Movies are expected to be critiqued, and Sinners is no exception. The film sparked conversation for its performances and overall message, leading to divided opinions among both viewers and critics.
However, as award season approached, Sinners and its cast received limited recognition, most recently at the 83rd Golden Globes.
This raises one important question: was Sinners snubbed?
Award recognition has been used for a long time as a way to measure the success of a film, but it rarely matches how audiences feel. Some movies receive lots of praise from viewers but fail to earn those major nominations and wins.
This begs the question of whether not winning awards should be seen as a snub or is this simply how awards work?
Sariah Quick, a bioengineering student, offered their input on the issue, saying, “In my opinion, it can feel like a snub, especially when a movie gets so much love, but that’s often just how award shows work.”
Audience opinion doesn’t directly determine winners or nominations.
She later said, “There are a lot of factors behind the scenes, like competition, timing, and even politics, that can matter just as much as how good the movie is.”
Golden Globe winners are chosen by an independent, international voting body of over 300 entertainment journalists from dozens of countries.
Factors like release timing, relevancy, and content rules can affect which films and performances are nominated.
Sinners initially garnered attention through online discussion, with many discussing the themes, music, and the cast’s performances.
During its opening weekend, Sinners made roughly $48 million domestically, topping the box office and becoming the biggest debut for an original film in years, and totaling around $61-63 million globally its first weekend.
The film had early success, but despite topping the box office and gaining strong audience praise, it received little attention from award voters.
At the Golden Globes, Sinners took home two awards: Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, recognizing its popularity and impact, and Best Original Score – Motion Picture, awarded to composer Ludwig Göransson.
Despite its success, the film received few award wins.
Nyl Aziaya, a bioengineering student, expressed why some performances of cast members were overlooked at the award ceremony.
“For the most part, it’s because of their status. Like (Miles Caton) did a great job but because he was acting with Michael B. Jordan he was overlooked. Some actors are (ignored) because the movie was centered around another character.”
Michael B. Jordan’s dual role in Sinners demonstrated his range, portraying twins, Smoke and Stack, who have completely different personalities while making it appear as if there are actually two actors instead of one.
Jordan was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama at the Golden Globes but didn’t win, demonstrating how even recognized performances can go without major awards, highlighting the competitiveness of award season.
As conversations continue about whether Michael B. Jordan’s dual performance in Sinners deserved more recognition, Yasmone Lewis, an animal science major, shared her perspective on the matter.
“The fact that he could play two characters was already top tier so yes he deserved more recognition… he was able to make a notice of how different they were… (Jordan) had to balance out two characters all together which was amazing especially with changing emotions…” she said.
Lewis continued to say, “…Smoke allows emotion to move through him (while) Stack suppresses emotion in favor of control.”
While the Golden Globes didn’t give the film or its cast multiple wins, online discussion demonstrates that a film’s impact goes beyond award shows.
Ultimately, Sinners shows that awards are only one measure of a film’s success. The film still left its mark on audiences and got the audience discussing.
