#clarksdale

Saturday afternoon in a Negro beer and juke joint.  Clarksdale, Mississippi Delta, November 1939. 

"Grateful that Clarksdale, Mississippi is forever woven into the cultural moment surrounding this film."

Dozens of black sharecroppers and two Chinese grocers go missing, presumed lynched. Maybe a few burnt remains could be identified as human, but there's not much left to go by. There are two mutilated corpses in the sawmill, women who were partially cannibalized and impaled on wooden stakes, blood everywhere. Outside, a dozen local klansmen are found blown up or riddled with bullets next to the body of just one of the notorious Smokestack Twins, Capone's men, known for robbing both the Irish and Italian mobs in Chicago. The other twin is never seen again, also presumed lynched. The only survivor, their cousin, visibly scarred across his face for the rest of his life, goes on to become a world famous Delta Blues musician, and he names his venue after one of the murdered women.

okay! so let me start by saying that this was my 6th time seeing Sinners (ik i should prob be a lil ashamed but THE HYPERFIXATIONS CHOOSE ME OKAY?!)

as per usual the movie itself ate DOWN. i feel like i was cheating on my man cause i couldn’t help but really focus on Miles the whole movie/panel session cause like..he’s in front of me rn what do you expect?! i am no better than a man 😞

back to the movie itself, i have so many raging thoughts but i’ll focus on one scene/character. delta slim. DELTA SLIM. Delroy Lindo is hands down the best actor in the film (and i’m mbj biased!). The way he brought Slim to life really needs a whole case study. The way Delta sacrifices himself for the remaining Juke crew (idk what else to call them atp☠️) is so noble and selfless. It’s so obvious that he was scared even as he was making the sacrifice to stay behind, knowing that it would end in a painful death. I get immediate chills and tears everytime i hear him say “last call,Delta Slim.” because like it’s so metaphorical and the way delroy delivered the line just HITS. like this was his last performance and most impactful moment not just as a musician but as a strong black man from the south, who despite his own pitfalls and sins he was still capable of good. it truly was his Last Call😭 i need to go weep in a bush. DEEP NEGRO SIGH. I have much more to say about slim but i’ll just leave it there.

Also: Ryan said that Slim’s line about him knowing a vampire; remember when he said “i knew a vampire once. girl bit me everywhere but my neck” (obv i’m paraphrasing) but that line was inspired by Blues legend Bobby Rush,who also was in attendance at today’s panel! Ryan literally said that when he was explaining the premise of the movie to Bobby Rush and others at some point during production, Bobby just cut him off and was like “i knew a vampire once”🤣 Which after hearing Bobby Rush speak on the panel he definitely reminded me of Slim. The interviewer didn’t even get to ask him a question he just cut her off and said what he wanted to say (which #real) 🤣

Ryan honestly was very inspiring to listen to and also very unintentionally funny, and i thought it was really cool that he was so down to earth. I feel like he dropped a lot of gems for aspiring creatives and i do feel like even the verbal support he showed was really motivating. Side note: He also is a mewing KING cause that jawline be defined honey 🤣

I also really loved that he talked about how all the characters in the movie had an “enterprising mindset” (his exact words) and how every character in some way or another was entrepreneurial or a “builder” in some way. Which he mentioned was one of the reasons he wanted to set Sinners in clarksdale/deep south setting because he believes that, “enterprising mindset is deeply present in the south but is often overlooked” (his words not mine) AND I SOOOO AGREE. as a southern baddie myself with deep roots in mississippi i can say without a doubt some of the most resilient and entrepreneurial minded people i’ve ever met have come from the south/mississippi. I truly believe it’s just something in the soil in which our roots are planted that we have this “get it by any means” mindset. with that being said i do love being from the south 😩🫳🏽

and the black excellence was heavy in the place today & I was living for every moment of it.

well except one lady was REALLL musty ngl, they should’ve had her ass at club juke cause w the way them pits was exuding straight onion she could’ve held remmick nem back w that alone! #leavenaturaldeodorantaloneifykyourunderamsbeRIPE

watching the movie in clarksdale with a predominantly black/southern crowd was PRICELESS. One lady had the whole auditorium laughing for like 5 mins straight w her commentary. (and one lady literally got on the phone and was loudly talking during the movie, that kinda sent me ngl cause black ppl really just don’t be giving af☠️)

(Also did y’all know Sinners was filmed in Louisiana? Ryan mentioned wanting to originally film in clarksdale but there weren’t enough mississippi tax credits at the time (because of other projects going on in the state)

And whoever does Ryan’s braids is for sure seeing the pearly gates cause those hands are BLESSED☠️

“Don’t be afraid to look silly.” - Ryan Coogler, 2025

umm i want yall to be able to hear Miles’ voice sooo come back for part two! (it’s already posted🩷)