Moonlight (2016)

    Recently in my Film 100 class, we were tasked with watching the film Moonlight (2016), by director Berry Jenkins. To me, the movie was powerful and inspiring in the ways that it tackled identity. A couple hidden ways in which the movie discussed identity is what I will be discussing during this weeks blog post. Although, the first thing that I will be discussing is the overall plot of the movie. So, as always, if you do not want any spoilers I'd suggest not reading ahead until you've seen the film.

    The film, Moonlight, revolves around the story of a kid, Chiron, told through three different stages within his life. As a kid, he was referred to as "Little". He was bullied constantly for being gay, but he had one friend named Kevin. His mentor was a drug dealer named Juan, who represented a father figure he never had. He also struggled at home with his struggling mother, as he preferred staying with Juan and his girlfriend. During the middle of the film, Chiron was a teenager. He stayed with Juan's girlfriend, since Juan had died. Also, Chiron's mother became even worse with drugs. Furthermore, he was still targeted, but a crucial moment occured when Chiron and Kevin, while still friends, kissed and did other adult stuff while on the beach. That is the moment he discovered his true identity, which he burried deep down after Kevin joined in with bullying Chiron. Upset, Chiron hit one of his bullies with a chair and was sent to prison. The last part of the film featured Chiron, now referred to as "Black", as an adult. He got acquainted with the drug dealing buisness and was known to be cold. Yet, after forgiving his mother and reuniting with Kevin, he found himself again.

Courtesy of A24

    One thing that immediately stood out to me was the use of colors within the film. Most importantly were the colors blue, black, and red. Blue represented discovering and showing your true identity, while black represented the opposite. Within the film was an important saying Juan recalls, "in the moonlight, black boys look blue". From my point of view, the message of this saying is that moonlight reveals one's true identity. I believe so because during the scene in which Chiron and Kevin were having a "moment" on the beach, the moon was out and shining light down onto the two of them. It is in that scene that Chiron was fully expressing himself and being completely vulnerable with Kevin. Furthermore, the time at which Chiron was the least like himself was when he was given the nickname, "Black". At that time, he was an adult who participated in drug dealing and criminal activities. Reunited with Kevin, adult Chiron confessed that he had not been touched by anyone in the way that Kevin had touched him while they were on the beach together. Thus, explaining how disconnected Chiron felt from himself and his true desires. As for the color red, I believe it represented love. Throughout the film, two places where red was the most prevelant was "Little's" shirt and a background color when Chiron's mother screamed at him before disappearing into a room to do drugs. I believe red represented purity and love. As a child, "Little" had an open heart, despite being shy. The world had not hurt him completely yet. Also, before Chiron's mom would go take the drugs, she was still able to provide love to him. Yet, the moment she stepped into the room and closed the door, her love for Chiron would fade. 

Courtesy of A24

    Another thing I noticed was the use of names. As a kid, Chiron was nicknamed "Little", most likely due to how weak and he felt around his peers. Furthermore, he was often belittled for being gay, which made him feel small and alone. As a teenager, he was trying to discover who he really is. Therefore, he did not have a nickname as he attempted to embrace his identity and sexuality with Kevin. Unfortunately, life had other plans as Chiron was forced to grow up hiding himself. Turning into a cold hearted drug dealer, he shunned his inner feelings and burried them deep down. As I meantioned above, the disconnect between his inner personality and the person he tried to be mostly likely is why the director chose to give him the name "Black". Yet, he didn't burry his true intentions enough as at the end of the film, we as the audience see a young Chiron staring back at us, representing how he found himself again.

Courtesy of A24