the story. His character’s main goal is to take a “gift” that Moore has and make it his own.
Assimilation to whiteness is a big theme later on in the film as well. Even the antagonist can be portrayed as someone who became assimilated because he is Irish and not from America.
An article posted to the Irish Famine Exhibition talks about how the Irish were heavily discriminated against in America because they were immigrants.
“The violence was fueled by a toxic combination of economic anxiety, religious differences, and cultural clashes,” The Irish Famine Exhibition article said. “Irish immigrants were not only subjected to physical assaults but also faced discrimination in employment, housing, and education.
Although the violence had faded over time, the article said that Irish Americans became integrated through assimilation.
The antagonist in “Sinners” has a similar ploy to try and unite and assimilate everyone instead of directly fixing the problems of discrimination.. Overall, the antagonists’ motives give a strong message to the history of Irish Americans and how they are similar to Black Americans.
The idea of assimilation helps to reflect the real tensions that marginalized groups had to face when coming to America. It helps to strengthen the film’s message on representation and how portraying minorities and their real history is impactful.
Representation helps to portray minorities in a positive light as opposed to a stereotypical one. An article on the PBS News website says that portrayals of minorities not only affect how others see them, but also how they see themselves.
Stereotypes of minorities in the media were common before. Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, an animated character from “The Simpsons” is a prime example. He is written as a stereotypical Indian man whose actions are mostly used for comedic relief.
The article on PBS News said not being represented positively or at all can actually affect the mental health of people as well.
A quote from a student in the PBS News article said, “It just makes you feel like, ‘Why don’t I see anybody like me?’ (It) kind of like brings your self-esteem down.”
So being represented in a positive light definitely goes a long way.
An article from Psychology Today said that representation can help reduce negative stereotypes and help people find community support to feel more validated with themselves.
Especially during COVID-19, creating community’s online has become important. It helped minorities and LGBTQ+ people feel more seen.
The article on Psychology Today also said that researchers believe less prejudice can come from others the more exposure they have to groups who are different from them.
That also leads into why representation in children’s media is important too. It helps to teach and show children that people who are different from them exist.
Media aimed at children with representation has existed and is only growing in theme. Shows like “The Owl House,” “The Proud Family” and “Steven Universe” have helped to showcase their diverse casts and themes through different messages.
The successes of big movies like “Sinners” also helps with positive representation as well.
Take the live action of “The Little Mermaid,” released in 2023 starring African American actress Halle Bailey.
Bailey played the role of Ariel, and it caused a lot of mixed reactions online.
A news article published to Temple University said that when it was initially announced that Bailey would play Ariel, she received a flood of racist comments that were targeted towards her.
The university makes it clear that not everyone shared the same reaction however. They said that Black children reacted positively to Bailey’s role and felt seen.
Other big movies like “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians” have also had great success. Not only being great with their diversity, but also with their themes.
The article on PBS News also said that in 2017, only 19.8% of movie lead film actors were people of color.
Since then, the article on Daily Bruin said that it increased to 29.2% in 2023. It also has been shown to create better box office outcomes, but monetary gain should not be the reason to show representation.
Overall, representation is important because if younger people can feel seen, it will help motivate and shape their lives.
The success of “Sinners” should be a reminder that minorities have a right to be seen and heard. Displaying positive attributes about them is helping to make society more progressive.
Even then, progress still has to be made with how people are respected. Despite how much more it is happening than it was before, it is still flawed.
The article on Psychology Today said media that reinforces stereotypes and has very one-dimensional representation still exists.
Not everyone who is oppressed is being fully seen either.
Central, south, southeast and western Asians in particular are still being underrepresented.
”Representation should never be the final goal,” the article on Psychology Today said. “Instead, it should merely be one step toward equity. Having a diverse cast on a television show is meaningless if those storylines promote harmful stereotypes or fail to address societal inequities.”
Representation should be intentional and not just to fulfill a quota. If it is done with the right amount of care and attention, it can create more successful parts of media to come.
