To See or Not to See: Moonlight

Critically-acclaimed film Moonlight is a beautiful contemplation of the journey to adulthood of one character, Chiron.

Moonlight is almost theatrical in it’s exploration of Chiron–which is not surprising since Barry Jenkins gorgeously adapted (and directed) it from a play. It is based upon a play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Broken out into three parts–i. Little ii. Chiron iii. Black–we watch as boy becomes man. Chiron has a deep, kind, sensitive spirit that is attacked by both homophobic neighborhood bullies (in particular one awful boy, Terrel) and his drug-addicted mother, Paula (Naomie Harris). He knows he is different, and so do they.

In “Little”, we are introduced to Chiron’s world of Miami’s projects. Chiron, or Little (delicately played by Alex Hibbert) as he is nicknamed, is constantly bullied and beat up. One day, while hiding from schoolyard attackers, Juan (a superb Mahershala Ali), a local drug kingpin, finds him in an abandoned building. Juan sees a lonely little boy and takes him to his girlfriend Teresa’s (Janelle Monáe) house. They feed him and return him home to Chiron’s mother, Paula. As Paula begins a descent into drug use, Chiron’s respite is Juan and Teresa’s home. There he is nourished in body and soul before being returned to the harsh realities of life. It is also in Juan and Teresa’s home that he feels safe enough to verbally question his sexuality, and that scene is one of the best in the film.

When we next see Chiron in the second section entitled “Chiron”, he is an awkward teenager (played with heartbreaking realness by Ashton Sanders). He is still preyed upon, and, by now, his mother is a full-blown addict. He has one childhood friend, Kevin (Jharrel Jerome), who accepts him for who he is. With Kevin, Chiron also experiences the one moment of physical intimacy he ever has. It is sweet and hopeful. It, of course, also comes with violent repercussions.

In the final act, “Black”, Chiron is an adult (a wonderful Trevante Rhodes). He has taken a path similar to Juan’s: dealing drugs. He wears a do-rag, gold grills on his teeth, and drives a low black car that thumps with hip-hop. He occasionally sees his mother who is now in rehab in Atlanta, but is otherwise alone. One day, he is pulled out of his everyday routine by a phone call from Kevin (this adult version played by André Holland).

In a society that teaches toughness and masculinity, “Who is you?” is the constant question at the heart of Chiron’s life. Despite all of the instances in which others might have succumbed to fear, hate, and violence, Chiron always holds out hope for love. It is that tenderness of the film that we are left holding on to.

★ ★ ★ ★ out of 4

Photo Credit: A24