Richie’s Review: Moonlight

Our country has come a long way in recent years in terms of accepting different sexual orientations. I was glad to see a movie exploring issues most individuals are uncomfortable to talk about. “Moonlight” is a recent independent film that’s been catching lots of attention from critics for presenting a story many people are unaware of. The film answers many questions, such as how an individual knows if he (in this case) is a homosexual and how homosexuals get treated in the black community. The film also answers other important questions that a great deal of people don’t know the answer to, or are too afraid to ask.

Moonlight follows the life of Chiron (Shy-Rone), portraying his life in three chapters; i. Little, ii. Chiron and iii. Black. Each chapter is in ascending order from when he was a child all the way up until his adulthood; showing the struggles he faces at home, at school, and with himself. The movie displays the search of self-identity that Chiron pursuits for most of his life, also showing the pain and suffering one might endure trying to come to terms with their sexuality.

I admire Barry Jenkins for writing and directing a highly important movie, that deals with timely issues the general public does not want to address. His fearless approach to portraying these issues make great moments in the film that tug at your heart and answer questions in our head that we didn’t even think of asking before. Although the images and cinematography captured is beautiful to look at, the new perspective that is put on screen is, at many times, tough to watch.

Another factor that enhanced the movie experience is the way the story is structured. The three chapters make a clear organization to portray the key points in the man’s life. The first chapter (i. Little), shows his life at home and the beginning of the bullying he undergoes for the majority of his life. The second chapter (ii. Chiron), further presents the increase of abuse he takes as he ages and the intensification of coming to terms with his sexual orientation. Along with the last chapter (iii. Black), showing the transformations he made to hide who he really is and how the past events affected his well-being.
Altogether, I enjoyed watching the despondent approach of how a gay black man is brought up and treated. The cast did an amazing job bringing an unfamiliar story to the general audience, while executing it flawlessly. Not only is this a well-made film, but it’s also a powerful one that has much value, tackling issues many are hesitant to bring up. Barry Jenkins has provided a voice for these homosexual men that go through agony just to be who they are.