Moonlight

Moonlight is a quiet yet powerful meditation on identity, masculinity, and self-acceptance. Through Chiron's journey, the film explores how we are shaped by the people around us and the choices we make to define who we truly are.

Juan's words linger like an unshakable truth: "At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be." Chiron, like many, wrestles with this decision, navigating a world that constantly tries to dictate his identity. Kevin's confession - "I wasn't never myself" - is a stark reminder of how easy it is to live according to others' expectations instead of our own desires.

Moonlight doesn't just tell a coming-of-age story; it illuminates the struggle of self-discovery in a world that often refuses to understand. It's a film of unspoken words, stolen glances, and the quiet strength found in embracing who you are, even when the world sees you differently.

Words cannot express how I felt after watching Moonlight. It's hard to write a review for a film that touches you so powerfully, so emotionally, because there is nothing else you can say aside from just how deeply you felt it. I felt it, possibly in a way I haven't felt a film in years. So simple in its premise, but incredibly written, directed, and acted. It may very well have one of the best final scenes I have ever seen. Something that also stood out that I didn't particularly expect was the amazing cinematography, so free flowing and so acutely able to capture the characters' feelings. This is a film that is not to be missed, a film to be celebrated through and through.

Moonlight (2016)

**** (out of 4)

Extremely well-made and lyrical movie that deals with a young black man trying to survive in Miami while discovering who he is through a series of hard times. We first meet "Little" (Alex R. Hibbert) as a young kid who is discovered by a local drug dealer (Mahershala Ali) who tries to teach him some life lesson. We then meet him as a teenager (Ashton Sanders) where he is constantly being bullied while at the same time trying to learn his sexuality. Finally, in the third act, we meet him as an adult (Trevante Rhodes) and see how these earlier events have shaped his life.

MOONLIGHT is a fantastic character study and I'd argue that it's one of the most interesting ever made. I'm not saying it's one of the greatest films ever made but at the same time I would argue that it's one of the best directed and acted movies that I've seen in a very long time and the end result is something rather special. Yes, we've seen these coming of age dramas for countless decades now but this one here still manages to come across rather fresh and original.

What I loved most about the film were the performances by the three actors playing the same character at various stages of his life. A lot of movies try this and it's rare that all three are so believable in their roles that you really do feel as if you're watching one character throughout a period. All three actors really did seem to have studied each other or at least had such great direction where they were all acting the same way, with the same emotions and as the film went along you could see how the teenager was in the younger version and how these two versions played a major role on the adult.

The performances here are simply wonderful with Hibbert, Sanders and Rhodes delivering some of the finest performances of the year. The amount of emotional and realism they bring this character is something really breathtaking to watch. Ali is the real standout though as he plays a man we meet and who at first we don't know anything about him. We slowly learn about his character but the presence Ali brings to the role is something truly excellent to watch and he delivers a knock out performance. Janelle Monáe is also wonderful as his girlfriend as is Naomie Harris as the boy's mother.

Director Barry Jenkins does an extremely wonderful job at keeping the film moving along. There's a terrific visual style including the opening sequence, which just grabs you and pulls you into this world. MOONLIGHT is one of the better character studies out there and it certainly takes you on a fantastic voyage of a boy trying to learn to be himself and become a man.

This movie is a beautiful piece of art from beginning to end. I was anxious to see this film but still nervous in hopes that the result would match the hype. Some of my expectations were not met (Janelle Monae's role) but those minor kinks do not take away from what the film was made to be.

I was curious as to how they'd tell a full story in three parts but it flowed well and each actor who portrayed the main character, Chiron, added so many nuances.. it just pulled you in. But the actors who stole the show are definitely Naomie Harris as the main character's Mother and Ashton Sanders who played the teenager version of the main character. Both commanded the screen in every scene they were in. On the surface, Naomie's character is despicable but she brought such heart that it made you feel for her. Ashton's version of Chiron was a great journey to watch. I was rooting for him the entire time. But I must point out that the entire cast was awesome.

Well written, well paced. The visuals. The music. I was blown away and definitely recommend it.

There were some places I wanted the story to go, as far as character interaction in certain areas. I was looking for some memorable monologues or some gritty drama between certain characters but I had to realize that this movie was more about the internal struggle. The subtlety is what made it unique.

Moonlight is one of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching films that I have ever seen. Many users are expressing disdain or presumed it to be dull. Yet, to see it as such misses the whole point of the film. Moonlight wasn't intended to overtly wow us or give us knowledge about something we didn't already know. Rather the film allowed us to enter and follow a life that I'm sure many have never considered living. Yes, we know some about poverty, queerness, masculinity, and Blackness individually, but to see the conflict of it all so succinctly woven together allowed the complexity of some folks lives to be seen in an unadulterated way. Moonlight wasn't supposed to give us some grandiose finale or even answers, but simply present a narrative that we often don't see. And that's what makes it so simple, painful, yet outstandingly beautiful.

It's also important to remember that just because you don't understand something, that doesn't mean it is unimportant or invalid. Just because you can't relate to the entire story doesn't mean pieces of it can't teach you something about life. Just because the narrative is one that isn't widely told, doesn't mean it should be disregarded. If you don't understand this film or find it a waste, look deep inside yourself and ask why.

10/10 would recommend.