Queer Theory: How Sinners shows us a taste of Freedom

Earlier

this year I began a Chaplaincy program with the intent to be certified as a spiritual leader for my community, the queer community. As part of our Feast Week celebrations, I attended a virtual discussion about the movie Sinners. If you haven’t seen it (spoiler alert) it’s a horror film that follows two Black twin brothers who return to their hometown in Mississippi in 1931 to find twists, turns, and threats for themselves and their communities from beyond this realm.  The discussion, Sinners: Dreaming into Liberation was led by Rev. Dale Benson, a Buddhist-Christian mystic whose work is grounded in spiritual awareness, reflection, and paths into liberation. 

At the end of our discussion which pushed and stretched my understanding of this powerful film Reverend Benson asked people to talk about our understanding of freedom and how the movie influences that. There is a moment shown in the film that has stuck with me, as it did the characters. The brothers successfully throw an opening party for a “juke joint”. The movie opens earlier with allusion to legends of “people born with the gift of making music so true it can pierce the limits between life and death.” Their cousin Sammy or “Preacher Boy” as he’s known, is one of these legends. There, on the dance floor, guided by Preacher Boy’s music and fueled by the energy and engagement of the crowd, a portal is opened. Suddenly, on the floor with them are Black and Chinese ancestors; past, present, and future are blurred and swirled together. 

I often talk about the sacredness of the Queer Dance Floor. The sacred space where we come together to shift energy, build community, and recharge through connection. I have been spiritually and energetically saved by my access to these spaces, especially when I first came out and was feeling the physical loss of family and my former Church-home. There is something transformative about walking into a building and feeling instantly more at ease than you were on the outside. There is peace and a nervous system reset when physical walls and doors contain just you and your people. 

Reverend Benson reminded us that the movie Sinners showed us freedom on that dance floor. He posed, “Does freedom have a conclusion?” answering, “No.” We never get to arrive at a time when we are free, without restrictions, without pain. We are constantly working towards better knowing and loving ourselves and each other. What we can do is appreciate the feeling of being free when we have it. Life is an opportunity to create moments when we get a taste of freedom. 

The Wheel of Fortune card in tarot reminds us that life is constantly giving us moments where we are up and then swirling us down to the depths. It is an opportunity to zoom out and to appreciate and be present in the moments when we are “up” or things are flowing our way. It is an offering to sit with and breathe through the times when we are “down” or feeling crushed, because things will not always be this way. Octavia Butler reminds us, “God is change.” 

We are in a time of pain, of challenge, and of separation. While we fight for justice, may we find moments of freedom and with it, restorative joy. 

Bex Mui, she/her, is a queer witch, spiritual advocate, and founder/author of House Of Our Queer.