Movie Review (No Spoilers)
Moonlight — when men’s stars align
Juan: “Running around, catching a lot of light”. “In moonlight, black boys look blue”. “You’re blue”. “That’s what I’m gonna call you: ‘Blue’.”
Star signs, stereotypes and genders roles assigned over time climb into view as Moonlight shines upon a young mans mental wounds. Moonlight’s journey, broken into three acts, is packed with a reasonable sentiment. A strong motion within the film is unease, though Moonlight is a fantastic spectacle which is built to a captivating degree. The film begins with alluring visuals, an intensifying vibe which ascribes just as much wonder as it does doubt. It follows the journey of Chiron, a young Black Boy who is rapidly growing into a man, not drawing you into adventure but rather plotting a map of events that determine his outcome. His demeanour keeps you at such a distance inviting you to wonder about his troubles. The little response he gives draws out the intention and effect the other characters have on him. In a sense it depicts an impressionable game of developing into a man, which also translates into simply being a person. The vivid gameboy like imagery adds a lot of emphasis. As you are reminded of the clout of children, boys will be boys, bullying and other ploys of a harsh childhoods noise. As well as that transition from the looseness of boyhood to the times of men. Though reminiscing is cut short as a darkness is brought to attention.
I say darkness as I felt inclined to remember my childhood ways. Days spent in the ignorance of ones own happiness and fulfilment. I was thrilled to live to dominate myself, in a sense of acting against the pressure of peers. Being reactionary was always commendable as a child, though I was not absent from inciting jeers. I cleared the oppressive course of boyhood, where difference is alien and emotion is a weak statement. Hence my feelings were latent, and Moonlight’s placement of such ideas alongside the fears of growing is fantastic.
The narrative was refreshing as it chose to expand on realities which are usually dictated through a recognisable angle, which created a moment to learn from the fickleness of my own past. It made me feel daft, regretting such damaging moments where I encouraged bullying or added to someone’s confusion. Though the appeal of Moonlight reels you in to observe an adapting sense of masculinity. The questions of manhood and the demand for us to entertain it is constantly on show. Key words and moments taken as the immediacy of wild children is set to capture you. The cinematography revolves around facial shots, stares and breaks which encourage you to think — what if. Many of those moments which I felt I could pin down to the usual route a Film would break into something misleading, which truly heeds how delicate identity can be.
The film is packed with an evoking cause. The eternal clause that is childhood, your teenage years and the immoral things which occur, stunting the growth to the reasonable and depicted norm. Only in recent years through a more interactive media adult fears have been extended onto youth, the truth is homophobic narratives, gender roles and such were instilled within the will of hypermasculinity.
Moonlight does brilliant to capture this sense, pitting typical events against the unusual. Moments captured in the film hosted vibrant colours with a level of intimacy that caused me to feel anxious. I realised this was a level of interaction only masked by adrenaline, the notion of physicality and violence associated with men. The body on body action and forceful rough play. I felt nauseous at the fact I can handle witnessing two men hurt each other to a dangerous point, but cannot fathom an intimate embrace so visually. Such a lens expands on the reality of boys and men, without necessarily an angle which we define e.g. a nerd like Napoleon Dynamite, or sexually inept youth like in Superbad. In that sense the film was not clique driven, there is no one section of Society that can respond to this film and claim it as belonging to them. Despite coming through the gaze of a Black identity, I feel Moonlight addresses a theme within masculinity and just being that effects us all. Identification, representation and your own psyche regarding the matter are dragged into the films viewing.
Over the course of the film, Chiron is given nicknames and his identity is built through the actions of others — not necessarily himself. Each nickname somewhat an identity in itself, though it works out as an expectation. By this the contrast in the film is tremendous. I felt the transition of the extravagant colour scheme alongside the films narrative also draws upon how we perceived things during those periods of our lives.
The first act humanises the otherwise vilified position of the drug dealer in Juan, played by Mahershala Ali, who enters the film without that immoral weight. The trailer does fantastic to paint him as a Father figure, though he works out as a major causation in the map of the film. This is due to the empathetic dialogue he sheds, another mark of difference in such a contentious setting, though it amounts to contrasting his reality with the innocence of Chiron. The colour dims as the film progresses, maybe dimming away from that initial innocence. He develops in a way that considers the events which accumulate over acts, hence it did not have to mirror a story that has a kumbaya finish. Rather Moonlight lasts as an advanced boyhood, that challenges the norm with revealing perspective.
Moonlight managed to expose my own bullshit thoughts in a few scenes, my annoyance grew as I cross referenced a few themes. I was impressed by the question driven narrative which exposed the actions of the people around Chiron, presenting them for the audience to ponder. Though simply realising the weight of peer pressure and the causation of how people develop, it probably lessens the impact the film has. Discussing this film with a woman for instance, who of course does not count for all, was interesting as she felt it was not that spectacular. I personally feel it is, and despite reviewing it I cannot pinpoint why in a few words. Is it due to the uncomfortable viewing? Is this film tailored to unnerve people like me — e.g. the Black man/youth who is almost forced behind a concept of masculinity? If that’s the truth then Moonlight has no incredible moral use for the readily Humane. This social justice climate so evident within liberal parts of social media and championed by authorities and businesses has impacted the direction of films. Whilst such narratives regarding homophobia still exists, I feel the concept of social justice is becoming more of a tool and commodified — pitched and sold to alter us. Nevertheless, this film harbours none of this false sense of being just — I witness Moonlight as a great tool to chip away at our sense of being Humane.
