Ryan Coogler Knows This Matters
Tired: those pretaped “thanks for coming to the movie” videos where actors and/or directors awkwardly thank audience members for watching their movie before it begins. Wired: a thank-you note that emphasizes how important the theatrical experience is, to say nothing of stalwart creative collaborators, artistic influences, and eating popcorn while watching a movie. Lucky for us, Ryan Coogler has done the latter with a detailed, heartfelt note expressing his thanks for Sinners’s remarkable opening weekend. “I had the gift of the opportunity of making a film inspired by my family and my ancestry but it was always a film that we wanted to make for audiences, in theaters. We always had our minds on you, the audience, and felt a deep responsibility to entertain you, and move you in the way only cinema can,” he writes.
This matters not only because it’s a kind gesture and a selfless moment to acknowledge who and what it takes to have a movie made; it also allows Sinners to exist in a context of cinematic events past and future. Sinners is Coogler’s first non-IP film since his debut, Fruitvale Station, and Irish step-dancing vampires don’t come with a built-in fan base. Some notables in his long list of influences include “Chris” Nolan, Spike Lee, John Singleton, Paul Thomas Anderson, Mati Diop, and Nia Dacosta. No mention of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, but maybe he has already talked about that one too much. In the postscript, Coogler shouts out his editor, writing, “I wanted to shout out Michael Shawver our picture editor who I have been working with for 15 years. Michael did EXCEPTIONAL work on this film that isn’t being talked about enough.”
Regardless of how you read Sinners, this is a personal leap of faith for Coogler, and his open thank-you to moviegoers embodies the type of collaborative, celebratory spirit that will help keep the medium alive. Even more touching, however, are the comments on the post, in which fans from all over the world thank Coogler for sharing his vision, using local crews in Louisiana, and believing in the story. Those demanding a prequel or sequel are missing the point — now is the time to bask in the glow.
Related