98% on Rotten Tomatoes
Chloe's thoughts: It's alright; Signed, sealed, and recommended by Chloe (it's a mix of both)
Watch it if you: Want a refreshingly different movie from standard Hollywood films; Want to see an interesting coming-of-age story of one person's life over time; Are a fan of Boyhood (2014)
Moonlight focuses on the story of one man, told through the three stages of his life: boy, teen, and man. As we journey through his life, we see a story of love, heartbreak, friendship, identity, and self-discovery.
I went into this movie not knowing much about it, but I had heard great things from critics, so I decided to check it out. I honestly didn't even realise that the poster shows three different actors until shortly before I saw the film.
Firstly, I really liked the idea of following one man through these different and very defining chapters of his life. Each chapter focuses very heavily on particular events without skipping too much in time within the chapter, and it felt almost like the main character was reflecting on all the important moments of his life, sharing only his most important and self-defining memories with the audience.
It was also really interesting because whenever we enter a new chapter into his life, we see a different actor portray a different personality, even though it's the same character we are watching. And in doing so, the movie is able to reflect how much one person can change in their lives, while still being the same person once you strip away all that exterior stuff.
I found it fascinating that the three actors who portrayed Chiron never actually met during production, because the director wanted them to develop their own personas based off the script alone. This was surprising because I noticed that all three of the actors shared similar body and facial language movements, and I thought this was a deliberate and subtle way of linking all three actors to the same character, but it turns out that's just them acting!
And the acting in this was really great!
Apart from those who play the main character, there was Mahershala Ali as Juan, the man who takes Chiron under his wing, and there was the stunning Janelle Monáe, who plays Juan's girlfriend. And seriously, she is so pretty (and I saw her in the trailer for Hidden Figures so I'm keen to see her in that!).
Then there was Naomie Harris, who plays Chiron's mother, and my goodness she was fantastic in her role. I think she seriously deserves an Oscar for this (although I haven't seen Fences, Hidden Figures, or Manchester by the Sea yet so maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here).
It was also great that they showed others' character arcs as well, in a way that was not so dramatic or Hollywood-ised. Seriously, sometimes character arcs get closed off in really cliché ways, but the character arcs here felt real and natural.
I did really enjoy this movie. It was heartbreaking, emotional, and different. I heard way too many good things about it though, so I was expecting a lot, and I wouldn't call this film the best of the year. I think it's an important film to watch, and I think it's great that it broke through the mould of Hollywood, but I think it lacks a bit in terms of rewatchability.
A few side notes:
"A faggot is a word used to make gay people feel bad."
"Am I a faggot?"
"No. You're not a faggot. You can be gay, but you don't have to let nobody call you a faggot."
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