Written by: Kevin Berge
I feel like I should have some great La La Land joke ready here, but that would just be cliche. (Image Courtesy of: uncut.co.uk)
Quick Take: Moonlight captures the process of growing up in three acts, using impressive cinematography and acting from a host of actors to tell a growing story of communication and identity. Brilliant if not overtly exciting, this movie has all the best trappings of modern cinema with a fresh eye guiding the story.
***This is a detailed review of the Academy Award winner for Best Picture Moonlight, released late last year. In order to directly confront the elements that make the film, this will be a review that dives into spoilers, so anyone who has not seen the movie should do so if they wish not to be spoiled.***
Every year, filmmakers find new ways to tell the coming-of-age story. From Breakfast Club to Boyhood, the storytelling evolves with Moonlight taking another step forward through its portrayal of race and sexuality behind stunning imagery inside a three act play.
This is the story of Chiron, a black homosexual boy to man, at three stages in his life from uncommunicative child "Little" (Alex Hibbert) to bullied teenager (Ashton Sanders) to confident adult "Black" (Trevante Rhodes). Each stage is unique in presentation and storytelling, focused upon why Chiron becomes who he is by the closing act.
Act 1 is a story driven by physicality rather than words. We watch Chiron grow up through what he does and what he finds peace in doing. Often dialogue exchanges are muted to focus on the body language behind the words. It all is influenced by Chiron's own quiet nature, rarely finding reason to speak up.
Act 2 is call and response, talk followed by reactions. Chiron moves from place to place and is talked to, replying in short steady bursts. This all leads to a moment of passion with the closest he has to a friend, Kevin, exploring his sexuality and opening up for a moment only to have it all shoved back down into quiet and pain in a violent hazing.
Act 3 presents a more open Chiron, open to who he is, thus it is defined by the conventional focus. Opening with his mother's muted screams finally being heard, the sound is turned up. Chiron speaks rather than just responding. The camera keeps steady on faces. However, his meeting with Kevin returns him to Act 2, waiting to be asked and unsure how to respond.
Director Barry Jenkins has only one other feature length film on his resume, Medicine for Melancholy, released back in 2008. This only shows the dynamic difference in the way Jenkins makes films. Most of what he has made are short films in his career, and he takes his time with all that does, putting care into every detail (as chronicled in this Miami News interview from 2011).
Alongside cinematographer James Laxton (Tusk), he crafts the concept of this film through the camera. Even though the film is based on a play by Terell Alvin McCraney which is apparent in its contemplative dialogue adapted by Jenkins himself into a screenplay, the story is told through visual experience.
Every year, filmmakers find new ways to tell the coming-of-age story. From Breakfast Club to Boyhood, the storytelling evolves with Moonlight taking another step forward through its portrayal of race and sexuality behind stunning imagery inside a three act play.
This is the story of Chiron, a black homosexual boy to man, at three stages in his life from uncommunicative child "Little" (Alex Hibbert) to bullied teenager (Ashton Sanders) to confident adult "Black" (Trevante Rhodes). Each stage is unique in presentation and storytelling, focused upon why Chiron becomes who he is by the closing act.
Act 1 is a story driven by physicality rather than words. We watch Chiron grow up through what he does and what he finds peace in doing. Often dialogue exchanges are muted to focus on the body language behind the words. It all is influenced by Chiron's own quiet nature, rarely finding reason to speak up.
Act 2 is call and response, talk followed by reactions. Chiron moves from place to place and is talked to, replying in short steady bursts. This all leads to a moment of passion with the closest he has to a friend, Kevin, exploring his sexuality and opening up for a moment only to have it all shoved back down into quiet and pain in a violent hazing.
Act 3 presents a more open Chiron, open to who he is, thus it is defined by the conventional focus. Opening with his mother's muted screams finally being heard, the sound is turned up. Chiron speaks rather than just responding. The camera keeps steady on faces. However, his meeting with Kevin returns him to Act 2, waiting to be asked and unsure how to respond.
