Moonlight review

Key Points

This film takes place in a stereotypical "ghetto" area in a dominantly Black, American neighbourhood. From this, the audience can already paint the rest of the picture and make accurate assumptions about the characters. For example, when we learn that the primary character, Chiron, is gay, it creates an instant feeling of worry and concern as the audience are already aware of the negative and hateful views towards homosexuality in this specific type of community.

Focusing on Chiron, we can point out his deliberate use of body language, speech, and facial expressions around others to learn more about and unwind his character.  Chiron's closed body language, his tendency to keep to himself, his blunt (almost miserable) facial expression and his lack of / minimal use of speech reflects on his closed off, distant character. In fact, these factors do not change up until the very end of the movie, making it very difficult for the audience to form a mutual connection with him. However, the very skillful use of close-ups to portray his character over-compensate for the lack of emotion the audience get from him, reinforcing the connection between audience and character.

Juan is one of the first characters we are introduced to in the film. He is very significant to our understanding of the movie, and therefore the first chapter on the film is dominantly revolved around him. This is so that the producers can truly capture his character and be confident that the audience understand his views and values and truly get his character. We understand why  they have done this towards the concluding chapters of the movie: when we are introduced to the 'final' Chiron and see what he has grown to become. At this point, the audience realise that he has grown into an almost exact replica of Juan, highlighting the influence and importance of a father figure. 
The Miami setting we were introduced to in the film was very different to the stereotypical Miami image we are used to seeing in pop culture; Miami is an area widely known for its party image, money, beaches, etc. However, in the movie the producers used saturation in  particular to portray almost the opposite; poor, miserable, run down, etc. Perhaps the producers wanted to make it well known to the audience that everything that may seem extravagant from a distance always has a dark side. Perhaps this moral is significant to the story-line, suggesting something important about Chiron's life and to ghetto neighbourhoods in America.


Review

This movie revolved around the life of a young, Black boy growing up in a very poor neighbourhood in Miami. His mother is a drug addict who employs prostitution to fund for herself, he is consistently bullied in school, and he is struggling with his sexuality. This film focuses on these sensitive topics in order to highlight the realism of these issues. Essentially, the sequence of events in the movie raise awareness of the 'dark side' of areas such as Miami; looking in-between the lines will enable us to see the struggles that people in these neighbourhoods are forced to put up with but are discreetly dismissed and hidden
Other issues addressed in the movie include the importance of a father figure in children's lives'; towards the end of the film, it becomes clear to the audience that Chiron (the primary character) has grown into an exact replica of Juan, the only father figure he was exposed to during his childhood.
Chiron's sexuality challenged yet another social issue present in such neighbourhoods; children are bullied violently if they do not fit the norm, and homosexuality leads to a miserable life due to harassment from peers and family. Like Chiron, many children from these neighbourhoods are unaccepted by peers and family, and as a result grow up to lead a life like Chiron did.