Moonlight: A Journey of Self Discovery

Review by Kiley White. Photo courtesy of The Edge.

In the 2016 film Moonlight, director Barry Jenkins explores the life of Chiron, a young Black man growing up in a rough Miami neighborhood across three chapters of his life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Struggling with his identity and sexuality, Chiron navigates the complexities of masculinity and emotional repression while being raised by a crack-addicted mother and mentored by a local drug dealer. Driven by a search for belonging and intimacy, the film illustrates how his environment and early relationships mold his personality, eventually forcing him to decide who he truly wants to be instead of the hardened persona he projects to the world. 

The actors did a great job portraying the emotions through a cinema of poetry that prioritizes visual intimacy over heavy emotional dialogue. I enjoyed seeing the shift in coloring palette from warm golden tones in childhood to cooler, somber blues in adolescence, to mirror Chiron’s evolving state of mind and his struggle with identity and alienation. One of the film's biggest achievements is its visual style that they included in this movie, which captures the humid, vibrant energy of Miami while still maintaining a sense of deep emotional intimacy. 

I would recommend this movie to anyone who is into heartfelt films. I give this movie a 8.5/10. It should definitely be on your watch list. You can find it on HBO Max, Tubi, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.

Kiley White is a freshman at Friendship Collegiate Academy.