A still from the film “Sinners.” Twins Stack (left) and Smoke (right), played in a dual role by Michael B. Jordan, leave behind their gang life in Chicago to open a juke joint in their hometown of Mississippi. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Korea

Blues is a genre steeped in sorrow. Its roots trace back to the work songs sung by enslaved African Americans in the endless cotton fields of the American South. Once dubbed the “devil’s music,” the phrase has come to mean “irresistibly addictive” in today’s context. Still, this moniker reflects the disapproval of the white establishment, who looked askance at music that carried the solidarity and resistance of African descendants, no matter how moving the sound.

"There are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true it can pierce the veil between life and death, conjuring spirits from the past and the future. This gift can bring healing to their communities, but it also attracts evil."

This narration opens “Sinners,” a film set in Mississippi in the U.S. in the 1930s. Sammie (played by Miles Caton), the son of a preacher and bearing a deep scar on his face, walks into a church in a tattered state with a broken guitar in hand. Gifted with an innate talent for the blues and guitar, he has told by his father that “repentance is enough.” As scenes flash back to the previous night, the film traces 24 hours of Sammie’s group oscillating between heaven and hell.

To be clear, “inners” is not just a music film, but it is a Southern gothic horror flick featuring vampires. The story unfolds in ordinary settings marred by eerie incidents, with a strong undercurrent of social critique.

The film initially plays out like a road movie through a Southern town. Sammie’s cousins, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan), are notorious in the town for their gang affiliation. The film hilariously follows the brothers' first day back in Mississippi after liquidating their lives in Chicago, where they open a juke joint in hopes of making a fortune. Taking Sammie with them, the twins scout for musicians to perform at the bar and a grocery store couple to supply food.

Set in the Jim Crow era, with racial segregation in full force and the Ku Klux Klan still lurking, the film subtly weaves this tension into interpersonal conflict. As Sammie’s group drives down the road, they pass a chain gang of Black men. When pianist Slim (Delroy Lindo) spots a friend who was lynched by whites under false charges, he holds back his rage and softly hums a mournful tune, letting the grief-laden soul of the blues shine through.

The juke joint's grand opening explodes with cathartic celebration, a high-energy blues party where Sammie’s voice bridges past and present with a kind of magic. But the problem is that his voice attracts the attention of Remnick (played by Jack O’Connell), a white vampire of Irish descent. From there, the story pivots to a survival thriller against vampires. The abruptness is offset by a dissonant, high-pitched score that heightens anxiety. It feels like a fresh variation of “From Dusk Till Dawn” in that it captures a single night of survival against vampires.

The new film is a smartly crafted genre-bender. Directed and co-written by Ryan Coogler, who is best known for his work on Marvel's “Black Panther” series. For him, “Sinners” is deeply personal as it is set in Mississippi, the birthplace of delta blues legends like Charley Patton and Robert Johnson, and also Coogler’s maternal grandfather’s hometown. “This is the most personal film I’ve ever made,” the director said.

“Sinners” opened in North America in April and held the No. 1 box office spot for two weeks. As an original IP film, it boasts a 97 percent Fresh Ratings and 96 percent Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes. Michael B. Jordan delivers an impressive dual role performance, while composer Ludwig Göransson’s Mississippi blues tour resulted in an exquisitely authentic soundtrack. Shot with IMAX 65mm cameras, the film captures the vast American South with breathtaking visuals. It is a film that invites you to watch, listen, and reflect. In Korea, the film opens on May 28. It is rated R and the running time is 137 minutes.