The Heartbreaking Relationships In Sinners

By Alexis Shoats

The relationships the SmokeStack Twins have with Annie and Mary are one of the most important and heartbreaking pieces of the plot for the movie Sinners. Sinners does a great job at blending horror and Southern Gothic storytelling with themes of systemic racism woven throughout. This allows the audience the opportunity to come to various conclusions about what this movie is supposed to be about at its core. However, Director Ryan Coogler listed one reason that I think really pulls it all together. In conversation with the Directors Guild of America, Coogler stated that the movie is about following your dreams. When you think about it from that lens, you really pay attention to the role each of these characters has, as well as their dreams, fears, and whether or not they are successful.  

When we meet the twins, just a few scenes later, we also meet the women in their lives. Both relationships set a precedent for the film. Stack and Mary meet again at a train station just as Mary is preparing to head back to Arkansas after her mother’s funeral. Seeing that Stack is back in town, she’s a mixture of angry, sad, and heartbroken. She makes haste to tell him exactly how she feels, and does not mince words, an attitude quite similar to Stack’s own personality characteristics. A few of those being impulsive, mischievous, optimistic, and similar to his brother, cunning. Mary, similar to Stack, is optimistic and a bit naively so. She’s a white passing woman, and because of the one-drop rule, it is safer for her to pass as fully white and leave her true heritage behind. However, she does not desire that life; she desires the life she grew up with and to be with Stack. Stack thinks he is in control of the situation, the situation being Mary. He explains that he got her a white husband far from town, seemingly securing her a life filled with more ease and without the racial threats and violence that would follow the two of them if she stayed with Stack. Mary doesn't care about any of this, and we see her later on at the juke joint. The two later on make a decision behind Smoke's back that seems like a cunning and strategic plan, but is really naively optimistic and impulsive. This decision will change the entire course of everyone's lives.

When we meet Annie, it is after Smoke has taken a moment to give reverence and pay his respects to his dead baby. A loss that we can see he still clearly carries with him simply by how he says “Daddy’s here.” Annie knows Smoke and Stack are back in town because they got into trouble in Chicago, and although Smoke tries to act as if their luck kept them safe, Annie quickly lets him know it was her prayers keeping them out of danger. She then asks about the mojo bag she gave him, and Smoke still has it around his neck. At this point in the story, we’ve learned that Annie practices root work and is a herbalist healer in the community. Yet, although Annie practices root work, Smoke still does not understand how her magic could not bring back their baby. There’s pain there for both of them, and even Annie doesn’t have an answer to his question. The strain in their relationship does not take away the deep respect and love Smoke has for Annie. Michael B. Jordan stated in an interview that his relationship with Annie really helped him define Smoke, understand how the world treated Stack, and was a north star for what their success embodied. Annie understands Smoke in a way that no one else can, and she’s the only person who gets through to him in any situation. What she is to Smoke is similar to what she is to the rest of her community; she seems to be an anchor, and she’s more than content to play that role. 

The impact of these two relationships, along with the brothers' former relationship with their abusive dad, carries them forward in their pursuit of wealth and freedom. The SmokeStack Twins at this point have a reputation, but won’t be happy until they ultimately open a successful Juke Joint (preferably before the Mafia can find them). It is this pursuit that also leads to their demise. Smoke couldn’t save Stack, but he did save Sammy, and although Stack can live openly with Mary and continue his mischievous ways, the cost was greater than even he could have bargained for. In the post-credits scene, after surprising Sammy, now older and a famed musician, Sammy tells Stack he wakes up feeling paralyzed. He states that before the sun went down, that day was the best day of his life. He then asks Stack if he feels the same. Stack responds, “No doubt about it. Last time I seen my brother. Last time I seen the sun. Just for a few hours, we was free.”