Moonlight

It has been a while since I have posted a movie review, but most recently I have watched Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight. It is difficult to summarize because of its interesting structure, but pretty much it is a coming of age story that follows an African American kid named Chiron. I say that the structure of the film is interesting because it is broken up into 3 parts, one for him being little, one for Chiron’s adolescence, and one that highlights Chiron as an adult. The film evokes many emotions, but the main one is sadness because of the adverse living standards and situations that we see Chiron placed in. One of the more powerful scenes in Moonlight is when we see Chiron at Juan and Theresa’s house. Juan is a drug dealer, but looks out for Chiron because at this point, he is still a child. Chiron is silent in the beginning of the scene, making the audience feel tense, but then when he does speak to Juan, he asks questions that anyone would have difficulties answering. He asks Juan what a faggot is, if he (Chiron) is one, and if Juan is a drug dealer. These are very loaded questions for a child to ask someone, and the scene ends with Chiron leaving and Juan feeling a great deal of shame. He is ashamed because it is implied that he sells drugs to Chiron’s mother, which makes Chiron’s home life rough.

As we continue through the movie, we see Chiron change and become even more reserved. While many kids his age are developing for the better, it seems the Chiron has gone in the opposite direction. Juan is dead at this point, and we can assume it is because of his occupation. Chiron is mostly alone, and then we discover that Chiron is homosexual when he and his friend Kevin experiment. This ends poorly as that relationship comes to a grinding halt due to hazing from others, and leads Chiron into the next part of his life, where he is sent to Juvenile Hall for assault and eventually becomes a drug dealer known as “Black.” The film comes to a close when Kevin and Chiron meet up again, and Chiron finally expresses the emotions built up over years of emotional trauma.

If I had to compare Chiron’s experience to a character in another movie we’ve watched, it would probably be Antoine from 400 Blows because of the similar relationships they have with their mothers and the independence they have early on. There experiences shape them and while we don’t see Antoine as an adult like we do Chiron, it is not unreasonable to assume that his experiences of running away and being on his own have a lasting impact on him.

I also thought it was important to mention the impact sexuality has on Chiron in this movie. Sexuality is a large piece of our identities, and throughout the movie Chiron is trying to discover who he is. It is sad to see how he gets shamed and assaulted for trying to become who he really is, and I think this is a clear example of the ignorance that some people still have.