Reviews

Moonlight is an incredible movie for many reasons. It's not just about being black and gay. It's about so much more. It depicts the struggles of a young man. It's about identity, about family, about masculinity. It's about coming of age, about dealing with bullying, about finding out who you are and what your purpose is. Who to trust and who not to of those around you as you grow up. All of this is shown through great cinematography and visuals (consider the use of color analogies all throughout). The whole thing is elevated even further thanks to the incredible performances from basically every single actor/character in the film. One of the many great things of this movie plot-wise was the dynamic built around Chiron's relationships with his mother and with Juan respectively. Both have hard lives as well, both struggle in their own ways. Juan comes across as a father figure to Chiron more than anyone, even though he's a drug dealer. And Chiron's mother, even though she's addicted and never took care of him as a child, is apologizing to him in the end, telling him that she loves him no matter what. It shows that even though people may do bad things, it doesn't mean they're bad people or that they aren't capable of doing good things. Going a little more in depth: the scene in the ocean where Chiron is taught how to swim is by merely itself Best Picture worthy material. So is the final scene where for the first time in his whole life, he finally learns to accept himself for who he is. Moonlight depicts the journey of a man coming to senses with himself and with his purpose like no other. Moonlight has such an emotional impact that it just leaves you breathless after watching. At least that's what happened to me. Truly an unforgettable cinematic experience.