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Moonlight (2016)

wanderingstar

By wanderingstar
in Movies

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snickers

snickers

I don't think Moonlight will go down as a movie that didn't deserve BP win, I agree that it was more likely  that would have happened if La La Land won, heck even Spotlight might down as a movie that didn't deserve it's win.

My opinion about Moonlight was always that it's a movie that you either really really like, or are just meh about it, I liked it, but I like coming of age movies, and I think a lot of people relate to it, which makes it really great.

So glad about the BP win, I was nervous, I knew if Moonlight didn't get it La La Land would.  What a crazy ending....I thought it was a bad joke at first.  And I was pretty sure it would win best supporting and best adapted screenplay, would have liked best director for Jenkins but I do think Chazelle earned his win.

I think Moonlight is now available on DVD :)

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DollEyes

DollEyes

(edited)
On 1/19/2017 at 8:16 PM, SimoneS said:

Honestly, my heart literally hurt when it was revealed that Chiron was dealing drugs. I know that it was probably inevitable, but I was hoping that he had taken another road. I was also crushed when Kevin revealed that he had done time also. I am not convinced that Chiron can get out of the life. He would have to move far away and I don't think Miami is far enough, but I want to believe that he would find a way out and find some happiness with Kevin who might be the only person who can breakthrough his loneliness and walls. Here is an article with the film's cast and crew speculating about Chiron's future after the movie ends: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/moonlight-chiron-end_us_5810f815e4b0990edc2ec6fa

In my mind, while I'm no Pollyanna, I think that Chiron & Kevin would end up together. It wouldn't be easy, but I think that Chiron & Kevin are soulmates who love/understand each other in a way that no one else could and that could make them fight harder to have a future. Re the article, I especially loved Andre Holland's theory about how L'il Kev could have played a role in making Chiron & Kevin's bond even stronger & Trevante Rhodes' comment about imagining them walking down the street and holding hands in their 90s. 

On 2/4/2017 at 6:34 PM, wlk68 said:

This. I really enjoyed this as well but after watching poor Chiron stifle his true self for most of his life, I needed to see some sort of "finally I get to be happy!' payoff. What I really wanted was a shot of the two of them curled up in bed together, sleeping, with the early morning sun creeping through the blinds, but I would've settled for the kiss.  

Even better would have been a morning-after shot of a naked (or at least shirtless) Chiron getting out of a sleeping Kevin's bed and looking at the sun shining over the ocean and it was the same color as it was the day that Juan taught little Chiron to swim, with Little smiling and waving at him from the beach, as a sign to Chiron to finally accept who/what he is,at least to himself and Kevin. 

Edited by DollEyes
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Scarlett45

Scarlett45

On 2/26/2017 at 7:07 PM, Miles said:

It's hard for me to stay objective when it comes to this movie. I see myself quite a bit in it.

I was a white boy from a small town in germany, not a black boy from a rough neighbourhood in the US. But I grew up without a father. My mother never used drugs, but she always defined herself solely about her work. Even when I was little, though back then she managed to maintain a somewhat good balance, but around the time I was nine or ten all her work wasn't enough enymore and she took a job that was way more damanding, quite a bit further away than before. Meaning she was at work most of the time and even when she was at home she would continue working. I really had no adult to turn to with my problems for many years.

From age ten to twelve I was also mercilessly bullied. It mostly stopped when I changed schools to a lower tier, but this being a small twon there was no way to completely avoid these boys.

I also had a childhood friend. I think the two years I was bullied we saw each other sparingly. He was at another school and I was busy trying not to kill myself. When I changed schools we reconnected since he was going to that same school. Eventually, I think we must have been 13 or 14 we had sex a few times in one night. Afterwards he was often very mean to me in public and sided with the kids who had bullied me (most of them lived on his street). Now I think he was scared somebody would find out, but as a teenager I didn't really understand what was going on. In any case, it was a dick move and I really think it fucked me up quite a bit.

This has been more than 15 years ago. So I doubt I'll ever get that cathartic scene from the end of the movie, where he tells me he is sorry and we can reconnect. But it is nice to imagine.

Weirdly enough I felt quite a bit detached from the movie while watching it. But I think at some point when it became too personal I had built up a wall. Since it ended it has been hitting me a few times and I have replayed the ending scene where the two are cuddling a few times.

From my perspective this was an amazing and profound movie, but again, I'm not very objective here.

 

I would have prefered them cuddling with their shirts off. In bed, somewhere else no matter. With their shirts on there was still too much between them. They were close, but not close enough, not after all that has happened.

Thanks for sharing your story. Maybe other young men going through the same thing will see this film and feel a little less alone. We so rarely see male intimacy in screen, especially intimacy between men of color. Movies like this are important. 

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adhoc

adhoc

I saw it on DVD this weekend.  I'd rate it 7.5.  I was disappointed in the story, but I have to say the cinematography and the acting were excellent.

