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Moonlight poster

Moonlight (2016)

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.
5.0 / 5
INCLUVIE SCORE
4.6 / 5
MOVIE SCORE
Representation
Black
LGBTQ

Incluvie Movie Reviews


Andrew Joseph Tanner
June 4, 2023
5 / 5
INCLUVIE SCORE
5 / 5
MOVIE SCORE

'Moonlight': A Retrospective on Barry Jenkins' Masterpiece

I often speak about the importance of positive representation in films. The joy, validation, and critical examination that comes with seeing yourself onscreen is something that many privileged people take for granted. But rarely does a film go beyond representation and into an emotional resonance that places it in that peculiar art space where I love something that I can not view leisurely. I have only seen Barry Jenkins' Moonlight once at theaters upon release. Despite owning a digital copy, its release on streaming services, and a coveted spot as one of my most beloved films of all time, I am unable to watch it again in its entirety. It is so emotionally resonant for me that my empathy is incapable of watching it superficially. I know I will feel all the emotional depth of the film EVERY time. This places it in the same league as What's Love Got To Do With It, The Color Purple, and Lucky (2011). Even at the film theater, my best friend (another Black gay man) squeezed my hand throughout the film, nearly in tears from the nuanced portrayals.

Barry Jenkins filmed Moonlight in three modules named after the childhood, teenage years, and young adulthood of the main protagonist. The brilliance of this film is its argument that Blackness and sexuality are intertwined and inseparable within the intersectionality of Black gay men. This is something I have posited myself countless times in arguments where (mostly) straight Black men and the odd Black Woman attempt the "you are Black" first argument. This tired argument attempts to excise Black LGBTQ+ individuals' sexuality from them and inspire a racial fealty that often only serves the needs of straight Black men. We are welcomed as voiceless bodies in protests, marches, and financial support for Black politicians and businesses, but otherwise mum is the word. This argument is usually pulled out when something homophobic/transphobic or otherwise discriminatory happens to LGBTQ+ people and Black LGBTQIA+ people object to said treatment (see the awful Dave Chapelle). Moonlight argues that you can not compartmentalize sexuality, it's not a lifestyle or trendy thing picked up from outside the community (aka the "it's a white person thing" argument). Rather, I, like Chiron and every other Black gay man, am both Black and gay. Those two identities are who I am in totality. And yet they are both infinite on their own and in combination. Moonlight captures this exquisitely.

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Incluvie Writer
November 9, 2021
5 / 5
INCLUVIE SCORE
4.5 / 5
MOVIE SCORE

“Moonlight” is One of the Most Beautiful Black Pride Movies Out There

Every cinephile will remember where they were when Moonlight (2016) won Best Picture. I was watching that year’s Oscars ceremony at a screening hosted by my college. Once midnight hit, with only a couple of awards left, they had to kick everyone out of the building. I raced back to my dorm and turned on the TV in the common room. “And the Academy Award for Best Picture goes to… La La Land!” Satisfied, I walked away from the TV, heading to my room. “Wait! There’s been a mistake!” I rushed back to the TV, and watched cinema history unfold before my very eyes. Moonlight had won Best Picture; to think I would have missed this historic moment had I kept walking back to my room. Moonlight is a film that will certainly be remembered for how it won Best Picture, but the movie itself is excellent. As Pride Month closes out, I wanted to take a look at this film, celebrating LGBTQ+ and Black pride. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, Moonlight tells the story of Chiron at three different stages in his life: as a kid (Alex R. Hibbert), as a teenager (Ashton Sanders), and as an adult (Trevante Rhodes). The film explores his relationships, his sexuality, and the people who helped shape him into the person he ultimately becomes. Jenkins approaches Moonlight by going for profound realism; the substantive nature of the film comes from its ability to capture the authenticity of people’s lives. In terms of a narrative, there isn’t too much that happens in the movie. Instead, its power comes from following one man throughout his life, and seeing how he changes and evolves. There is an inherent beauty in the subtle mundanity of watching someone grow up and mature. What makes
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francesca fox
June 14, 2021
5 / 5
INCLUVIE SCORE
5 / 5
MOVIE SCORE

Is Blood Thicker Than Water? 'Moonlight,' Father Figures, and Their Representation

I read recently that Father's Day didn't become a national holiday until 1972. Mother's Day, on the other hand, was established in 1914. Why the long gap? Much (and somewhat not) to my surprise, the pushback was against the very demographic the holiday wished to celebrate. Despite the value holidays like Father's Day represents to many families, and consumerism, it can be a prime time to discuss what "father" and "family" mean to the general public. The term "father" itself connotes a biological connection that is rooted in concepts of bloodline, dominance, and a certain type of masculinity. In the media, we are introduced to father figures as exemplars for education and life lessons. In my own life, my father served as this kind of influence, although he served these life lessons gently with a side of emotional intelligence. I remember a time when one of my school friends said she thought my dad looked “kinda mean.” Personally, I chalk it up to the look of a tortured artist. He isn’t Mr. Smiley by a long shot. He may look coarse, but he is an incredibly sensitive and dutiful father. But it doesn't mean he never gets angry. Though, being the most accessible masculine figure in my life, he never bombarded me with any toxic aggression. It distinguished him from other dads and men I encountered. His was the only masculine energy in our household, yet he defied the usual masculine types, something I am proud to write here. I recall many times when my dad would say that he couldn’t relate to many cisgender men. It got me thinking, where do we go to see positive masculinity? Are these spaces readily accessible? In Moonlight (2016), father figures, and their representation, embody how positive relationships can exist within the duality of masculine and feminine traits. The first time I really saw the depths of masculinity being explored was in Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight. Specifically, one centering on Black cisgender men. Thinking about the history around racialized masculinity, Black men are thoroughly dehumanized while white men are venerated. Birth of a Nation is an example of using Black men to propagate the notion of villainy and who needed to rise to violently subjugate them
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Movie Information


The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

Rating:R
Genre:Drama
Directed By:Barry Jenkins
Written By:Barry Jenkins
In Theaters:11/18/2016
Box Office:$65,046,687
Runtime:111 minutes
Studio:A24, Plan B Entertainment, PASTEL

Cast


Director

Barry Jenkins

Director

noImg
cast

Trevante Rhodes

Black

cast

André Holland

Kevin

cast

Janelle Monáe

Teresa

cast

Ashton Sanders

Chiron

cast

Jharrel Jerome

Kevin Age 16

cast

Alex R. Hibbert

Little

cast

Jaden Piner

Kevin Age 9

cast

Naomie Harris

Paula

cast

Mahershala Ali

Juan

cast

Shariff Earp

Terrence

cast

Duan Sanderson

Azu