Moonlight tells the story of Chiron, a young, gay, black man growing up in a rough neighbourhood outside of Miami. The film chronicles Chiron's life, from a child being taken in by a kindhearted, Cuban drug dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali), to a teenager struggling with his sexuality and his identity, then finally to an adult making peace with his past.
Moonlight isn't a film that I knew what to expect from. The overwhelmingly positive response to it led me to believe that it would be good, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to emotionally tap into the story. I mean, it's about a black, gay kid finding himself, and none of those elements have had any bearing on my life before. Despite that, I can't deny that the film tells an interesting story, and even if it didn't emotionally move me the way I hoped it would, Moonlight is a great film.
The film excels in portraying life, which is without a doubt its primary intention. My only real complaint, if it can even be called that, is that the film doesn't have much of a story, but that's not really the point. It's primarily a character study, and removing dramatics that might be expected in a story like this creates a very different vibe. The film is absolutely beautiful, and the predominant use of handheld cameras and close-ups give it a very intimate feel. The lighting was interestingly done; it all seemed to come from natural sources but somehow with more emphasis, which defined the visual style. The music was also very fitting; it was generally very calm and peaceful, which fit the low-key nature of the story. My favourite element of the film is how it used silence; there are many times where the characters just took a moment to sit and process what was happening. I was thinking at the same pace that they were, and those moments were the most profoundly engaging in the whole film.
The three actors who played Chiron all worked together really well to craft a clear picture of who this man is. They all gave very quiet, reserved performances, which was a clear representation of the repression that's so intrinsic to his journey. The youngest actor, Alex Hibbert, did a fantastic job of balancing Chiron's natural quietness with the important discoveries he made about his life. Ashton Sanders - the teenage Chiron - was my favourite of the three, because he explored the most emotional range, and executed some of the most heartfelt moments of the film. Trevante Rhodes - the adult Chiron - brought a lot of subtleties, and how he played the final moments in the film made them the most powerful. There was a definite sense of progression among the actors, and not just because the actors looked like different ages of the same person. At the same time, even though he manages to get away from his initial environment, Chiron is still being held back by himself. Watching the world around Chiron change and evolve was also really well-done, and true to how reality might have played out. Naomi Harris plays Chiron's mother, and her arc was a really well-incorporated undercurrent of Chiron's story. Mahershala Ali was also fantastic, and since I've only ever seen him in more stoic roles, seeing a more emotional side to him was really interesting.
The only thing that stopped me from truly loving this film is that I couldn't emotionally connect with it as much as I wanted to. I think the effect that this film is after is to get people to think "I've seen that before" or "I know somebody like that", and I just couldn't relate to the film in that way. It's a representation of a part of the world that I don't fully understand, and that was why I found it so compelling as a story. I was engaged with Chiron's journey, even if I couldn't get fully invested in it. That's not to say that I didn't care about this movie, because I definitely did. The aspects of the film that I could connect with worked beautifully, and this film definitely has emotionally impactful moments.
While Moonlight may not have been the complete masterpiece I was hoping for, it's still really well put-together. It always stays true to its intention, and remains consistently small-scale and intimate. The more I think about this film, the more I like it, because it's the kind of film that needs some time to digest to fully appreciate. The actors bring very human characters to life, and the story is excellently paced. On top of that, the film is simply gorgeous, and portrays real life with a very distinct stylistic touch. It portrays a story that isn't often told, in a part of the world that is often ignored, which makes it socially relevant as well as emotionally powerful, While I don't know if Moonlight fully lives up to its hype, it's definitely a fantastically-made film, and one of the best of the year.
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