There's been a lot of talk about Sinners - an awesome movie - and the character Grace (as well as the Asian American representation). Here's a clip with Coogler himself talking about Grace and "that moment" (spoilers).
First, let's just make sure everyone heard that--the intentions and the reasoning behind what Grace did.
Second, let's just take a moment to listen to it again.
I feel like that should shed A LOT of light on the decision--and it did help move the plot along--but ultimately Grace didn't get anything she really wanted from this--she died.
She died killing her handsome as hell husband Bo.
She was a mom, and when I think about it, I don't think anyone else there had living children--and she did what she did because of the moment, because it was that maternal instinct.
From the interview I think Coogler really wanted to show some of the history of Chinese Americans down south which is emblematic in many ways of the roles Asian American played--that middle ground between races at times--and then make Grace a complex character within an already complex set of characters--because they were all, like the title says, Sinners.
Far from perfect and making the right decisions.
That All Being Said...
I do think it's fair to question the fact of having an Asian American character looking to break trust in the community of POC at the juke joint. No matter what the intent, the outcome and the action does get to be discussed, and from an Asian American perspective, I will understand if someone who's from the AAPI community didn't like Grace's representation.
As Asian Americans who still do not get the parity that exists for others in areas like film and entertainment, we do get that right and that voice.
And in Sinners, Asian Americans were looked at just like the Black community from a vampire's perspective--blood and life.
In some ways too it's contrary to a lot of things from a communal perspective--sacrifice for the community and family. Sometimes we have to let people go or leave them behind so some people can stay alive and keep on living. Just think about the decisions on who had to be taken and who had to be left behind during the war in Vietnam.
You do the hard things so community can live on.
I will say for me, I understand the character of Grace though doing what she did, because there may be no community for her in the sense of her family dying or possibly begin murdered.
She was in a no-win situation and while she was being comforted and told by the others they will all help make sure her daughter is safe--it was still after the night.
She had no guarantees.
What would you do?
So then...
As I write this I do think it would have been great if someone like an Annie or maybe Pearline, would have coalesced with Grace in solidarity as a woman or mother and would have said the magic words to start the fight right before Grace was about to and then they locked eyes.
To me it would have handled this situation from that perspective.
But I do believe we get to be complex. We get to be any characters we want to be,
Or at least we should.
But I also know nothing exists inside an Ivory Tower, and the fact that some of this dialogue is happening tells us how far we still need to go.
I also believe that there is some underlying racism when it comes to Grace's character and how it's being used as a talking point to stereotype and "other" Asian Americans as being the "model minority", sell-outs, allies to Whites Only, or just plain prejudiced against the Black community.
It tells you how we're still looked at in some ways.
-----
No matter what I said here or what you may think of what I said here--go see Sinners.
And stay till the very very very last end.
