Moonlight : Review

Moonlight

Drama/LGBT

Director: Barry Jenkins

Run Time: 1 hr 55 min

2016

Moonlight directed by Barry Jenkins is a film that touches upon many aspects of life, some of the broader ones being racism, sexuality, self-discovery, and good vs evil. Some of the striking observations that I made during the film pertained to the composition of the scenes, the camera work and the repetition of certain elements to emphasize a point. The composition of the scene where Juan and Chiron first meet each other occurs at an apartment. While Chiron is hiding, the front portion or the forward portion of the scene shows the bullies throwing objects, the back or background portion of the scene is where Juan enters from. Juan enters through the window after trying to open the main entrance from the outside. After entering the apartment, Juan opens the main entrance door stating, “Can’t be worse out here”. A lot of things can be understood from this scene such as the idea that Juan is almost like this hidden character of the film that enters and exits silently and only exists for a purpose; even though this idea is unclarified as to what Juan’s actual impact was on Chiron by the end of the film apart from the few life lessons. The multiple tries at the door before getting at the window helps draw a conclusion to right vs wrong in terms of Juan’s work. Perhaps the door not opening was a way to understand that the right/correct path was now closed for Juan and it was too late; an indication that we understand later in the film when we learn that Juan supplies drugs to Paula (the damage is done). After entering the house through the window, like thieves, Juan decides to open the door from the inside, indicating to the viewers that he is here to do some good; he is opening or showing Chiron the right/correct path through that door. Jenkins used a variety of camera techniques to show connections, struggles and discovery. There is a repetition of the shots where the camera is following Chiron (like a behind the shoulder shot), a commonality in all three parts of the film –as a kid right before the wrestling scene, as a teen while walking to and from school, as an adult when he walks to Kevin’s restaurant. This angle limits us from seeing who Chiron is as his back is towards us, only allowing us to search for him just like the way he is searching for himself. Another camera angle that I found interesting was the one in the opening scene of the film. The camera spins around Juan and his buddy in a very smooth and fast-paced manner. From what I understood, the pace doesn’t allow you to capture their identities as it’s almost like a glance while the whole spinning could refer to their business of selling drugs (might be running smoothly but always carries the baggage of instability). There were many occasions of repetitive elements in the film that led to greater ideas that the filmmaker was pursuing. In the film, food was a method of connection between characters. Chiron is fed by Juan, Teresa, and Kevin in the three parts of the film respectively. Food becomes a symbol of love and acceptance, something that Chiron greatly lacks in his life; it also denotes vulnerability that is about to be revealed. We can even draw a conclusion that the scene where Chiron meets his mother in the last chapter relates to the above idea of love and acceptance. Throughout the film, we do not see Paula nurturing Chiron is any way in terms of food so when we see their interaction happen on a table, it can be understood that their relationship is moving forward positively. The idea of having a cigarette that’s being shared by the two could simply symbolize their previously toxic relationship. Paula says that she loves him but he doesn’t have to love her back, establishing that a ‘connection’ as strong as those with Juan, Teresa or Kevin might never be developed. Water is another element in the film that stays consistent throughout. Water becomes a symbol for cleanliness (good vs bad/acceptance vs denial) while the temperature of the water becomes a reflection for Chiron’s mood in the film. Chiron is seen taking a bath with hot water in the first chapter. At that point in time, he has just felt some kind of acceptance from certain people like Teresa, Juan and Kevin. While the water is warm, it helps us understand that Chiron is somewhat satisfied in that scene despite having his mother not be home to look after him. Chapter two and Chapter three both have scenes of Chiron’s face in cold icy water. This tells us that he is angry, unaccepted and running away from himself. The water becomes a cleaning agent or a method of revival for Chiron’s work and actions throughout the rest of the book. A third element was the sound of the breeze that could be heard in all three parts of the book. The sound creates a feeling of calmness, understanding, acceptance and self-discovery in the film. In the first part, the breeze is heard when Juan and Chiron are at the beach and Juan tells Chiron about the story of moonlight as well as his own backstory about Cuba. Chiron learns a life lesson from Juan on discovering himself. The second part has the breeze sound when he and Kevin have an in-depth conversation about how they feel followed by their love scene; Chiron learns about himself and his sexual orientation. The breeze reoccurs when Chiron’s vulnerability is revealed at Kevin’s place in the third part of the film. At this point, Chiron is finally accepted and can be who he wants to be. The concluding scene of the film displays Chiron as Little standing under the moonlight looking back at us. The idea that Chiron finally turns to us can help understand that he has finally discovered himself just like viewers have too. Having this as the last scene gives the impact that Little is questioning or even urging the audience to do the same–to follow the path and become who they want; to accept themselves and others for that matter. I can almost draw a connection between this scene and the one where Juan is teaching Chiron swimming. The camera angle is such that the viewers feel as though they are in the water two (water covering the bottom half of the screen). The idea that Chiron is learning to float in the blue water (blue as a reference to the story of moonlight) can emphasize that Juan is teaching Chiron to float above the blue or to be who he wants to be–unique and individual. And despite the fact that there is a blue light on Chiron is the last scene, the whole concept resonates to the entirety that Chiron has found his uniqueness in the blue. 5/5