Images courtesy A24.
Steven James
@StevenLeeJames
I had different things going through my head during Moonlight, ranging from sadness to sympathy to “What the fuck?” I’m guessing the filmmakers wanted me to feel that way, but if you go in without knowing anything about the plot, you will probably have a similar experience.
Moonlight is about Chiron (pronounced “Shyrone”), a disturbed and sexually confused young man who tries to find his identity in an environment full of people who hate him for existing. Chiron (played by Alex Hibbert as a child, Ashton Sanders as a teen and Trevante Rhodes as an adult) suppresses everything about himself he dislikes for fear of increased chastisement. The film takes place during three stages of Chiron’s life, named “Little,” “Chiron” and “Black,” respectively. At the beginning of the movie, Chiron is a small, sad child who has trouble opening up with people. The problem worsens as he ages. His mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), is a drug addict, he is constantly bullied at school and he discovers he is gay.
Reel Entropy 