Coogler, R. (Director). (2025). Sinners [Film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.
Released in theaters on April 18th, 2025, Sinners has since captivated the minds of many, including myself. I admire director Ryan Coogler’s fervor for filmmaking, and his passion shines through in all of his past projects. After watching his work with the Black Panther movies, I knew Sinners would be an excellent watch and was excited to see a new perspective on racial dynamics in American society. The film’s overall spirit and spotlight on the Chinese community in the Mississippi Delta ultimately led me to write about the Chow family’s role in Sinners.
Set in the Mississippi Delta during the 1930s, Sinners follows a story of racial tensions, morality, and sacrifice. The film begins with its protagonists, the SmokeStack twins (both played by Michael B. Jordan), as they return to their hometown in Mississippi to fulfill their wish of opening a juke joint. Along with their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), the twins recruit help and entertainment for their big opening night. Of the many they approach, they enlist the help of Bo and Grace Chow (Yao and Li Jun Li), a Chinese couple who own two grocery stores in town. As night falls, the juke joint proves to be a flourishing haven for the Black community to gather and socialize, away from the regular white-dominated spaces. Guests dance the night away to Sammie’s vocals that are powerful enough to warp time and space. Unfortunately, the party draws the attention of evil beings lingering in the night, turning their perfect night into one of pure horror.
Coogler, R. (Director). (2025). Sinners [Film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.Sinners represents the Chinese community in the Mississippi Delta through the Chow family. In the film, Bo, Grace, and their daughter, Lisa (Helena Hu), run two grocery stores. The stores are a mere five-minute walk from each other, serving the white and Black communities separately. Coogler introduces the Chow family‘s place in the community through Grace’s quick walk from one store to the other. This visual is undoubtedly purposeful, as it depicts the racial limbo in which Asian Americans existed. In a society so heavily divided between Black and white, Asian Americans were not fully accepted or rejected by either side of the racial binary. As a result, they learned to make ends meet by making strides in any way this racial binary allowed, which often meant catering to both sides. This visual evolves later in the film, of course, with Coogler showing both Black and Chinese cultures being celebrated in the juke joint.
Coogler, R. (Director). (2025). Sinners [Film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.At the climax of the twins’ party, Coogler illustrates that the power of music can not only transcend time but also bring together cultures. As Sammie sings, Black dancers swirl onscreen, and once Bo and Grace start dancing, two Chinese dancers appear alongside them. These dancers represent and celebrate their respective cultures, and their peaceful coexistence signifies that the juke joint is a safe place for cultural expression and mixing. This visual is especially significant considering the history of Black and Asian solidarity in the U.S. Of course, social constructs like the model minority myth (implemented so that Black and Asian communities turn against each other instead of against oppressive systems) often challenge and overshadow moments of solidarity. As we can see from the collaboration of college student organizations in The Third World Liberation Front, as well as more recent examples, the unity in the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate movements, marginalized groups havesupported each other against a larger oppressor and are more effective together than apart. Consequently, not only does Sinners remind its audience of the long history of Black-Asian solidarity, but the vibrancy of Black and Chinese dancers joined in celebration in the juke joint also reflects the perseverance and unity of marginalized groups in America despite oppressive forces against them.
Coogler, R. (Director). (2025). Sinners [Film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.As the night grows darker, Grace becomes the catalyst for a major fight between the humans and the vampires. Up until this point, Grace had to actively reject the taunts of Remmick (Jack O’Connell), the main villain of the film, and the vampire version of her husband. They try their best to convince Grace to follow them into vampirism, manipulating her longing to be with Bo. After being verbally harassed in her native language by Remmick, Grace accepts her husband’s unfortunate fate and allows the physical and metaphorical door to shut between them. Supported by her fellow survivors in the juke joint, Grace’s resilience and refusal to comply refreshingly subvert the submissive stereotype that so many Asian women are subjected to.
Though many may disagree, Grace further demonstrates her strength and agency by later allowing the vampires into the juke joint. Moments before she says those magic words, Grace thinks of her daughter left behind at the store. As long as vampire Bo and the other vampires are alive, Lisa is in danger. On her own terms and determined to do whatever it takes to ensure her daughter’s safety, Grace prioritizes her family’s preservation by eliminating the threat that vampire Bo poses. Familial protection is a common theme in Asian communities, especially within the diaspora. Moving from a land of shared culture to a foreign land with significant racial tensions is daunting and demands support. Families can function as a built-in support system while living in a white majority society. Not to mention, a growing family in the United States overcoming its obstacles is an indicator of American prosperity. Grace’s sacrifice guarantees that her family legacy in the Mississippi Delta continues through Lisa. Grace’s battle cry and sacrifice dismantle the submissive Asian woman stereotype and highlight the value of family preservation in Asian American communities.
Coogler, R. (Director). (2025). Sinners [Film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.Before Smoke gets his revenge, he recounts the events leading up to the juke joint’s big opening. He remembers some of his last moments with his friends and family as they set up for a seemingly perfect night. Although her appearance is very brief, Grace’s costume immediately caught my eye: a denim jumpsuit, with her hair in an updo tied back by a red bandana. The outfit of the American cultural icon Rosie the Riveter, the exemplar of the average American woman. Although this movie is set years before World War II, when the image of Rosie the Riveter first appeared, a majority of its audience would undoubtedly recognize Grace’s costume. Consequently, this fleeting yet powerful image breaks the perpetual foreigner stereotype often placed on Asian Americans and challenges the idea of what a true American looks like.
Coogler, R. (Director). (2025). Sinners [Film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the amount of work and research that went into producing this film, and judging by its remarkable success and praise on the internet, I am not the only one. I’ve watched it twice so far and am more than willing to watch it again. I appreciate Ryan Coogler’s attention to detail in composing this story, which allows me to spot something new in each watch. I always find it especially powerful when a film can evoke multiple powerful emotions throughout the two hours we are together. There is joy, grief, comedy, and overall a lot of heart in this film, easily making it a favorite of mine.
The film’s soundtrack plays a significant role in the harmonious composition of emotion and movement in a scene, which further draws audiences into the world of Sinners. I find it highly captivating how Coogler deliberately characterizes music, specifically the blues, in Sinners to have otherworldly properties that bring together time and space. In doing so, the blues serves as a totem for Black culture that is constantly sought after by outsiders, an issue that still remains today. Blues music in Sinners demonstrates the timelessness and resilience of creativity and spirit in the Black community. The scene where Sammie sings “I Lied to You” is especially stunning, as audiences do not often see grand celebrations of Black and Chinese culture, and this is the perfect visual to give the audience before the conflict begins.
Coogler, R. (Director). (2025). Sinners [Film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.I also appreciate Coogler’s initiative to hire a cultural consultant to ensure that the Chows’ story and the spirit of the Mississippi Delta Chinese community are accurately portrayed on screen. It is so easy to gloss over this piece of history or exclude it altogether, but implementing the Chows adds so much nuance to the racial social politics in Sinners and 1930s America. The inclusion of the Chows’ story gives value to not only Asian American representation in media but also the range of Asian American experiences. Sinners also sheds light on the often unheard-of Mississippi Delta Chinese community to a wider range of audience members, including myself. Sinners is a must-watch film, crafted with so much heart and thought; I’m glad it’s getting the recognition it deserves.
Written by Kristi Viray, 2025 Summer Intern, William & Mary ’24
