Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violence, language, and sex in ineffective thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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The Sinners
What's the Story?
In THE SINNERS, Aubrey (Brenna Llewellyn) narrates her story from beyond the grave. In a small, strictly religious town, she and her six high school friends decide to call themselves the Seven Deadly Sins. Aubrey is "pride," Katie (Keilani Elizabeth Rose) is "greed," Stacey (Jasmine Randhawa) is "envy," Robyn (Natalie Malaika) is "sloth," Molly (Carly Fawcett) is "gluttony," Tori (Brenna Coates) is "wrath," and Grace (Kaitlyn Bernard) -- the leader -- is "lust." When the group discovers that Aubrey is keeping a journal full of their darkest secrets, they decide to teach her a lesson. But their revenge backfires when Aubrey disappears. And soon the other girls begin to disappear one by one.
Is It Any Good?
Loosely playing with themes of piousness and intolerance, this horror-thriller is so busy and cluttered that it becomes more of a confusing slog than anything entertaining or biting. Originally called The Color Rose, the now-titled The Sinners tries to establish the mood of its small town through Grace's father, the local pastor (Tahmoh Penikett), who always looks coiled and angry enough to chew nails. Family dinners are infernos of unreleased tension. Aubrey is also one of the most deeply pious people in the story, saying things like "homosexuality is a sin."
But if the opposite of this intolerance is sin, then the movie doesn't seem to know how it feels about its band of seven, either. Sometimes they seem like the heroes of the story, and other times they're punished for their transgressions. It doesn't help that The Sinners keeps introducing more and more characters and that not everyone in the crowded cast actually has a purpose. One exasperating sequence has two abrasive big-city cops showing up to "aid" the local sheriff (Aleks Paunovic), relentlessly picking on him; it seems to have been an attempt to illustrate the sheriff's backstory, which is totally unnecessary. Plus, the movie is frequently too dark (literally) and choppily edited, and it's easy to get characters confused. In short, this Sinners isn't exactly a winner.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in The Sinners. How much is directed toward women? How does that affect its impact?
How is sex part of the story? Does it seem necessary, or gratuitous? What values are imparted?
How are LGBTQ+ characters depicted? Are they respectfully, honestly shown? Did you notice any stereotyping?
The movie seems to imply a certain intolerance on the part of the very pious characters. What message does that send? Does it seem honest or fair?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 19, 2021
- Cast : Kaitlyn Bernard , Brenna Llewellyn , Brenna Coates
- Director : Courtney Paige
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Brainstorm Media
- Genre : Thriller
- Run time : 96 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : February 26, 2021
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