Sinners

Ryan Coogler directs the story of twin brothers Smoke and Stack, back in Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1932 after years in Chicago. They buy a sawmill, turn it into a juke joint, their cousin Sammie takes the stage with a guitar, and opening night brings vampires. The first hour stays in one genre, the story of opening a room, much of it built from the music. Michael B. Jordan plays both brothers, which rests on three techniques: split screen with a body double, a 25 foot TechnoDolly for repeatable moves in composited shots, and a custom twelve camera rig that recorded his head performance from every angle to replace the double’s. It was shot in Louisiana, not Mississippi: locations in Donaldsonville, Thibodaux and Braithwaite, the rest at Second Line Stages, New Orleans, where the juke joint was the largest set. Coogler says it is the first film to use Ultra Panavision 70 and IMAX 65mm cameras together, and the frame shape changes with the print. It won four Oscars in 2026: Actor in a Leading Role for Jordan, Cinematography, Original Score and Original Screenplay, with nominations for Best Picture and Directing. A good fit if you can give yourself over to a juke joint sequence where music replaces narration. Not for you if you will be counting minutes to the vampires.