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Annie: There are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true, it can pierce the veil between life and death; conjuring spirits from the past...and the future. In ancient Ireland, they were called Filí. In Choctaw land, they called them Fire Keepers. And in West Africa, they were called Griots. This gift can bring healing to their communities. But it also...attracts evil....

Wunmi Mosaku as Annie.

"She is a spiritualist, conjure woman, and a healer. She is a pillar and center in the community. She owns a little shop with roots, herbs, and she also cooks. She is Smoke’s other half. She is a part of him in a way that she’s his healer and his sanctuary, his place of vulnerability and openness. He can’t hide from her. Neither can she hide from him. She’s a mother and she’s someone who is deeply rooted in her traditions. She’s connected to the motherland, and she’s connected to the spiritual world—she’s a very powerful person."- Wunmi Mosaku.

Delta Slim drinks because he's traumatized by the horrors Black people of his time face. And he's kind and compassionate, encouraging and reassuring Sammie, and sacrificing himself to save everyone else.

Pearline literally saved Sammie's life and sacrificed herself to protect him, a boy she had only known for a day. It shows her kindness because she could have easily stayed back when Remmick tried to bite Sammy and not endangered her life more than necessary.

The movie shows us that preachers blindly condemning those sinners are wrong: Sammie is only alive because drunkards, philanderers and gangsters (Smoke) gave their lives to protect him. They are people, with flaws and qualities.

“Every time I show the film – whether it’s to film students at USC or UCLA or I’m going to a festival – that’s always the first question: How did Kermit ride the bicycle? And my stock answer is: I put him on a three-wheeler until he got his balance, and then I put him on the two-wheeler.”