#365DaysOfWriting — Day 291
Moonlight
This is one of the most deserving Best Picture candidates.
Moonlight is a unique coming-of-age tale about a young, reticent Little boy, Chiron (played by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes at various points in life). Growing up in contemporary America as an African-American, Chiron’s life is divided into 3 parts, or 3 flashpoints, that define his struggle with identity, with family and friendship, and with love.
Part 1: Little
This part sets the context of the film, as it deals with Chiron’s childhood. His mother Paula (firecracker of a performance from Naomie Harris) is emotionally abusive, and he keeps getting picked on by a pack of bullies who nickname him ‘Little’, thanks to his meek countenance and size. In such an environment, he sees a father-figure in Juan, a crack dealer (played to perfection by Mahershala Ali) and his girlfriend, Teresa. Chiron doesn’t talk much with anyone except Juan, Teresa and his only child friend, Kevin (played by Jaden Piner in this part). A conversation between Juan and Chiron somewhere towards the conclusion of this part acts as the flashpoint that separates the two, and we fast forward to a few years later.
Part 2: Chiron
Chiron is now an adoloscent (Ashton Sanders)— a stage of life everyone considers important, because decisions taken now form the cornerstone for the future. In the same way, the film’s cornerstone is the Chiron part. He still gets bullied by the jocks in his school, his crack-addicted mother has gone deeper into the abyss and Juan is no more. But he still has two good friends — Teresa and Kevin (Jharrel Jerome). Chiron is discovering his sexuality during this part — and in a moment of passion, realises that he has feelings for Kevin. However, an incident with the bullies involving Kevin at the end hardens Chiron’s heart, and he goes to a juvenile facility, where he spends most of his formative years. The reason this part is named ‘Chiron’ is because this is when the boy truly discovers who he is, and accepts himself for what he is.
Part 3: Black
Time at the juvenile facility changed Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) — he’s now a crack dealer himself, living Juan’s life. He’s also got a ripped body, wears diamond studs on his ears, a massive gold chain and a gold grill on his teeth (he looks a LOT like 50 Cent here). His street name is Black. In more ways than one, this part of the movie shows how much his past has caught up with him. And it’s not just the living like Juan part. After a gap of 10 years, he gets a call from Kevin (Andre Holland — Dr. Algernon Edwards from The Knick), who’s now a chef. He asks Chiron to come visit him in Miami. That phone call is the final turning point in the film, as he catches up with his only childhood friend and lover, and from the hardened street crack dealer Black, he once again becomes the reticent Little.
Moonlight is the perfect depiction of the Circle of Life.
And it’s not life and death. The Circle of Life in this case is how your past catches up with you, no matter how much you try and change yourself. It is a heartbreaking story, but one which has an unconventional happy ending — for all the trials and tribulations Chiron has to face in life, he finally meets the only person who ever truly loved him, and shares a beautiful moment with him. What happens afterwards is anybody’s guess, but it ends on a happy note, and that’s what matters. Moonlight, like its namesake, only throws light on what seems to be a dark journey — it does not judge. That is the real triumph of Barry Jenkins’ filmmaking.
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