I Rewatched Sinners, And There's One Beautiful Thing That Hit Me This Time Around

So, another week, another excuse for me to talk about the beauty that is the 2025 movie release, Sinners.

But on a real note, this is one of those movies that I literally will never stop talking about. I think it’s honestly because it’s the first film in a long time to truly remind me of why I love movies. The story was great, the cinematography was fantastic, the acting was outstanding – literally – and everything just came together for the perfect storm to create an epic film.

A part of me truly believes that this movie deserves all the hype, and I sincerely hope that when Oscar season arrives, it receives the awards it deserves. But in reality, I know that the Oscars have a bit of a bias against horror movies, and while Sinners isn’t necessarily a horror movie, it certainly leans in that direction.

Either way, that didn’t stop me from rewatching it when I had the chance to see it on VOD because my boyfriend hadn’t seen it yet. So, we decided to have a date night at home. This time around, I started to realize something about the story that hit me and made me realize just how beautiful it truly is. Let’s dig into it.

The Movie Is Just As Phenomenal As Ever Before

Before I delve into the details about what I spotted, I must give this movie its due once again because, frankly, it's good.

This is coming from a girl who doesn’t even like the best vampire movies. Sure, I’ve seen Twilight films and have watched some classics, but vampires have never been my go-to monster in any of the best fantasy movies out there. I don’t find them intriguing.

But leave it to Sinners to turn the vampire genre on its head and give us not only an authentic movie about emotional grief and music but also connect that to something as supernatural as vampires and evil spirits. That’s something that I can’t get over, and I will praise it every time I can. It made me want to watch more flicks like this, but nothing can beat the original.

But The Subtle Denial Of Everything Sammie Knew Is A Great Metaphor For Trauma

The one thing I did notice specifically has to do with Sammie. Oh, Sammie.

First off, Miles Caton did a freaking phenomenal job playing Sammie. I still can’t believe this was his debut film role because if so, everyone would give him the amount of praise he rightfully deserves. Good lord.

But other than Caton’s electric performance, Sammie is the main reason I wrote this article because his character, in general, is an excellent example of what it’s like to be surrounded by grief and trauma constantly due to what you have gone through, and still power through it.

That might be hard to understand, but let me explain. The movie starts and relatively ends the same way, with Sammie standing in his family’s church, the broken guitar in his hand, with his father begging him to repent from his past, his sins, to let the music go – the music that took Sammie’s cousins, his lover, all those good people.

But in the end, he still doesn’t let that stop him. He rides out of there in his cousin’s car, with that broken piece of guitar held tightly to his chest as if it is the only anchor in a thrashing sea that is keeping him to shore, the last puffed up sleeves of a life vest that prevents his body from descending to the ocean floor.

What an excellent metaphor for trauma and life in general, as well as the resilience of the human spirit. We knew from the beginning that music is what made Sammie whole, what he wanted to spend his life doing, despite everyone telling him otherwise, even his cousins. And it was his music that lured all those vampires to the barn, which caused all the deaths of those people.

And yet, despite it all, he still leaves. He still takes that risk – because a day without music is simply one that he does not want to live, even after it all. He pushes through that pain because he knows that if he stays down there, he will be haunted by not only his past but the lack of a future of what could have been, and that’s deep.

Even Decades Later, He Still Doesn't Regret That Day Before All The Death Happened

In the credits sequence of Sinners, we spot an older Miles – played by the incomparable Buddy Guy – who finds himself in a captive audience with the transformed versions of Mary and Elias, Stack, who has come to visit him, offering immortality. We get a whole sequence of him playing for them, turning down immortality all these years later.

But then, there’s that one line where he admits that before everything happened, before everyone was killed, he believed that was the best day of his life. The fact that he was able to surpass his trauma, somehow, to look at the good parts of that day instead of turning it all away. It fills you with fire.

If Sammie, who literally went through the worst possible outcome of that night, who lost so many people because of what he loves, is still able to overcome his grief and past and continue to do what he loved years later, what does that make us? If anything, afterward, I felt this new, renewed sense of possibility – that literally anything is possible.

And You Can Tell He Still Really Loved Playing Despite His Past

This is also a minor point, but it's clear that he still loved playing, even in his older age, which speaks to his ability to let go of his demons–or rather, to embrace them and push past the pain of the past to continue doing what he loved.

I come from a musical family. Sure, we aren’t high-level musicians, but my dad traveled the world, and my mom worked in Radio City for many years; both of them know good music. And you can always tell when they’re jamming out. There’s this look in their eye, a gleam of their past days when they would go out and dance together, and a smirk of what they once were. That feeling when the beat starts to groove, and the harmonies perfectly align.

I could see that same gleam on Sammie’s face, the sign of a true musician who truly loves his craft and loves what he does. And the fact that it’s because of his craft that everyone got hurt, but he’s still here, playing the blues? That’s perfect.

It's The Kind Of Movie That Sits With You

Sinners goes beyond the best horror films out there. I think Sinners truly is one of the best films of this decade, and I think it’s going to stay that way for a long time.

Some movies have themes that stick with you for ages. Whether it’s from their emotional climaxes, their intense sequences, their superb acting, or whatever else is the case, they stay with you for a long time. Sinners is one of those movies.

I didn’t know what to expect when I went to watch this movie for the second time, but I didn’t think I would feel this way. It took a rewatch to understand Sammie truly, and honestly, it makes me wonder how many more rewatches I might have to do to understand all the characters.

This is the kind of film that will define this decade, and once again, I hope that when awards season comes around, it is recognized for its brilliance. It’s so much more than a vampire film or a historical drama – it’s a triumph of cinema.

I don’t know what other film will cause this visceral reaction from me this year, but only time will tell. Or I can go and rewatch Sinners again. Now, where was my popcorn?