MOONLIGHT (Barry Jenkins). 111 minutes. Opens Friday (October 28). See Listings. Rating: NNNN
This is a melancholic and beautiful love story about a Black man’s feelings toward another Black man – and more importantly, a Black man’s feelings about himself. That this LGBTQ film is contextualized as part of a conversation on Black masculinity that sees homosexuality as a threat makes it all the more urgent.
The film dips into different stages of Chiron’s life, as a boy (Alex R. Hibbert), a teen (Ashton Sanders) and a man (Trevante Rhodes). At each stage, he struggles to overcome the crippling fear of who he is in an environment that refuses to accept him.
The narrative is loose, riding on emotional beats as director Barry Jenkins balances raw honesty with dreamy imagery. He lingers on the finer details in the performances men play out: the costumes they sport like armour, the hate they’re trying to deflect and the humanity that ends up buried.
Don’t miss: Moonlight’s director and stars speak out on black homophobia