I was confused by the bulked up appearance of grown Chiron ("Black")--I asked myself, "What, is Juan still alive after all?"  I thought Trevante Rhodes did a good job--his look just did not work for me in the context of the other two actors. (However, on a shallow note, may I say that Trevante Rhodes looked MIGHTY FINE posed on the bed with just the sheet...)

I'd heard this was based on Tarell McCraney's life, and so I was expecting a more inspiring ending, with Chiron making his way out of the drug trade and into school. Instead, the movie is just one long struggle, leaving us wondering dubiously "Where does he go from here?"  It's not a movie I would watch again.  But I do think the story Barry Jenkins envisioned was well told.

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SuburbanHangSuite

SuburbanHangSuite

1 hour ago, adhoc said:

I was confused by the bulked up appearance of grown Chiron ("Black")--I asked myself, "What, is Juan still alive after all?"  I thought Trevante Rhodes did a good job--his look just did not work for me in the context of the other two actors.

Yeah, me too but then I realized that was very deliberate.  When Chiron tells Kevin that he "made himself over from the ground up" it became clear that he adopted a persona that he felt would allow him to fit in.  And I'll join you at the shallow table--grown-up Black was distractingly fine.

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raezen

raezen

23 hours ago, adhoc said:

I'd heard this was based on Tarell McCraney's life, and so I was expecting a more inspiring ending, with Chiron making his way out of the drug trade and into school. Instead, the movie is just one long struggle, leaving us wondering dubiously "Where does he go from here?"  It's not a movie I would watch again.  But I do think the story Barry Jenkins envisioned was well told.

Tarell Alvin McCraney wrote the play after his mother died. I have the feeling that Barry Jenkins did give it a happier ending. 

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Inquisitionist

Inquisitionist

21 hours ago, absolutqt said:

Yeah, me too but then I realized that was very deliberate.  When Chiron tells Kevin that he "made himself over from the ground up" it became clear that he adopted a persona that he felt would allow him to fit in.  And I'll join you at the shallow table--grown-up Black was distractingly fine.

I thought this transformation was essential to the story.  It really drove home for me how deceptive appearances can be.

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raezen

raezen

On 07/03/2017 at 10:20 AM, Inquisitionist said:

I thought this transformation was essential to the story.  It really drove home for me how deceptive appearances can be.

Agreed. I was ready to say this film went "To hell with continuity!" when I saw Black. But then Trevante Rhodes really sold that this was the same guy in that diner scene. He played tongue tied teenager really well, and I absolutely did not expect to see that from this man or to identify with that situation so much. 

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stealinghome

stealinghome

ITA that the physical transformation Chiron went through was essential to the story. I too found it jarring, but it quickly became clear that it was supposed to be jarring. It was Chiron adopting a persona (physically as well as in every other way) that wasn't really his own to fit in better. I also thought it was poignant that a lot of that transformation was definitely Chiron modeling himself on Juan.

I just got back from seeing Moonlight--the local theater brought it back when it won the Oscar!--and I'm joining those who thought it was good but not blow-me-away good (in part, I suspect, because my expectations were too high after all the buzz). I do think it's a beautifully made and filmed movie; it was very clear that every single shot was crafted with a lot of love and a lot of thought, and I just loved the composition of some of the shots, and the use of color. There's a ton going on artistically that I know I missed and would need a few more viewings to really understand. It's artsy in the best sense of the term. Just beautiful cinematography. And the performances were very good across the board, with a few standouts. My goodness, Naomie Harris was amazing as Paula--I thought she gave the movie's best performance--and Mahershala Ali and Janelle Monae were also excellent. I wish we'd seen Teresa with adult Black, since I really wondered what she would make of him and he confirmed that they were still in contact.

Quote

Moonlight is part social commentary, part coming-of-age-story and part love story. 

I agree with this, except I would call it less of a story and more of a meditation. Which is part of why it wasn't totally to my taste--I would have preferred a stronger narrative--but I totally understand that that's not what the movie was about/wanted to be, and I do think the meditative nature is part of the film's beauty.

Two questions. When Black was counting the money in the scene with the street-level dealer and he told the guy he was short to toughen him up, are we supposed to think the guy was short and Black just let him off the hook? I don't think so, but I wasn't 100% sure. Also, in one of the shots of Black's apartment, we saw a picture of a woman and a baby. Was that supposed to be Paula and baby Chiron, or was the implication supposed to be that he had a child?

raezen

raezen

There's a lot of speculation about that moment on youtube where it was posted and that scene stuck with me as well after seeing the movie.  Some people think it was a warning and other people think he was getting back at the kid because in the previous scene they shared in the car Travis, (unintentionally, I  think,) made Chiron feel foolish and vulnerable because he asked about women in his life. 

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SlovakPrincess

SlovakPrincess

Just rented and watched Moonlight.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was well worth the hype.  

