Danai Gurira Pens a Love Letter to ‘Sinners’: “Stop Trying to Categorize It”

The first movie I ever saw in a theater was E.T. I was about five years old. I can’t recall every detail of that day — the popcorn, which parent I was with, or if I was wearing my favorite blue sneakers — but I remember the feeling. I remember how deeply it moved me, how much love and fear and pain and joy I felt for this strange little alien. My relationship with cinema was born in that moment: a sense of connection that lingers long after the credits roll.

As time has passed, I’ve come to understand how difficult it is to create that response in an audience — how many elements must align. The cohesion of narrative, the depth of character and performance, the risk and originality of direction, the dynamism of cinematography, the power of sound. And all of it must respect the audience, trusting their intellect and instincts.