MOONLIGHT – Review

Alex Hibbert as Little/Chiron in Barry Jenkins’ MOONLIGHT. Photo by David Bornfriend. Courtesy of A24 ©

Haunting, heartbreaking MOONLIGHT is the tale of an African American boy growing to manhood in a Florida housing project. That brief description will likely conjure all the wrong images and expectations for this delicate and brilliant film, which taps into universal elements of growing up while telling a specific story of an individual. This beautiful piece of visual cinema seeps into one’s mind like moonlight, and you find yourself seeing the world through this child’s eyes under director Barry Jenkins’ gentle, skillful guidance. Avoiding the stereotypical imagery of the projects, the film gives us instead the lush green growth of Florida and quiet beaches as a setting for this story. The film’s mix of meditative, revealing personal tale, universal questions of growing up and finding one’s identity, and a subtle social commentary on the 1980s War on Drugs era in a story of a black child are a rare combination indeed.

A huge hit at the Toronto International Film Festival, MOONLIGHT follows the boy, Chiron, from age nine to adulthood. The film evokes BOYHOOD, although this one was not filmed with one actor in the lead role over a long period of time. The film’s title, MOONLIGHT, evokes its essential feeling, something delicate and ethereal, an element of the natural world conferring a sense of calm and even magic. Director Barry Jenkins The director adapted the film’s screenplay from Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play “In the Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.” McCraney drew on his own experiences growing up in the real-life Miami housing project where the story is set, and interestingly, the director grew up in the same complex, although they did not know each other as children. Shot on location in the Miami housing complex where it is set, the personal links also give the story an unparalleled authenticity as well as offering the possibility to transcend the circumstances.

The story is told in three chapters, starting with the central character as a nine-year-old boy, then a teenager and finally an adult, with the character played by a different actor in each, but each with heartbreaking brilliance. MOONLIGHT is thoughtful, universal and meditative, taking us into the inner life of this quiet black child growing in difficult circumstances, and also grappling with being gay.

Alex Hibbert plays nine-year-old Chiron, a shy, quiet boy who other children tease and nickname Little. Another boy, (Jaden Piner) befriends him and gives him some hints on dealing with the bullying. … is the opposite of Chiron, chatty, outgoing and good-looking but the boys bond. Exploring the empty fields and an abandoned apartment on the way home from school, as any boy might, Chiron encounters Juan (a wonderful Mahershala Ali), a Cuban-born man who knows the dangers can lurk in abandoned apartments in this poor neighborhood, something of which innocent Chiron is unaware. When Juan brings the boy home, he is greeted with suspicion by Chiron’s mother Paula ( Naomie Harris), a nurse struggling to keep her son safe as she raised him on her own Juan becomes a kind of surrogate father to him, teaching him to swim and encouraging him, but the fact that Juan is also a drug dealer add a chilling note. Juan’s kind-hearted girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monae) becomes a second mother to him, as his own mother’s tragic story unwinds.

The film weaves in social issues, like the devastating 1980s drug epidemic, bullying, and the challenges of growing up sensitive and gay in such a harsh, unforgiving environment. The film combines its personal story seamlessly with this devastating commentary with masterful skill. The tragic power of drugs to destroy plays out with Chiron’s mother, and the indifference of overcrowded schools to the scourge of bullying is portrayed with pointed accuracy as well. Relentlessly attacked by a school bully, Chiron finally lashes out, in a gripping and dramatic scene, yet typical of a school system that only takes notice when routine is disrupted and has no interest in uncovering the true situation, it is the bullied, not the bully, who is punished. The aching tragedy of lost potential suffuses the film – for Juan, for Paula, for Kevin, as well as for Chiron. The choice of the character’s name is interesting and the importance of names is a theme running through the film. Although never referred to in the film, Chiron is a name from Greek mythology, of the best of the centaurs and one noted for nurturing youth, as well as the name of a powerful luxury sports car from Bugatti. The superlatives built into the name suggest its choice was not accidental

Cinematographer James Laxton’s photography is lush and evocative, adding immensely to the sure-handed direction and fine, even some brilliant acting performances. The casting of this film is one of its many strengths and whole cast is good, with Mahershala Ali as Juan a special standout as Juan, as well as Naomie Harris as Paula who goes from a loving if strict mother of a beloved only child, to a drug-ravaged monster who is as likely to prey on him as not. There is one particularly harrowing scene, where the mother is silhouetted against a doorway partly lit in a pink light while she unloads verbal abuse on her son that grips one’s throat and cleaves the heart, a brilliant combination of acting and visual imagery that is seared into the brain. The contrasting views of mothering presented by Paula and Juan’s girlfriend are haunting and powerful.

As Chiron at age nine, Alex Hibbert, a Miami local, is appealing, serving as the innocent eyes through which we see this world. Ashton Sanders, who plays the teen-aged Chiron, has the most dramatic role, which he handles with skill. Sanders is riveting as Chiron unleashes his pent-up rage in a a powerful central scene at school, as he lashes out at the bully that has harassed him for years, The scene is electrifying and a turning point for the character. Chiron’s friend Kevin is played wonderfully by Jharrel Jerome as a teen, a performance that captures all the conflicts of the age, and with openness and warmth by Andre Holland as the adult Kevin. As the adult Chiron, Trevante Rhodes plays a more closed down person, requiring a skillful deftness from the actor. The final segment of the film, focused on the adult Chiron, delivers an unexpected yet uplifting end to the film.

MOONLIGHT is an unforgettable and moving film, a gossamer masterpiece of cinema. Although with its unconventional subject and gentle, contemplative style, not all audiences will embrace it, but MOONLIGHT is likely to be a top contender for awards this season. It is a film that deserves all the critical accolades and awards it is likely to garner.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars