Moonlight

Moonlight focuses on a black man’s journey to self discovery and acceptance. The movie is split into three segments, which all focus on different yet equally significant parts of the main character, Chiron’s life.

Chiron grew up in poverty, surrounded by drugs and violence in Miami. His mother, Paula, was emotionally abusive and addicted to crack. His constant battle with his mother and her drug abuse plays a major role in all of the segments of Chiron’s life.

The first segment of the movie is called, “Little.” This part of the film focuses on Chiron’s struggle to fit in during elementary school. In elementary school, Chiron was bullied by all of the other boys, except one, Kevin. Kevin helps Chiron discover and accept who he truly is, and continues to be his only friend throughout the movie.

The second chunk of Moonlight, “Chiron,” focuses on Chiron as a teenager. His mother’s drug use has spiraled out of control, causing her to become more abusive and unstable than ever.

Later in the segment, Chiron is sitting at a beach when his friend Kevin comes and sits next to him. They have a deep talk after sharing a joint, which later leads to Kevin giving Chiron a handjob.

The last segment of the film is called “Black.” This part of the movie is taking a look at Chiron’s life ten years prior to high school. He has become a drug dealer, and still struggles with accepting himself as a gay man. Towards the very end of the movie, he decides to reconnect with Kevin, telling him he is the only person who has ever touched him. The scene ends with Chiron somberly resting his head upon Kevin’s shoulder.

Before watching Moonlight, I had the preconceived notion that it was not a type of movie that I would enjoy or find interesting. After watching the film, I was proved extremely wrong. I found the movie to be amazing. It combined both struggles of being a black man, and gay in America. It showed how Chiron was discriminated against and never really fit in due to both of those things.

While watching Moonlight, I also found the cinematography to be enchanting. Film director, Barry Jenkins, utilized the beautiful setting, Miami, Florida. He used abstract angles to set the tone of the movie, which made me appreciate it even more. The scenes were filmed so beautifully, that I felt like I too was there in Miami, Florida.

I would recommend this movie to everyone because it’s an important story that is told beautifully. It focuses on a different, unique perspective, that many people don’t see or acknowledge. The cast is also amazing, along with the cinematography making the story all the more magnificent.