Moonlight

I saw Moonlight with a friend a while back and I really loved it. It was a magical experience for me. I went in not knowing much at all about it and I was able to just surrender to an incredibly moving and poignant story that was completely new to me.

The first thing I loved about it was that I was looking at characters in a different way than I had seen them before. This story takes place in the 80s (and beyond) in a very poor area of Florida where drug dealing is a major form of income. But it isn't about that; that's just the backdrop. The movie is not telling me how bad drugs are or that the people who get involved in drugs are evil. It's not druggies versus cops, it's a whole new take. So I met a drug dealer who is a great person and feels conflicted. I met a crack head who is doing her best in a tough situation and failing but still a complete human, still trying. It has a feeling that is hard to describe. I know! It feels real! This movie is treating its characters with love and respect as human beings. What a great feeling!

The next thing I loved about the film was its focus on small moments. Moonlight follows its main character, Chiron, thru three phases of his life. There are large scale conflicts that he is dealing with, for sure. But the focus of the film is on the small moments that truly contribute to who he becomes. The movie really looks at who shows up for you on your journey. It isn't always who you expect, but it lays the ground work for the path you end up taking, nonetheless.

The main character, played beautifully by three different actors, is so achingly vulnerable! He is so open and susceptible to the world around him, a world of hate and anger and hurt and danger! He lacks a safety net and feels always on the knife edge between salvation and ruin. It is not exactly a suspenseful film but I was so barely balance between hope and despair as I experienced his journey with him.

What an excellent piece of story telling from Barry Jenkins and film making in all departments and at all stages to give me so much! I love the magic that can happen when a really special story is well told! Go see Moonlight!