Moonlight (Review)

'Moonlight' is an independent drama film which stars Trevante Rhodes, Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali. This film is written and directed by Barry Jenkins.

Based on the poem "In The Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" by Tarell Alvin McCraney, 'Moonlight is a film which really is indescribable. While some critics and audiences have viewed it as a film about prejudice, I myself saw it as a film about guilt and forgiveness.

 The main character Chiron tries to find a place in his life where he belongs as throughout the film we see his life develop from when he was a child, a teenager and then a fully grown adult. This film is open to interpretation, there are no clear themes which shadow over the story. By doing this Jenkins makes the film more of a social realism film than a heightened drama, although because of his confidence in his visual storytelling the film also crosses over into a more art-house style of filmmaking. While at first this sort of style felt jarring, it began to make more sense as the film progressed and by the end I felt that the techniques Jenkins used for the film greatly benefited the film.

The film is also gains strong support from it's cast. The leading role was perfectly portrayed by all of the three actors, to play a main character which hardly speaks and yet is the emotional core of the film is not an easy task for most actors yet alone these actors are all new to screen acting, it's an achievement for them and it's an achievement for Jenkins direction. The more seasoned supporting actors such as Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris also give great performances which has deservedly drawn attention from this years awards season. Andre Holland gives a brilliant performances as Kevin, Chiron's long-time best friend.

Overall 'Moonlight' is a passionate and a truly emotional thought provoking film, which may be interpreted is many ways, but it will always open the door for discussion, which is what cinema is all about and while I can interpret the film in my own way, I don't feel I am doing it justice, to have any understanding of Barry Jenkins latest film you just have to cancel out the noise at watch it for yourself.

Rating: 10/10

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