Moonlight

    Overall, I think Moonlight (2016), directed by Barry Jenkins, was a pretty interesting film. One thing that I enjoyed about it was the fact that it was structured like chapters/parts that were named after the names Chiron was going by during that particular phase of his life. These chapter structures made it appear as though these certain phases of his life were significant to Chiron's identity and basically made him who he was in those phases. In my opinion, this film was about exploring identity, figuring out your true self, and how actions can contribute into shaping your identity. I believe that the chapter structure helped support that theme. 

    In this film, I believe that Chiron was greatly influenced on the people around him. In the first act, Chiron is going by Little, a nickname that was given to him by boys who bully him. Chiron appears to be a shy, timid and always kept to himself. He is confused on why the boys are mean to him, call him Little, and why he doesn't fit in with them. He is afraid to stand up for himself and talk back. In this act, Chiron is raised by his mother, who is verbally abusive and is addicted to drugs. I believe that since Chiron was completely surrounded by people who appeared to not care for him, it ultimately shaped him into being fearful of showing his true self. That is, until he met Juan. Juan and his girlfriend, Theresa, ultimately took him under their wings and became like a second Mom and Dad to Chiron. Juan and Theresa showed him love and care which I believe helped him break out of his shell. As he get closer with Juan and Theresa, he begins to be brave enough and curious to ask questions about life. For example, he asks what the word, f*****, means. Juan explains that it is a word to describe gay people in a mean way. However, he reassures Chiron that it is okay to be gay and that he will still be accepted in their household. This foreshadows Chiron exploring his sexuality in the later chapter. Chiron also meets his first friend, Kevin, in this chapter, who later becomes a significant part to Chiron's life. Kevin also helps Chiron feel cared for and helps him begin to gain confidence to stand up for himself against the bullies. 

    In the second act, Chiron is going by Chiron, his real name. This demonstrates that he is trying to figure out himself and his identity. We see Chiron begin to be more curious about his sexuality. We see him start to have dreams about Kevin having sex with a girl. In the article, "Hidden Meanings Behind the Movie 'Moonlight,'" it states that "Watching Kevin having sex with a girl revealed a tension from his own inner belief of 'I have to compete with women to get him.'" Later in this chapter, Kevin and Chiron express their sexual feelings to each other. It appears as though Chiron is finally figuring out his identity and being comfortable with it. However, after Terrell, Chiron's bully, makes Kevin beat up Chiron, he immediately feels betrayed and is uncomfortable with himself. The next day, he decides to take action and hurt Terrell like he has hurt him for the past multiple years. However, this action causes Chiron to be arrested. 

    In the third act, Chiron is going by the name "Black," which is ironically a nickname given by Kevin. In this chapter, Chiron has covered himself with a very tough exterior. He is also a drug dealer, which I also think is ironic because he was disappointed with Juan because he was a drug dealer and supported his mother's drug addiction by selling her drugs. Chiron is completely unlike himself and has sheltered his true self under a hard exterior. However, he begins to slowly and gradually break this shell when he starts to reconcile with the people who have wronged him in his past. For example, he meets with his mother and listens to her talk about how sorry she is that she "didn't show him love when he needed it." Even though Chiron is angry for all of the things his mom has done to him throughout his life, he becomes emotional, sheds a few tears and accepts his mother's apology. We also see Chiron reconcile with his past friend and secret lover, Kevin. Kevin calls Chiron out of the blue because he listened to a song that made him think of Chiron. Even though Chiron was betrayed by Kevin, he still decided to drive from Georgia to talk with him and catch up. Chiron slowly begins to talk about his current lifestyle and opens up to Kevin that he is a drug dealer and even that he has not done anything sexual with another person since their encounter on the beach many years ago. Overall, even though Chiron was trying to hide himself by acting tough, he slowly reveals his true identity by surrounding himself with people who knowingly cares about him.

    Overall, throughout this film, we see that Chiron is greatly influenced by everyone around him. These people have the power to influence him negatively or positively.