Moonlight — Page 2

I find myself in this weird position where everyone is sobbing over Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea, and I'm like "eh, whatever" to both of them. And the movie this year that did wreck me, Krisha, came and went with nobody really noticing. I'm not sure what to make of this.

hork I sobbed over Ezra Miller's fate in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The film was no masterpiece but his character struck a chord with my experiences. For better or worse a common initial response to art is to search for a reflection.

Saw this today. I must have seen a different movie then the rest of you (except for Hork). Although the performances were good...I would hardly call this film a masterpiece or even best picture of 2016.

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Updated On: 10/21/20 at 08:00 PM

haterobics said: "I really liked Moonlight, but thought the third chapter or whatever we're calling it didn't seem like the same character as the first 2/3. "

Tarell Alvin McCraney speaks to that point in an interview @ flavorwire:

"The original structure of the script intended to chart how different events make us another person, but how some things remain the same. That was very important to me. When Barry took that and structured it into this straightforward narrative, still in three chapters, I think it was important for him to tell the story with three different people. You were not supposed to feel like it was one actor playing this part — it was supposed to feel like different actors, but they somehow maintained a similar thread, mostly because they had the same weight on them. People who aren’t you can see pictures of you throughout your life and go, 'Wow, you were going through that goth phase', or whatever it is that you were doing at that moment, but at that time you’re still carrying that same weight. For me, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue was just a personal project — I was trying to figure out my life around it. The difference shooting in this short period of time is to capture those chapters, but the thing that’s propelling us through this is the weight of this person, what he’s carrying, trying to discover who he is in an environment that is clearly hostile to that."

In specific regards to your observation regarding why Chiron "didn't seem like the same character as the first 2/3", McCraney says:

"One of the things that’s become glaringly important to me is that any psychologist or psychiatrist worth their salt will ask you whose love you most desired as a child. And whoever that person is, whoever’s attention you most craved, is usually who you mold yourself to be. Chiron tries to become the thing he craved or loved or wanted to be loved by. That is true of any of us. That’s why the transformation seems like a huge jump — when we see who he’s trying to emulate. The problem with that emulation is, you are not that person. And though you crave their love, you becoming them does not actually give you that love, so you’re still missing out on the fundamental thing you want most, which is why we see him trying to perform this identity."

Saw this movie this afternoon. I was pretty disappointed.

I think some really strong performances, and cinematography masked a very trite, possibly underdeveloped script with overly stereotyped characters and a protagonist who completely disregards some amazingly profound guidance from a character who comes uncomfortably close to being a "Magical Negro" (except the protagonist isn't Caucasian, the character is thinly disguised as Cuban rather than African-American, and the protagonist does not take his sage counsel to heart).

OK, OK... the character of Juan cannot possibly be labeled a “Magical Negro” (on technicality), but his presence and purpose in the movie ticked too many boxes to ignore. He has no backstory other than the opening scenes that establish him as a drug dealer. We never learn anything more about him beyond "drug dealer". His physical entrance into Chiron’s life is fairly dramatic and ‘magical’ (including flooding the room with light upon his entrance). He symbolically performs a baptism of Chiron. His main purpose in the film is to impart wisdom that is meant to help Chiron navigate his life, but the minute that task is accomplished, he literally disappears from the film without explanation.

I thought the three names used to represent Chiron and his three stages of development were far too blatant. He was "Little" as a child. "Chiron" is his given name. (See the link for its astrological and mythological significance). He literally grew up to be a "Black" man. Perhaps the names were not meant to hold any significance, but it's hard to ignore them.

I found it very disappointing that Chiron made the adult choice to be a drug dealer. Prior to seeing the movie, I'd read the following quote by McCraney:

"One of the things that’s become glaringly important to me is that any psychologist or psychiatrist worth their salt will ask you whose love you most desired as a child. And whoever that person is, whoever’s attention you most craved, is usually who you mold yourself to be",

I thought it was an incredibly bad choice of Chiron's to mold himself into the "drug dealer" and not the "wise, loving father-figure" when both were represented by the same man, and it was the second option that drew Chiron to the man.

I also found Kevin's song (that prompted him to re-connect w/Chiron in the third act) to be a really sappy plot inclusion, as the lyrics were (again) far too literal. I thought Chiron's confession to Kevin was even sappier, as well as showed more bad judgement on his part. Based on Juan's advice to Chiron, I think Juan would have been disappointed by the non-action Chiron confesses to Kevin. I don't know that I'll ever understand why the character of Chiron was written to completely disregard what we, as an audience, found so profound and moving.

Even though it seems like I hated this movie completely, I didn't. The acting is superb. The emotion portrayed by just the eye contact between the adult Chiron and Kevin characters is mesmerizing. Each of the adult actors deserve an Oscar. The acting is what kept me glued to the screen.

aaaaaa15 said: "I disagree with pretty much all of your points haha but just to point out on one - there is an explanation for Juan leaving. He dies. Paula says to Chiron that she hasn't seen Teresa since the funeral.



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I came to that conclusion also.....but who knows? It wasn't made clear what happened. There also isn't really a backstory to support why Juan and Teresa are so kind to Chiron. As well as other plot points in the film.

"the character is thinly disguised as Cuban rather than African-American, and the protagonist does not take his sage counsel to heart."

John Adams, I suspect that while some might draw the inference, you didn't intend to suggest that Afro-Cuban Americans aren't African Americans.

"I found it very disappointing that Chiron made the adult choice to be a drug dealer. "

I don't really understand this criticism. Had the film jumped from the first part of the story to the third, I'd agree, but I think the events of the middle section made it fairly clear why Chiron makes the choices he does. He is beaten up for his perceived sexuality (or in general, how he's just different) and when he fights back, he's sent to jail. The film doesn't spell all this out, of course, but I assumed that Chiron got involved in the drug trade in prison, possibly as a way to survive, and when he got out, he kept it up, as being a macho and muscular drug dealer allows him to pretty effectively disguise his true nature. The choice isn't because he wants to rebel against Juan's advice, but because the rest of the world has beaten him down to such an extent that it feels like the only option.

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Updated On: 10/21/20 at 04:42 AM

I saw this over the weekend, and was incredibly moved by this film. Heartbreaking. All three actors who play Chiron were wonderful. I see one or two movies a year, but I will definitely be heading back to the theater to see this again.

I work in a neighborhood similar to the one portrayed in Moonlight and there are plenty of "real life" people like Juan.

That's one of the things I loved about this movie. Is that it avoids the typical stereotypes and hollywood cliche's about poverty.

And there is no "magical negro" in Moonlight. The magical negro was created by white people and is put in films to teach white characters a lesson. It doesn't apply to Moonlight.