What's Inside?
- Hailee Steinfeld praises the eternal connection between Mary and Stack, rooted in subtle emotion and powerful, unspoken love.
- The film’s romance blossoms amid crime and horror, evolving into a gothic love story sealed by vampiric transformation.
- Sinners is now streaming on HBO Max after a successful box office run, allowing fans to relive its layered storytelling.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners starring Hailee Steinfeld is more than just a genre-blending cinematic marvel— it’s an intricate, haunting tale that swings between crime, horror, and romance. At first glance, it grips audiences with its gritty crime narrative. But beneath the gun smoke and vampire fangs lies a deeply emotional core: the forbidden, immortal love between Mary and Stack, portrayed by Steinfeld and Michael B. Jordan.
Hailee Steinfeld calls Stack and Mary’s love story ‘wonderful’ in controversial twist on romance in Sinners
While critics have rightly praised the film for its powerful storytelling, pulsating soundtrack, and chilling twists, one of its most underrated yet profound elements is the emotional weight of Mary and Stack’s relationship. It’s a love story that isn’t loud or traditionally romantic— but it’s undeniably eternal. Steinfeld, in a recent Variety roundtable alongside co-stars Wunmi Mosaku and Li Jun Li, reflected on the bond that defines the soul of the film.
“There’s something so incredible about each moment that Mary and Stack have together, that we catch a glimpse of what that forever could look like,” Steinfeld shared in an interview with Variety.
“You feel it when you see the two of them. Stack says so much by not even looking at Mary a lot of the times when he’s having a conversation with her — and that’s for more reasons than one. But it’s the conflict of him coming to terms with being able to admit that he wants to be there with her, and it’s her trying to pull that out of him.”
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Their relationship begins with emotional tension. When Stack returns to their hometown unannounced, Mary is visibly hurt. The friction is immediate—she refuses to let his sudden reappearance pass without confrontation. Yet, as Stack and his twin brother Smoke begin to rebuild their legacy with a juke joint, fate slowly binds Mary and Stack closer. That bond solidifies—quite literally—when Mary becomes a vampire and, in turn, transforms Stack. What starts as emotional longing mutates into something more monstrous… and more permanent.
The film’s shift from romantic tension to gothic horror might seem jarring on paper, but it unfolds with poetic symmetry. Their vampiric transformation doesn’t feel like a curse; instead, it becomes a dark blessing—a chance to spend eternity together, untouched by death or time.
“But there’s this wonderful turn of events that I found to be so positive, given that it’s driven by love, and by Mary’s desire to have that happily ever after,” Steinfeld said.
“To have that connection and that acceptance and that love and respect and support from the one person she’s only ever felt it from — apart from maybe her mom, who she lost. So, I love the fact that we got to end with that moment, that we were able to catch glimpses of throughout.”
Now streaming on HBO Max after a hugely successful theatrical run, Sinners offers a rare blend of sensuality, sorrow, and supernatural thrills. The romance may not be its loudest voice, but it echoes the loudest in viewers’ hearts, lingering long after the blood dries and the credits roll.
