Jeremy brings Ryan Coogler’s Sinners to The Movie Group Chat.

On the surface, it’s a period vampire film starring Michael B. Jordan. Underneath, the group finds a much bigger conversation about freedom, identity, oppression, religion, music and what it means to choose your own path.

Is every character in Sinners actually a sinner — or are they simply refusing to live by somebody else’s rules?

The guys debate the meaning of the title, the sympathy we sometimes feel for the vampires, Remmick’s role as an oppressed person who becomes an oppressor, and how Ryan Coogler uses music to connect different cultures and generations.

They also talk about Delroy Lindo’s unforgettable Delta Slim, Michael B. Jordan’s performance, the movie’s post-credit scene, and why Sinners may have become something even bigger than a great movie.

Justin makes the case that it could be one of the most important films of the decade because it proved an original, R-rated, majority-Black theatrical movie could still become a major event — while Jeremy looks at the film as part of the larger fight to keep the theatrical moviegoing experience alive.

And Chet argues that Sinners represents a watershed moment for filmmakers with singular voices: proof that audiences will still show up when filmmakers bet on something original.

Is Sinners one of the defining movies of the 2020s — or did the hype go too far?

Welcome to The Movie Group Chat.