We Went to the Movies: Sinners 

**Warning** Spoilers for the film Sinners ahead!! **Warning**

“What a refreshing twist on how vampires are portrayed,” I thought to myself as the credits rolled. And after the final post-credits scene, I leaned over and said to my friend, “I love how they kept the sexiness with the living, for a change.”

Maybe my job as a sex educator and therapist was why it stuck out to me right away, but I noticed that writer/director Ryan Coogler had created an interesting juxtaposition with cunnilingus and vampire bites. Put simply:

Cunnilingus? Good! Vampire bites? Bad.

Of course, good and bad are meaningless in a vacuum, so I have to give some context. Just twenty minutes into the movie, when the concept of oral sex first takes center stage, Stack gives Preacherboy some important advice.

“Every cooze got a button on it, toward the top,” he says, “If you want to keep a woman, lick that; you ever had a scoop of ice cream from downtown … like it taste good, but you don’t want it gone too quick.” The line is delivered with the subtle suggestion of a man reminiscing about enjoying his favorite flavor of ice cream.

Immediately following this scene, we meet Stack’s former lover, Mary, who confirms for us that Stack wasn’t just telling tales about oral sex. We’re treated to a tense conversation where we can infer that, despite the way Mary and Stack’s relationship ended, cunnilingus was a major part of it. And it was mutually desired and definitely mutually enjoyed.

Mary confirms for us that Stack is, indeed, an eater.

These scenes are just a couple of many instances where cunnilingus is present, either in dialogue or in action. And every single time it’s discussed–or shown—it is presented as something that is negotiated, consensual, and an experience of shared mutual pleasure.

In other words, cunnilingus is good!

But Sinners does not let us have the good without the bad. The film introduces us to a vampire named Remmick, and we get to watch him lie, conceal his status, and manipulate his way into a woman’s home. Preying in equal parts on her sympathy and her racist beliefs, he’s invited inside. Once he’s in her home, he shows us his version of eating. He bites her husband first, then proceeds to rob her of her autonomy and choice by biting her as well.

In other words, vampire bites are bad!

This juxtaposition of good eating and bad eating continues throughout the film.

For example, there’s a scene where we catch back up with Preacherboy taking Pearline’s breath away by employing the techniques he learned from Stack. “Lick it like it taste good, but you don’t want it gone too quick.” The dialogue and the way this scene is framed places Pearline in a position of power. Consent is negotiated between her and Preacherboy. Preacherboy validates her uncertainty by assuring her that he desires the experience, and only after that do the two engage in shared pleasure.

Cunnilingus good.

But we’re once again shown the bad when Mary returns to Stack as a vampire. In their previous interactions, emotions were discussed. They were never dismissed and they were always validated. But when Vampire Mary returns, she deflects any engagement with her own experiences. She ridicules and teases Stack about his emotions, specifically his fear. Notably, this is the same tactic Remmick used when he was first introduced in the film.

Vampire bites bad.

These are far from the only moments when Sinners uses sexuality, kink, and physical intimacy to communicate Coogler’s own definitions of good (negotiated consent, autonomy, pleasure, freedom of choice) and bad (dishonesty, concealment, manipulation, subordination, minimization of self). So do yourself a favor and watch it–or give it a rewatch if you’ve seen it already. And when you do, just remember:

Cunnilingus good. Vampire bites bad.