Shot Distances

CU – (Close Up)

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about close ups as it shows the claustrophobic and suffocating feeling that Chiron has when being bombarded by his addict mother. Chiron is subject from a young age to substance abuse through his mother and this scenes close focus on Chiron’s mothers desperate and deluded facial expressions helps to illustrate how Chiron feels about his mother and her issue.

LS – (Long Shot)

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about long shots as it shows how Chiron is helpless in his situation. As his bullies leave the scene on the left, Chiron tries to subtly make himself big and intimidating, but as the shot type is so wide, it shows that Chiron is out of his field here, and that he is a lot more vulnerable than he would want to be.

M/CU – (Middle to Close Up) 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about middle to close up’s as it shows the audience what Chiron’s situation is, and how it’s framed so personally with the waves washing over the camera makes the audience feel as if we are with Chiron in this moment, but also understand his feeling of being drowned out and lost in his own life, being neglected by his mother and bullied by his fellow students. 

Shot Angles

High Angle 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about high angles because it shows the intimate relationship between Chiron and Kevin. This is a moment of calm in the film, with the characters relaxing on the beach smoking a blunt. This calm is subtly broken by both Chiron and Kevin looking directly into the camera from this high angle, creating a sense of compromise and vulnerability. 

Eye Level Shot 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about eye level shots because it shows Kevin’s initial reaction to see a grown-up Chiron. This prolonged and level shot with Kevin staring directly into the camera puts us in Chiron’s shoes and lets us feel how Chiron feels when Kevin sees him again for the first time since they were teenagers, and with the contexts we have of their relationship, we can accurately match Chiron’s emotions as an audience. This allows us to really envelop ourselves in these characters dynamics. 

Low Angle 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about low angles because it also puts us in Chiron’s shoes, but this time it’s so that the audience can connect with the pain he’s being subject to, both physically and mentally. We’re shown Chiron’s bullies kicking him and beating him up from his perspective and we get to understand that his struggle is a direct cause of Kevin succumbing to peer pressure and we as an audience can connect that this is both a betrayal and a humiliation for Chiron. This allows us to connect with Chiron even more, as we get to feel his pain through the camera angle. 

Shot Movement

Handheld Cam 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about handheld camera shots as the disorientating and wobbly shakes that the track has makes us as an audience understand the feeling of being an addict and being under the influence. As Chiron’s mother tries to get Chiron to unlock the house, the camera follows her towards the house with an uneven distance from the camera and her, and an unpredictable shake with each movement, making the audience feel disconnected and confused during the scene. This helps us empathise and understand Chiron’s situation with his mother and her drug problem. 

Tracking Shot 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about tracking shots as this extended following shot of Chiron’s journey to his classroom, where he inevitably attacks Terrel with a chair, allows us to visualise Chiron’s emotional process as he approaches his revenge towards his bullies. In moments throughout the fast-paced track, we see Chiron slow down and take a beat to reconsider his intentions, before he starts pushing ahead again, sealing his fate. This long track creates impact by showing us how motivated Chiron is to regain control in his life. 

Camera Pan 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about camera pans as it shows us the relationship between Chiron and Juan. As Juan speaks to Chiron, the camera pans diagonally towards Chiron who is staring up at him with focus, showing how he admires Juan as a pseudo-father figure in his life, and how Juan is the only person that Chiron has to look up to in his life, as his mother neglects his well-being frequently across the movie. The pan also helps to tell the audience about how Juan feels in this scene, as he is not focusing on Chiron. This shows Juan’s hesitation to help and nurture Chiron as he knows about his home and personal situation, and knows that even now he’s overstepping a boundary. 

Critical Score: 9/10

Thoughts: In comparison to Joker, Moonlight delivers on all aspects that dragged it down in my initial ranking. Moonlight does a fantastic job of using sound design to drive its story, by having the child and teen parts of the story mostly tonally isolated, illustrating how alone and empty Chiron feels in his adolescence. In his adulthood, sound features a lot more prominently, and his environment feels more lively and cluttered compared to his past, showing how he’s moved on from the struggles of his childhood and he’s gained control of his own narrative. Moonlight does a much better job than Joker in dialogue, as where I found some of the dialogue in Joker to feel artificial and stressful, Moonlight’s dialogue flowed beautifully and enveloped me in the setting of each and every part of Chiron’s story. My biggest gripe with Joker was how it was paced, having a clunky first half and a rushed ending, and Moonlight greatly improved on my pacing issue, spending just enough time on each shot and segment of Chiron’s life. Each shot felt impactful and important to the story because it did not feel as if the scenes were dragging on or even rehashing the thoughts and feelings Chiron had already displayed. Heavy themes were displayed across the entire film, themes of substance abuse, homophobia, peer pressure, and the struggle of being black in America. I think the film masterfully navigates these themes and tackles them tastefully whilst also giving an insightful view into each issue, culminating in a fantastic piece of film that will forever be used as an example of some of the best political storytelling to come out of the 21st century.

Favourite scene: What’s a faggot?

As someone who is LGBTQIA+, This scene resonated deeply with me, as it encapsulates the scared and depressing thoughts that go through the head of a young child having to deal with homophobic attack. This scene really impacted me because of the sudden nature of the conversation, and coupled with the movie’s pre-established use of silence and pauses, really shocks audiences. “Faggot” is such a strongly taboo’d word, and it’s use to break the silence shot right through me when first watching, and it fully engaged me with what Chiron was trying to navigate at that time. Mahershala Ali and Janelle Monae do a fantastic job of playing these authority figures in Chiron’s life, and their performances in this scene act as my highlight of the movie. The nuanced expressions that Juan displays when trying to formulate answers to Chiron’s questions do an amazing job of portraying the relationship between a parent and a child dealing with homophobia.