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Moonlight Thoughts

Moonlight is a coming of age film directed by Barry Jenkins and released in 2016. The film tell the story of a young African American man named Chiron. It follows a unique style where it is split into three chapters, all of which are distinct stages of his life. The first chapter is titled "Little" and takes place when Chiron is a young boy living in a rough neighborhood. He is constantly being bullied for being different and struggling with a troubled home life as his mother is a drug abuser. In this chapter, he meets Juan and Teresa who act as parental figures for him and offer him support and advice. The second chapter takes place when Chiron is in his adolescence and during this time he begins to come to understanding with his identity and sexuality. He is still struggling with bullies and his drug addict mother, but would often go to Teresa house to spend the night there. We find out that Juan died and that Chiron has not taken to this very well. His friend childhood friend, Kevin, becomes a large focus of this chapter and he ends up having sexual activity with him. In the third chapter, Chiron has become a drug dealer and has taken the name "Black". He remains confused with his past and ends up having a reunion with Kevin, which helps Chiron show his true self.

Moonlight offered a unique style of filmmaking with its three chapter structure and I thought that it turned out fairly good with a great plot. I didn't really enjoy the film overall as it is not my type of film that I enjoy; however, the acting was amazing and really made the film. My favorite parts were when Chiron and Juan were together. I thought that the connection that they had together was something very heartwarming. Overall, I don't think that I would go back and rewatch the film, but if I hadn't watch it in class, I definitely would have never heard of it or given it a chance. 

The film holds a lot of culturally relevant aspects, for example, the ability to combine race, sexuality, and masculinity into one film makes the film very unique and offers a new perspective many might not have none about. The film explores LGBTQ themes and addresses the challenges that individuals in the community struggle with. This helps spread awareness and offer an authentic portrayal to the audience. Barry Jenkins employs a variety of shots and angles to help convey the emotions and feelings of the characters. He utilizes close up, particular on faces, which allows the audience to feel connected with characters like Chiron. Tracking shots are also used to follow Chiron through the his neighborhood. This helps provide a sense of what the characters lives through and see everyday.

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