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The surrealist realism of Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Concordia CA chapter.

Moonlight is more than just a film, it’s a symphony.  To describe Moonlight as just a motion picture, as a series of moving images, seems too ordinary, too logical.  The film is a coming-of-age story told in a poetic, esoteric way.  Each scene, each close-up, each camera shake, each silence, each saturated colour flows into the next, in the most surreal and raw way. In this masterpiece, it is impossible to miss the editing, the sound design, and the cinematography.  All the details work together to make a ground-breaking narrative.

Moonlight, directed by American filmmaker Barry Jenkins, tells first the story of Little, then Chiron, and finally of Black.  The film follows one person and three complex stages of his life. 

The film is an intimate and poignant look into the three life stages of a black youth growing up in a troubled household in modern day Miami, Florida.  Chiron is forced to grow up and find his identity while coming to grips with his homosexuality, and being constantly pushed down by his classmates and his mother’s drug abuse.  Chiron finds refuge and comfort in Juan (Mahershala Ali) and his girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monae).

One of the most impressive parts of the film, is how the young Chiron, played by Alex Hibbert, is perceivable and present in the teenage Chiron, played by Ashton Sanders, and the adult Chiron, played by Trevante Rhodes.  Even though the largely-built adult Chiron tries to recreate his identity into a tough one, young Chiron is present in all his mannerisms, his movement, and the way he speaks.  The dynamic between the actors is admirable the acting is subtle, natural, yet so precise and professional.

The film is halfway between a realistic portrait, and a surrealist moving painting.

Moonlight, which won Best Motion Picture for the Drama category at this year’s Golden Globe Awards, is also nominated for eight Oscars for the upcoming 89th Academy Awards.  The categories include Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

  • You can still catch Moonlight in time for the Oscars at Cinéma du Parc and Cinéplex Forum in English, and at Cinéplex Quartier Latin in French.
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I'm Dani- a 21-year-old journalism and film student from Montreal. I have an insatiable curiosity and a deep love for movies, coffee, running and BBC docs. I am interested in all things society, life, human rights and health.
Krystal Carty

Concordia CA '19

Krystal Carty is a second year journalism student and the founding member of the Concordia chapter of Her Campus. Her interests include drinking copious amounts of caffeine and spending as much time with her adorable rescue dog as possible. Krystal has a degree in sarcasm and a love for all things pop culture.