REVIEW
MOONLIGHT
An Immersive and Emotional Portrayal of Masculinity
Valentina Kamys
“Moonlight”, is a film directed by Barry Jenkins, released on September 2nd, 2016, most popularly known as the winner of the 2017 Oscar’s Best Picture category.
Moonlight is a movie that, to say the least, touched me deeply, and made me reflect on many aspects of my own personal life.
Empathy and sexuality are both aspects that factor and build a person’s identity, in this case the one of a black man, Chiron Harris, in a journey of self-discovery, through childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning, heavily accompanied by masculinity and vulnerability.
This film enchants you and absorbs you in its beautiful colors, lights, and tonalities, as well as it’s soundtrack, outstanding cinematography and acting. The film creates such a fragile and emotional atmosphere that it makes you feel like you’re not watching actors blatantly delivering lines but real people with real emotions. All performances, including the supportive cast, did a magnificent job of providing the film’s message and essence in such a beautiful manner; my favorite performances being by Mahershala Ali as Juan (drug dealer), André Holland as Kevin (high school friend) in the third act, and Trevante Rhodes as Chiron (main character) or “Black” during the third act.
"At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be"
This movie is divided into three parts titled; I. Little, II. Chiron, and III. Black.
When we think about identity, we usually see it as a name, a label that defines us, and we stick on to other people who we are. However our protagonist goes by three different names throughout the film, proving us wrong. He can simultaneously be the scared little child running from his bullies (Little), the fragile teenager longing for love (Chiron), and the big strong gangster (Black). Throughout this entire film, you see a man’s life journey, growing up and discovering his self-identity as he faces many challenges, dealing with Paula, his crack-addicted mother, his school bullies, the death of his friend Juan, as well as discovering and coming to terms with his sexuality.
At one point during the film you see Chiron (“Black”) as this big grown man, with a gold chain and gold grills, quite intimidating at first glance, and we as an audience wonder if this is really the same thin, little boy we saw during the first act, however when he gets a phone call from Kevin, his old high school friend we see him crumble down and embody that scared little boy and it’s vulnerability.
Kevin: “Who is you Chiron?”
Black: “I'm me man. Ain't trying to be nothing else.”
This movie feels like a big warm hug and, at the same time, a hard-hitting punch to your gut that leaves you aching for many days. I cried at least 6 times when watching this for the very first time, and I urge everyone to see it. It is not a movie only to be enjoyed or understood by a certain kind of people or group. I believe everyone, especially men, can relate to this film, find a connection to the characters and the movie’s message, and can truly grow from it, just like Chiron did. That is why I believe it was most definitely deserving of the 2017 Best Picture and why it will transcend for many decades to come.