Director Barry Jenkins has only one other feature length film on his resume, Medicine for Melancholy, released back in 2008. This only shows the dynamic difference in the way Jenkins makes films. Most of what he has made are short films in his career, and he takes his time with all that does, putting care into every detail (as chronicled in this Miami News interview from 2011).
Alongside cinematographer James Laxton (Tusk), he crafts the concept of this film through the camera. Even though the film is based on a play by Terell Alvin McCraney which is apparent in its contemplative dialogue adapted by Jenkins himself into a screenplay, the story is told through visual experience.
Baptism by drug dealer, not a fairy tale story for the ages. (Image Courtesy of: thefader.com)
Breaking it down into its acts, it is clear how much Jenkins is working from a short film focus. The acts are connected, but particularly the first two acts stand on their own, uniquely presenting their pieces of this story. The actors in each section even change with few carryovers.
The standout of the cast is Mahershala Ali (House of Cards) who is exceptional as Chiron's father figure Juan, create empathy that feels genuine without ever being corny. Unfortunately, he does not get enough time to shine.
The same can be said for all three actors who play Chiron with Ashton Sanders (Straight Outta Compton) a particular standout. While all three are great, Sanders is best at capturing the awkwardness of Chiron's stance and has a presence that drives the camera straight to him.
The movie constantly repeats the phrase "who is you?", yet we never spend enough time with Chiron to know that. He is still finding himself by the end, still struggling to be himself. However, the question is "why" he is who he is. He becomes a pale imitation of Juan and closes himself off from his sexuality because that is what others made him do.
Despite other characters defining him by these traits, Chiron is not simply black or simply homosexual. Before the final scene of the movie, he is more defined as the drug dealer's adopted son and the druggie's tortured son. However, in the final moments, as Chiron speaks to Kevin and finally accepts himself as homosexual, he finally seems to open up to who he can be.
It is an uplifting final act that how little we can know of a person in a short time because they are constantly evolving. Chiron is just a man seeking a purpose and finds one in a return to home. In some sense, this could be seen as a romance, but that is only because that romance enables Chiron to face the true meaning of the film: his identity.
This is a fantastic film that does not shy away from taking risks. It does not linger on any thread too long. This can be frustrating for a casual viewer, but there is a driving theme and story to tell with little time for anything else. Even though the movie never truly takes off, it carries its message with such flair that it has to leave an impression.
The standout of the cast is Mahershala Ali (House of Cards) who is exceptional as Chiron's father figure Juan, create empathy that feels genuine without ever being corny. Unfortunately, he does not get enough time to shine.
The same can be said for all three actors who play Chiron with Ashton Sanders (Straight Outta Compton) a particular standout. While all three are great, Sanders is best at capturing the awkwardness of Chiron's stance and has a presence that drives the camera straight to him.
The movie constantly repeats the phrase "who is you?", yet we never spend enough time with Chiron to know that. He is still finding himself by the end, still struggling to be himself. However, the question is "why" he is who he is. He becomes a pale imitation of Juan and closes himself off from his sexuality because that is what others made him do.
Despite other characters defining him by these traits, Chiron is not simply black or simply homosexual. Before the final scene of the movie, he is more defined as the drug dealer's adopted son and the druggie's tortured son. However, in the final moments, as Chiron speaks to Kevin and finally accepts himself as homosexual, he finally seems to open up to who he can be.
It is an uplifting final act that how little we can know of a person in a short time because they are constantly evolving. Chiron is just a man seeking a purpose and finds one in a return to home. In some sense, this could be seen as a romance, but that is only because that romance enables Chiron to face the true meaning of the film: his identity.
This is a fantastic film that does not shy away from taking risks. It does not linger on any thread too long. This can be frustrating for a casual viewer, but there is a driving theme and story to tell with little time for anything else. Even though the movie never truly takes off, it carries its message with such flair that it has to leave an impression.