Although I have to say, while I'm very happy with its Oscar wins and nominations ... I now really wish Trevante Rhodes and Andre Holland had also received nominations!  They did some really fantastic and subtle acting in those last scenes, and they made my heart ache for both Chiron and Kevin.  

Also, is it wrong that I rewound to watch Terrel get hit with that chair a second time?  Obviously, that act of revenge did not help Chiron in the long run, but Terrel richly deserved it!

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DollEyes

DollEyes

Another who loved seeing teenage Chiron kick Terrell's ass. Terrell bullied Chiron for years and Paula's crack addiction only made things worse. What's more, I think Terrell was a closet case. Why else would he care about what Chiron wore, what he did and whom he did it with? I also think that Terrell knew, or at least suspected, the truth about Chiron & Kevin, hence his pressuring Kevin to attack Chiron. Terrell humiliated Chiron in front of the whole school and used Kevin to do it, which backfired at Terrell's expense.  As far as I'm concerned, Terrell not only got what he deserved, he brought it on himself. 

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SimoneS

SimoneS

I don't think that Terrell was a closet case. I think that he was just a sociopath and a cruel bully. If Juan was alive, Terrell would have just bullied someone else. He preyed on Chiron because he was gay, introverted, and a loner. He mentioned Teresa which suggested that he was jealous that Chiron had a safe harbor. I can only imagine how terrible Terrell's home life probably was, likely worse that Chiron's. He learnt that cruelty and violence from his home life.

I followed through on my commitment to buy the movie although not sure if I will ever watch it again.

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Neurochick

Neurochick

On March 14, 2017 at 11:04 PM, SlovakPrincess said:

Also, is it wrong that I rewound to watch Terrel get hit with that chair a second time?  Obviously, that act of revenge did not help Chiron in the long run, but Terrel richly deserved it!

I just watched this on Amazon Prime Video and have to say that I watched it more than once.  Chiron slammed Terrell in the back with the chair and then when Terrell was down, he hit him with one of the broken pieces of said chair. 

That scene, and the one after with Chiron in handcuffs showed how black people are punished more severely than whites.  I think if that had been two suburban kids, no one would have wound up in juvenile hall; probably community service or something.  Terrell was moving on the floor, Chiron didn't kill him.  I mean let's face it, if you're a bully sooner or later someone is going to kick your ass.

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Bruinsfan

Bruinsfan

I don't know, I've seen enough instances of school administrations only breaking out the draconian punishments or calling cops in when a bullied kid finally snaps, while the constant bullying that leads up to the situation is ignored. Particularly when the bully involved has some sort of role in school athletics; there seems to be a "we must protect our helpless football players from these dangerous nerdy social outcasts at all costs!" attitude at work.

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Enero

Enero

I recently saw this, and will say that this movie absolutely deserved every accolade and award it received. Excellent movie. 

My heart broke for Chiron throughout his life. To live such a lonely life, so sad. And I agree,  him rebuilding himself from the ground up after moving to Atlanta was him creating a way to fit in. 

I wanted to know what happened to Juan. What a complex character he turned out to be. I was heartbroken when we learned in passing that he'd died, I'm guessing due to his activities in drug dealing. 

I will also agree that grown up Chiron was fine.  And something that I didn't realize until now, the poster for the movie is a combination of child/teenage/adult Chiron. I always thought it was truly one person, which it is in relation to the movie, but not the picture itself. Great work by the art department on that one.

The acting was all around superb. Again, excellent movie.

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GreekGeek

GreekGeek

On 2/28/2017 at 10:00 PM, snickers said:

My opinion about Moonlight was always that it's a movie that you either really really like, or are just meh about it, I liked it, but I like coming of age movies, and I think a lot of people relate to it, which makes it really great.

 

I was one of the "meh" people when I saw it right before the Oscars. I agree that the acting and the cinematography were excellent and I don't grudge the BP win, but I just couldn't connect with the protagonist. My thought was the same as someone's on a very different film at the TCM thread: "This is an Important Film. I wish I liked it better."

I saw it with a friend who was one of the "really really like" people. She couldn't resist teasing me when I confessed I dozed briefly at the end of Part 1 and the start of Part 2.

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raezen

raezen

(edited)
13 hours ago, memememe76 said:

Oops, I meant Kevin played by Andre, who was my fave supporting actor that year. When he was talking aboutwhat happened to him after high school, I was all, "Damn, I would watch that movie! Let's do a movie on Adult Kevin!"

Lol,  maybe I didn't care for Kevin that much...

While I wouldn't say I liked any of the Kevin's more than any of the Chiron's, Andre Holland made that role for me. I was actually quite angry at Kevin during the phone call, felt great trepidation while Chiron was going to meet Kevin and all of that melted away once they met. Once Kevin looked at him and said "You haven't changed one damn bit" even though he was presented with this completely different man then what he expected, I was team Chiron and Kevin. It wasn't obvious to me until act 3 this was where it would go.

Edited by raezen

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