MOONLIGHT (2016, Dir. Barry Jenkins) FIRST RESPONSE

Rating: 6/10

The film does a good job at conveying a heartfelt story, using a three act structure to separate the stages of life the main character Chiron is in. It gets some good use out of the camera, making beautiful shots (any scene at a beach comes to mind) and the occasional shake of the camera really grounds the film, making it look like it was recorded by an onlooker using a handheld camera. However, sometimes the unique camera movements became annoying and sometimes I couldn’t make out what the characters were saying. It also just isn’t the kind of movie I love, but it executes what it set out to do extremely well.

Memorable Scene: Kev’s Betrayal 

The scene begins with one of the coolest shots of the film: it starts on the bully character, Terrel, walking into the schoolyard pushing people out of the way as he comes towards the camera. Then, without changing shots, the camera follows Terrel as he circles the camera, which is the point of view of Chiron. This shot stood out to me immediately because it really puts you in Chiron’s situation. You watch as Terrel walks, acting aggressive to other students, pushing them out of the way to create a circle. What really works with this shot is that Terrel remains in focus in the centre of the camera while the background is blurry and clearly moves. This creates a sense of tension and unease. This spinning shot continues for around ten seconds before Terrel, and thus the camera, stops at Kev. Terrel orders him to knock Chiron down, and Chiron stays silent and stares at Kev. Before this scene was the scene where Kev and Chiron shared an intimate moment on the beach. Both characters were vulnerable then, but here it’s different. Chiron is meant to be vulnerable: he is face to face with Terel and his gang, as well as Kev about to punch him. He is outmatched. And yet, Kev looks nervous and frightened while Chiron retains composure as he stares down the group. Chiron is knocked down by Kev, but then stands back up. Kev is ordered to knock him down again, and he does. But Chiron gets back up. This is important as it shows that Chiron, despite being bullied and seen as “weak” by his peers due to his physique and the fact that he is gay, is strong. As he said in the Knock Down scene from the “Little” segment, he isn’t soft. He has a strong will. Kev shouts at Chiron to stay down because he doesn’t want to hurt him, but Chiron gets back up. Chiron’s face is up close to the camera, and out of focus. This further creates a sense of unease, as the shots of Chiron are filled with his blurry, stoic face. Kev knocks him down again, and the bully group savagely attack him while Kev backs away. There is no natural sound at this scene’s end, no talking or chatter or anything. The only thing you can hear is a haunting score as Kev looks on while his best friend and love interest is beaten down and is alone.