Film Summary of Moonlight

Moonlight: Understanding Oneself
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Film Summary
The 2016 academy award-winning American film Moonlight is one of the most revered movies portraying the challenges facing African American homosexuals, especially the males who, from societal expectations, are expected not to be feminine under any circumstances. The film Moonlight follows the life of Chiron in his three phases of life; when Chiron was a child nicknamed “Little” when he was a teenager, where Chiron ended up in juvenile prison, and finally as an adult, where he goes by the name “Black.” In his childhood, “Little” stayed at Liberty City with his mother Paula, where he met Juan, an Afro-Cuban drug peddler, and his inamorata, Teresa. Chiron identifies Juan as his father figure since his mother does not give him love and attention and spends most of her time smoking crack. Additionally, Paula does not protect “Little” from getting bullied for being gay (Jenkins, 2016).
Further on, teenager Chiron faces more hardships as her mother’s addiction worsens; she becomes a prostitute and even takes Chiron’s money to buy crack. Furthermore, Juan dies, and the bullying at school worsens. Chiron’s first love and sexual encounter at the beach meets a harsh reaction when his partner Kevin, Terrel, the bully, and other boys beat Chiron up in a hazing ritual (Jenkins, 2016). Chiron does not rat out his aggressors to the principal but ends up in Juvenile prison for assaulting Terrel with a chair. As an adult called “Black” who deals drugs, Chiron goes to Miami in a rehabilitation center where he makes peace with his mother, Paula. “Black” then visits Kevin, and they catch up, reminiscing each of their individual lives.
Chiron’s Central Moments of Understanding
Chiron’s story changes when he realizes what the term “faggot” actually represents in modern society. Juan describes the word as means, or rather the word is used to insult individuals who are homosexual. Juan dwells further into the matter by telling Chiron there is no predicament in loving men and he should not let anyone disrespect him for being gay. Juan tells “Little” that he does not have to know everything right then. The soothing statement was to ease Chiron’s anxiety, for he was beginning to understand what sexuality is. In his teen years, Chiron experiences his first romantic and sexual encounter with Kevin at the beach under the blue lights of the moonlight. The insightful color variation from his black skin to blue rays of the moon represents Chiron’s transition from the black masculine and aggressive stereotype to a vulnerable place where he realizes and accepts that he is gay and acts on his sexual feelings (Jenkins, 2016).
Chiron also understands that the African American society, as commonly referred to in the movie as “Blacks,” will never fully embrace the “black gay person,” for they are seen as effeminate going against the typical “Black masculine man.” The scene where Chiron gets up after receiving several blows from Kevin after Terrel’s manipu...