Directed by Barry Jenkins
USA, 2016
The fourth season of ReidsonFilm reviews begins next week, so we had time to squeeze in just one more personal favourite from the team.
Also, a reminder that the ReidsonRecord playlist features a catalogue of some of the best music - scores and soundtracks - from the films we have been watching. Find our link below.
Seven years ago, a bizarre mix-up at the Academy Awards resulted in La La Land being mistakenly announced as the Best Picture winner. This error, now a defining moment in Oscar history, momentarily overshadowed the victory of Barry Jenkins' Moonlight, a film that has since established itself as a modern classic.
Set against the backdrop of a Miami neighborhood at the height of the crack epidemic, the film, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, follows the life of Chiron in three acts. Initially, we meet him as a young boy nicknamed ‘Little’ (Alex R. Hibbert). A shaky handheld camera captures Little as he is chased by two bullies into a derelict house, creating a sense of vulnerability and chaos.
This scene is masterfully juxtaposed with a smooth, establishing dolly shot of Juan (Mahershala Ali), a compassionate and well-respected drug dealer who becomes a father figure for Chiron as he navigates the tumultuous journey of childhood.
The irony is palpable as Juan, the man providing the guidance and stability Chiron so desperately needs, is part of the very system that has ensnared Chiron’s mother, Paula, in addiction. Paula (Naomie Harris), is a crack addict whose neglect and erratic behavior contribute to Chiron's feelings of abandonment and insecurity. She even comments on how he ‘walks different’, alluding to his perceived sexuality and why it makes him a target for bullies at school. This leads to a tragic scene where Little asks Juan what a ‘faggot’ is and whether he might be one, bringing the themes of self-identity and homophobia to the fore. The tension peaks in a confrontation between Juan and Paula over who is truly capable of providing the care and stability Chiron needs, highlighting the complex and often contradictory nature of their roles in his life.
In the second act of the film, we follow Chiron as a teenager (Ashton Sanders), grappling with the harsh realities of his environment and the complexities of his emerging sexuality. Now going by his given name, Chiron is tormented by bullies at school as he continues to endure his mother's worsening addiction. His struggle for identity and acceptance becomes more pronounced as he tries to navigate adolescence, with his loneliness accentuated by the loss of Juan. In a rare moment of peace, he shares an intimate experience with his long-time friend Kevin (Jharrel Jerome) on a Miami beach:
… that breeze feels good as hell. Just come through the hood and it’s like everything stops for a second, because everyone just wants to feel that breeze.
The blue hues of the sand glowing from the moonlight, and sound of the relentless waves create a comforting ambience. The soft tones of the limited colour palette add warmth, reinforcing the delicate nature of their intimacy. Jenkins called upon cinematographer James Laxton, whose decision to shoot with anamorphic lenses enhances these intimate moments. This choice imparts a softer, dreamlike quality to the visuals, transforming the way the world is portrayed and heightening the emotional resonance of the scenes. Barry Jenkins describes this as, ‘Bringing the arthouse to the hood.’
While much of the film is painted in gritty, glaring shades, Jenkins is unafraid to show the vibrant, sun-soaked city of Miami. Moonlight tiptoes the line between realism and surrealism as it documents Chiron’s life, an experience based on Jenkins’ own upbringing. He exploits a heightened reality to convey the subjective reality of Chiron’s experiences, depicting the multifaceted view of growing up as a gay, black man in Miami. That particular scene offered a fleeting sense of hope for Chiron, a brief respite from his otherwise harsh reality. However, this hope is brutally shattered in the subsequent scene. Kevin, succumbing to peer pressure, participates in a hazing ritual, beating Chiron to a pulp.
The intimacy shared on the beach contrasts starkly with the violence inflicted by Kevin, who pleads, “Don’t you get up, brother, stay down,” as he delivers the blows. This act of betrayal not only devastates Chiron but also underscores the oppressive environment that forces such cruelty, revealing the complex interplay of tenderness and brutality in Chiron’s world.
Masculinity and vulnerability are central to Moonlight, and this brutal incident highlights the realities of conforming to hyper-masculine norms. This pressure to adopt a tough exterior resurfaces in the final chapter of Chiron's life.
Now an adult, he goes by the nickname ‘Black’ (Trevante Rhodes) and presents a hardened, almost impenetrable persona - much like Juan. The camerawork reflects this through a series of shots that are static and composed, contrasting sharply with the erratic handheld movements that characterised Chiron’s childhood and adolescence. In this final act, Chiron reconnects with Kevin in a moving scene where Chiron’s tough persona dissolves in the presence of his life-long friend.
Jenkins’ coming-of-age film is a delicate depiction of growing up in a culture that preys on vulnerability. The film’s ability to capture both beauty and intense loneliness is reminiscent of Claire Denis’ Beau Travail, a 1999 film following the story of a French Foreign Legion Officer (see our ReidsonFilm review). The regimented routines of the Legion are imbued with an intimate physicality and longing, a quality that Jenkins cites as inspiration for his own work.
There are some profound moments in Jenkins’ film: the glance of understanding between two lifelong friends longing for a love that cannot be; the unanswerable question posed by a child to a compassionate father figure about why he sells the very drugs that have ruined his mother. It is in these unspoken moments that Moonlight shines brightest.
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