Eternalism in Music

 

Movies, though a form of entertainment, have since their inception cemented a place in homes and theatres as a staple of American culture. Sometimes, we watch movies to feel something deeply; other times we watch to escape feelings that are too raw. Sometimes, we watch movies to learn about a different place or time; other times, we watch to feel connected to our own place in the world. Sometimes, we watch movies to challenge ourselves intellectually; other times, we watch them to simply sit back and enjoy. Sometimes, we watch to be scared; other times, to be comforted. Imagine my delight in finding a movie that somehow checks all the boxes! There is a both/and to the Ryan Coogler movie, Sinners, and to say there is a LOT to unpack is an understatement.

One could talk about the cultural impact of missionary Christianity on enslaved peoples. One could talk about vampire lore. One could talk about love and sex and the relationship between those two things or of the sacrificial nature of relationships in general. One could talk about how family influences our decisions. One could discuss racism, slavery, imperialism, exceptionalism, and a whole other host of topics that have ignited whole doctoral dissertations. This movie touches on all of these things in a meaningful way and is hella fun to watch in the meantime. However, I'm not an expert on those topics nor do I feel like I have the experiences to speak on them with any authority. What really impacted me the most was one scene in the movie.

The Stack twins, two black men who want to start a juke joint in Mississippi, enlist the help of various friends and family to get the place up and running. One such person is their cousin, Sammie, who sings and plays guitar, with an Apollo-esque talent for music. At one point, the joint is packed and Sammie begins to perform. In a voiceover, we hear, "There are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true, it can pierce the veil between life and death, conjuring spirits from the past and the future."

As Sammie sings and plays, we begin to see his ancestors dancing their traditional dances, kubuki dancers, rappers, DJs, electric guitars, fires and drummers, and all of the history of the blues and its various offshoots and iterations. The point isn't so much to see and recognize each of those styles, or even to place them in a timeline with America's music, the blues. Rather, it's to feel how the music connects all of those times, dances, and movements. While the point of view is clearly meant to elicit this connection particularly for people of color, the meaning remains for everyone - music belongs to all places, all times, and all cultures and is fundamental to who we are as humans. The vampires sing folk music from Ireland, but are also drawn to Sammie's music - his gift is powerful enough that anyone who hears it experiences what music truly can be - and in that moment, all of history congregates together in his song. This is not unlike what happens at Mass during the Consecration of the Eucharist - the past, present, and future of the Church culminate in this one moment. This is a metaphysical view of time known as "eternalism". It makes me ponder if the writers did this intentionally, to create a sense of the spiritualism in the music, even if they aren't aware the parallel that occurs in the Catholic faith. 

Regardless of the themes about Christianity in the film (they are not shown in a positive light, and for understandable reasons given the history/culture/place of the film), the music was what drew me in. Music can do that - it can help us understand others in the most human way - through that which moves our bodies, our voices, and our hearts.