Christianity has deep roots within the horror genre, fear of retribution and eternal suffering a driving force of terror and persecution. Within its malleable constraints, the horror genre allows for fluidity and inclusion in its narratives that both embraces and critiques the age old religion and its mass of followers. The Sinners, from writer and director Courtney Paige, dives deep into its heart, utilizing a young adult model to examine what really is a deadly sin.
While not the knock out film of the year, I found myself surprisingly impressed with the film’s content and depth of examination, giving this film an average rating overall. Even more surprising was the alluring CW appeal it maintains, leaning into the possibility for further successes as a miniseries. Building off this potential, The Sinners provides layers and depth to its narrative, what is unsaid as important as what is primary focused on.
The Sins
The Sinners opens to a young woman being abducted, feelings of vengeance and fear immediately emanating. As viewers will quickly learn, the young woman is Aubrey (Brenna Llewellyn) – and this is the story of how she ended up at the bottom a lake.
The film does not give the introduction time to linger, giving it just enough to intrigue. Viewers are immediately taken back, Aubrey, our narrator, leading audiences through an introduction to “The Sins”, a group of girls who have been chastised by the heavily catholic community and school. They are introduced both by name and deadly sin, their characteristics turned immediately into flaws – all while Aubrey (who encompasses Pride) places judgment on them from above.
The first half of the film brings viewers backward leading up to its opening scene, encompassing not only Aubrey’s story but Grace’s (Kaitlyn Bernard) as well. Running in unison, these girls’ stories are intertwined, both contrasting and attracting one another. It is tumultuous, unpredictable, and even heartbreaking, not only showcasing their lives together but the environment they find themselves immersed within.
After an unspeakable tragedy occurs, the tables begin to turn on the young group of girls, each dying by the hand of their sins. As fear and retribution begin to sweep through the town, viewers are left to wonder not only who the killer is, but what truly is a “sin”.
Revelations and technical sins
One of the elements that seriously stood out was the film’s soundtrack. Adeliz bookends the film with her songs “Like the Wolf” and “Heaven’s Door” and Billie Elish’s “Bury a Friend” encompasses and highlights the film further. Cleverly placed, it speaks to its target demographic, furthering its potential as an extended TV miniseries. Honestly, the use of song within this film was reminiscent of its use in Grey’s Anatomy and The Vampire Diaries.
And speaking of the young adult/ CW demographic this film caters to, there is a clever Riverdale cameo that screams to be known. And without spoiling too much of the film, no other Riverdale baddie could have made such an appearance and fit the film so perfectly. As a fan of the series, it was a satisfying casting, to say the least.
Where The Sinners does struggle is in its performance and exposition. When speaking of exposition, at times the film feels flooded with unnecessary scenes to draw empathy and emotion from its audience. There is a “look at this” fashion so that you can “feel this” later. Had the script and direction been tighter, trimming unnecessary exposition and scenes overall, the film would have felt less bloated. Yet, in its defense, this also leans more into why this would have succeeded in a TV setting – there was definitely more to be told here.
Performances too struggled, producing more cringe-worthy moments than drawing an audience in. Brenna Llewellyn as Aubrey Miller seems over the top at times and far from believable, having moments of breakthrough and others of confusion. Kaitlyn Bernard seemed at times disconnected from Grace, uncertain of how far to go, how far to hold back, and to fully commit to her role. The exception though was Brenna Coates as Tori Davidson who was the most believable of the cast. There was a range of emotions she was able to exhibit, while also maintaining the restraint and inner turmoil her situation in the film finds her.
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”
Several times throughout this article, I have mentioned reasons as to why this would have found greater success as a miniseries. There is just so much to it. Each sin could have been encompassed in an episode, further depth could have been given to each of the characters introduced and unnecessary exposition could have been expanded to fill in fully and aid the narrative forward. This bloated feeling of the film could be attributed to a need of a tighter script, but it also could have been to the need for a larger platform of growth.
Another reason is the nuanced layers within the film that I felt viewers were robbed of fully experiencing and examining. Just in Grace’s family structure alone there are deep layers of Christianity and devote loyalty, patriarchy, and the idea of “sheep” that was touched upon yet never given a deeper examination. While they do start a conversation, I wanted to know more about what the director and the writers thought, to see more of what they might have wanted to show.
Christianity is a deeply rooted driving force for the community, the school, and each family. It creates ostracized communities, promotes violence, and even shows the allowance of presumed sin. The Sinners is not afraid to show that everyone “sins”. It is also not afraid to show that those who judge are either oblivious or are willing to turn a blind eye when it is convenient. The girls are commonly critiqued regarding what they wear, yet are constantly seen with skirts above their knees. The father waits for his daughter on the porch, yet has no idea when she has snuck out at night. It speaks to the focus of “sin” watchers, but also the environment in which “sin” comes about – an environment of oppression, control, and desire.
There was so much here to explore, yet so little time to truly understand.
Conclusion
The Sinners is a deeply layered and nuanced film that finds as much strength in what is not discussed as in what is. Though bloated at times, viewers will be left to wonder if this speaks to the choice of medium or to budgetary restraints. And while it is definitely not the film of the year, it is certainly a strong candidate for creating open conversations and discussions and displaying a wealth of promise from writer and director Courtney Paige. Honestly, I can not wait to see what she does next.
Have you seen The Sinners? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
The Sinners was released on February 19, 2021 on VOD!
Watch The Sinners
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