Moonlight

Moonlight

Starring Trevante Rhodes, Andre Holland, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali

Directed by Barry Jenkins

 The Story:
"Moonlight" is a story centering around one man - Chiron - and is told in three chapters.

The first chapter is called Little, which is a nickname the bullies give Chiron.  As a young boy, Chiron (Alex Hibbert), is constantly bullied and picked on due to him being poor and his mother Paula (Naomie Harris) a drug addict.  He hides out in an abandoned building where he is found by Juan (Mahershala Ali), a drug dealer who takes Chiron home to his girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monae), and Chiron finds a stable environment to feel safe in, at least for a little while.

The second chapter is called Chiron, and Chiron (Ashton Sanders) is now a teenager, exploring his sexual identity and is still bullied by the children of his youth.  He turns to his only friend Kevin (Jharrel Jerome) since his mother is still a drug addict, and the two have a conversation on the beach.  Kevin gives Chiron the nickname Black before Chiron opens up to him, and the two share an intimate moment.

The third chapter is called Black, which is the nickname Kevin gave Chiron as teenagers.  Now an adult, Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) is a drug dealer himself now living in Atlanta when he gets a call from an adult Kevin (Andre Holland), who wants to talk with him again.  Chiron travels back to Miami and visits his mother - who is now living in a drug rehabilitation center - and then goes to see Kevin.  The two reminisce about the past, and Chiron confides to Kevin that no one has ever been with him since that night on the beach.

The Synopsis:
Going into "Moonlight" I already had an expectation of excellence, since it beat out "La La Land" to win Best Picture.  If I would've seen it before the Oscars, I wouldn't have had such lofty goals, but since I didn't it had to live up to a higher bar than it would've if I had seen it previously.  Maybe that's why I wasn't as moved or impressed as I would've been otherwise, and it might be my own pessimism but I don't see how this could beat out a once-in-a-lifetime film like "La La Land."

That's not to say the film isn't incredible, it truly is.  It's got a deeply moving, compelling script from Tarell Alvin McCraney, who wrote the story as a play based on his own semi-autobiography.  The film features some stellar performances and marvelous camerawork and cinematography, and easily earned its nomination as well as being on several critics top ten lists.  The film taps into a tale not told in movies before - the life of a young African American man who struggles with his sexual identity in a world featuring tough male characters. 

All three actors who portrayed Chiron did amazing, especially young Alex Hibbert, who tackled a very adult, mature theme with a childlike innocence and search for identity.  The teenage Chiron struggles even more with his sexuality than the other two installments, which is an obvious nod to every teenager's search for sexual identity.  This is where the love story between Chiron and his best friend begins, which is unconventional to say the least.  As an adult, Trevante Rhodes showcases the years of hurt, abandonment and isolation Chiron faced in such a beautifully profound way that I would dare say he deserved the Best Supporting Actor nomination - not to say Mahershala Ali didn't deserve it - but Rhodes had a lot more to work with and he did it with elegance.  On the outside he's the typical thug - built like a house, gold chains, gold teeth - but he exposes himself to Kevin in a deeply personal, vulnerable way that blows away the tough guy facade and exposes the still hurting child within.  It was easily the most profound moment of the film.

Mahershala Ali won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Juan, and it's no wonder why.  He himself played a duel role for the young Chiron: both as loving father figure and also the one who supplied Chiron's mother with the drugs that ruined his home life.  As I said earlier, I would've preferred Rhodes to get the nomination, but Ali did fantastic with his small part that he played which turned into a huge impact for the main character.

If Viola Davis was nominated for Best Actress instead of Best Supporting Actress, there's no doubt Naomie Harris would've taken home the gold.  She absolutely nailed it here as the drug-addicted mother who's so strung out that she hardly cares for her son at all, often sending him away so she can prostitute herself for drug money.  She doesn't look like herself, in a big nod to the makeup department who made her to look completely disheveled and strung out, and she stole every scene she was in, especially her final scene.  Now a recovering addict, she talks to the elder Chiron and apologizes for not being there for him growing up, and tells him "you ain't got to love me, but you gonna know that I love you."  It was a prolific moment of clarity that brings Chiron - and the audience - to tears. 

While other films - "Boyhood" being the most apt comparison - center around growing up and the struggles with it, "Moonlight" went one step further and explored a young African American man's sexual identity, something that hasn't been done on screen before, at least not to this caliber.  To that end director Barry Jenkins deserves all the accolades he deserves, and the movie really is a unique one at that.

The Summary:
Featuring standout performances, a superior script and a unique theme, "Moonlight" tackles an often hidden theme and exposes it for the world to see.

The Score: A