Moonlight will make a lot of people uncomfortable — and I’m glad of that
Oscar-nominated drama charts a gay boy's harrowing journey through adolescence
Moonlight
(15) 111 mins
Moonlight tells the tale of a boy’s long and treacherous path through adolescence.
Played out in three chapters, it follows a boy struggling with identity, sexuality and a system that seems to be doing all it can to hold him down.
Good LORD this is one hell of a film.
It’s been quite rightly lauded with heaps of admiration and is almost certainly a contender for awards and accolades the world over.
The entire cast are incredible — in particular our own Naomie Harris, who is about as far from Miss Moneypenny as James Bond is from the Pink Panther.
First we meet Chiron, known as "Little" — a withdrawn boy with a crack addict for a mother, constantly bullied with a dealer for a mentor.
Juan (said dealer) and his girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monáe) offer him warmth and stability and he gradually opens up about his confused feelings.
In Act 2 We meet Chiron as a teenager — still bullied, still looked after, still confused — not least because of his relationship with his best friend.
After an unexpected encounter, Chiron rages and ends up being dragged away by the police, setting himself up for a future in the system.
The Final Act introduces him as "Black" — all muscles and furrowed brow.
Whilst he seems seem to point himself towards an inevitable conclusion, there’s still enough of ‘Little’ and "Chiron" left in him to seek out his former life and rid himself of some ghosts.
Moonlight absolutely nails the crippling awfulness of adolescence — tough enough as a middle-class British white boy, let alone a black, gay kid in the ghetto.
It’s a film framed around a very small number of conversations.
It’s lean, yet crammed full of poignancy, tenderness and incredible acting.
There are many backs to pat here — not least the cast — but also Barry Jenkins’ directing.
His understanding of the power of silence is spot on.
The sonic gaps are deafening and the refreshing juxtaposition of opera and classical aria replacing the expected stereotypes is very clever indeed.
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Given the subject matter and the intensity of the performances, Moonlight is surprisingly easy to watch.
It’s enjoyable, relatable and heart-warming.
I defy anyone not to get completely drawn in.
It will make a lot of people uncomfortable and I’m glad of that.
It’s here to be disarming — it’s here to make you think.
Love conquers in the end — it’s just sometimes there’s a lot to get through first.