"Moonlight" is not a movie based on dialogues: silence is more powerful. This is the second feature Film of Barry Jenkins that has been included in the London Film Festival line-up. I strongly believe that is impossible not to be deeplytouchedby "Moonlight". It's such an heartbreaking and powerful story, that these complex characters are going to stick with you for so long.
Moonlight story
This is a coming-of-age story that depicts the growth of a Black kid in Miami: Chiron. He lives with a troublesome mother and he struggles at school because of his sexuality.
Chiron is different and differences are not easily accepted. Jenkins jumps from Chiron's childhood to his adolescence and adulthood and he is ready to deal with difficult themes as homophobia, drugs addiction and violence.
A powerful message
As I have already stated, the message of the movie is so heartbreaking and thought provoking. Can you stand all this sufference without ending up changed? Can the environment shape who you are? Barry Jenkins doesn't seem to have an answer. Chiron's pure heart is shattered by this terrible sorroudings and he comes back home as a different person: he seems to have followed his putative father's footsteps. But then, the ending shows us a tender protagonist who is still in love with his high school friend.
The change, he experienced could be classified as a sort of shield against the scary world we live in, but as I said, we don't have a clear and unique vision.
3D characters and real emotions
What I loved about Moonlight is how a range of genuine and three-dimensional characters are presented. You can relate to Chiron's suffering because it feels real, because it's painful to watch.
There is no time for conventionality or fake representations: the movie goes straight to the point. Moonlight is capable of interweaving a touching coming-of-age story with a complex LGBT and African-American representation.
I also loved the cast: Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders and Alex Hibbert are the perfect Chiron. Mahershala Ali is also incredible.
The cinematography and the music are impressive as well. That's it: Moonlight is receiving all the attentions it deserves.
After my "Frantz" and "A United Kingdom" reviews, don't miss my follow-up articles in which I will share my point of view on La La Land and Manchester By The Sea. Have a look at the "Moonlight" Trailer:
