The Touching Story, Known As Moonlight

After bringing home three oscar awards, including best picture, and topping off the night off eight nominations, this critically acclaimed movie tells the story of something we all face: struggle. Following Chiron, played by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes, from his youth to adulthood, Moonlight encapsulates the hardships Chiron had to face while growing up gay in the hood. Being born out of the beautiful mind of Barry Jenkins, Moonlight can’t help but bring a wave of empathy to wash over you as you follow Chiron’s life. For a way to bring awareness to the LGBTQ community and expose the ways they are treated in less open minded places, Moonlight reignites the topic of LGBTQ rights. The movie opens with Chiron being chased into an abandoned apartment room and a man named Juan, played by Mahershala Ali, finding him and giving him food and ride back to his home. Split up into three chapters of his life, each titled Little, Chiron, and Black, this movie follows him as he splits time between a caring, loving home and an unsafe home accompanied by his mother who is an addict. As Chiron grows up he begins to deal with abusive bullies that litter his high school and soon finds himself in trouble, sending him away from Miami to Atlanta. From the perfect combination of close up and long shots to the perfect mix of instrumental music and no music, Moonlight helps present young filmmakers with the challenging task to top this box office hit. A truly original storyline helps shed light on a community hidden behind racial and gender issues and helps bring this issue back into the spotlight with other competing social problems. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a deep and dramatic storyline and those who don’t mind paying attention to the film presented in front of them. Moonlight brings all your emotions out, and can’t help but display it, whether in tears or laughter.