Great thoughts on a great movie. One additional theme I'm still rolling around in my head- how deeply the movie believes in spirituality and magic, and how clearly it does NOT in organized religion.
The shamanistic tradition in the music and Annie's hoodoo clearly have true power in this world- it is not until he takes off his protective amulet she made that repels both bullets and vampires that Smoke is physically harmed. But the church (and Catholicism in particular) do not- they're also in opposition to music, whereas the Vampires shrug off and even share in crosses and the Lord's Prayer. And that's a particularly clear choice when you're making a Vampire movie.
As you say, the themes blend, intentionally- vampires and white and Black people through music, spirituality through music, but institutional religion is one of the few things portrayed with no upside and no redeeming value.
Thanks! I appreciate you sharing your take as well. What I love about this movie is how many layers there are to savor, unpack, and reflect on. The organized religion thread is a fascinating one, and one I didn’t have time to fully explore.
The cold open—Sammie bringing his broken guitar into the church—was clearly a deliberate stylistic and thematic choice. I share your sense that the church never really exerts power or offers redemption in the same way music and magic do.
I wonder if Coogler is drawing a distinction between the externally imposed elements of the Jim Crow South (like Christianity, which—as I understand it—was largely forced on enslaved West Africans) and cultural traditions that were brought over (like Hoodoo spirituality) or developed internally (like blues music). From the opening frame, he makes a strong case that people are most powerful when rooted in true culture and ancestral memory—even when that draws danger. It’s why Remmick is at his most potent singing an Irish slip jig instead of “Picked Poor Robin Clean.”
Maybe Coogler is also suggesting that Christianity lacks the same ancestral depth or soulfulness—and is more often used to control than to liberate. That, too, becomes a subtle connection between the Irish and Black American characters we meet.
There’s a lot to unpack, and I’m far from an expert, but I agree it’s a rich and compelling thread in the film.
Great thoughts on a great movie. One additional theme I'm still rolling around in my head- how deeply the movie believes in spirituality and magic, and how clearly it does NOT in organized religion.
The shamanistic tradition in the music and Annie's hoodoo clearly have true power in this world- it is not until he takes off his protective amulet she made that repels both bullets and vampires that Smoke is physically harmed. But the church (and Catholicism in particular) do not- they're also in opposition to music, whereas the Vampires shrug off and even share in crosses and the Lord's Prayer. And that's a particularly clear choice when you're making a Vampire movie.
As you say, the themes blend, intentionally- vampires and white and Black people through music, spirituality through music, but institutional religion is one of the few things portrayed with no upside and no redeeming value.
Thanks! I appreciate you sharing your take as well. What I love about this movie is how many layers there are to savor, unpack, and reflect on. The organized religion thread is a fascinating one, and one I didn’t have time to fully explore.
The cold open—Sammie bringing his broken guitar into the church—was clearly a deliberate stylistic and thematic choice. I share your sense that the church never really exerts power or offers redemption in the same way music and magic do.
I wonder if Coogler is drawing a distinction between the externally imposed elements of the Jim Crow South (like Christianity, which—as I understand it—was largely forced on enslaved West Africans) and cultural traditions that were brought over (like Hoodoo spirituality) or developed internally (like blues music). From the opening frame, he makes a strong case that people are most powerful when rooted in true culture and ancestral memory—even when that draws danger. It’s why Remmick is at his most potent singing an Irish slip jig instead of “Picked Poor Robin Clean.”
Maybe Coogler is also suggesting that Christianity lacks the same ancestral depth or soulfulness—and is more often used to control than to liberate. That, too, becomes a subtle connection between the Irish and Black American characters we meet.
There’s a lot to unpack, and I’m far from an expert, but I agree it’s a rich and compelling thread in the film.