Moonlight
Moonlight is a coming of age story that depicts a boy named Chiron in three early stages of his life (depicted by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes) in Liberty City, Florida.
The film is split into three acts to cover these stages of his life (Little, Chiron and Black). In the first section, Mahershala Ali is superb as Juan, a drug dealer who finds Chiron hiding, fearful both of being confronted by his bullies and returning home to his emotionally abusive mother (Naomi Harris). It's difficult for me to envisage Ali as anyone other than Remi Danton from House of Cards but is nuanced here, eventually forced to confront his complicity in Chiron's unhappiness despite his well meaning attempts to mentor him.
His schoolyard torture continues into his teenage years, leading to a scene with a brilliant and devastating breaking of the fourth wall, as Chiron begs to be noticed. Moonlight is important film in terms of telling stories from underrepresented groups but its themes are universal. I certainly relate to Chiron finding solace in the sea, a recurring motif. One scene depicts Chiron and his friend Kevin kissing on the beach. There's something that still feels radical about an embrace between two black men on screen, even in 2017.
It's a testament to the performances of Hibbert, Sanders and Rhodes that they all plausibly feel like they're playing the same person, awkwardly attempting to make his way through the many challenges life throws at him. The film loses its way a little in the third act, as the audience don't get enough of an insight into Chiron's transformation into something of a hardened criminal. But it's a minor criticism. Moonlight is a subtle, dense, moving insight into what it is to find out who you are.
The film is split into three acts to cover these stages of his life (Little, Chiron and Black). In the first section, Mahershala Ali is superb as Juan, a drug dealer who finds Chiron hiding, fearful both of being confronted by his bullies and returning home to his emotionally abusive mother (Naomi Harris). It's difficult for me to envisage Ali as anyone other than Remi Danton from House of Cards but is nuanced here, eventually forced to confront his complicity in Chiron's unhappiness despite his well meaning attempts to mentor him.
His schoolyard torture continues into his teenage years, leading to a scene with a brilliant and devastating breaking of the fourth wall, as Chiron begs to be noticed. Moonlight is important film in terms of telling stories from underrepresented groups but its themes are universal. I certainly relate to Chiron finding solace in the sea, a recurring motif. One scene depicts Chiron and his friend Kevin kissing on the beach. There's something that still feels radical about an embrace between two black men on screen, even in 2017.
It's a testament to the performances of Hibbert, Sanders and Rhodes that they all plausibly feel like they're playing the same person, awkwardly attempting to make his way through the many challenges life throws at him. The film loses its way a little in the third act, as the audience don't get enough of an insight into Chiron's transformation into something of a hardened criminal. But it's a minor criticism. Moonlight is a subtle, dense, moving insight into what it is to find out who you are.
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