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Barry Jenkins Sophomore Project, moon light, made waves upon its release in 2016. It became a Best Picture winner at the Academy Awards, and later joined the list of the best films in sight and sound of all time. Just a few of these records include being the first LGBTQ+ film to win the award, the first film to win an all-black cast, and having the lowest budget of all the winners (when adjusted for inflation). in moon lightIts idiosyncrasy, it becomes the kind of film that resonates with more people than is easily seen as universal. Speaking to the BFI, Jenkins discusses how “it’s different than it was in the Spike days [Lee] Because he had to bear the burden of the whole black experience,” and now he can,” move down to a very limited piece.” “
Normally, an independent film of this magnitude would be a moderate success among arthouse users, however moon lightThe massive acclaim and viewership led to interest from outside the indie bubble. As a result, the film’s slightly vague and ambiguous narrative – compared to blockbusters – may leave some viewers confused about the conclusion of the story arc. Whether you’re interested in understanding exactly how the movie wraps up, or looking for a deeper dive into what it all means, here’s an explanation of exactly what’s going on and why.
What happens at the end of the moonlight?
moon light It is divided into three sections, each of which depicts a different stage in the life of the hero Chiron. He begins as a child nicknamed Little, who lacks parental guidance and struggles to understand why other children choose him. When he meets Mahershala Ali’s character, Juan, he is taken under his wing and given as much guidance as his mother could give. He teaches Little Juan to swim, talks to him about his experience of blackness, and answers questions about sexuality that few are yet aware of. It’s a period of his life with a lot of grief, but also self-discovery and connection with this new father figure.
Next comes Chiron’s teenage years in which he is inclined to self-discovery, both in terms of his sexuality and his masculinity. The catalyst for both trips is Kevin, a classmate who’s been on the fringes of Chiron’s life so far, but is now getting closer. Kevin is friendly with and interested in Chiron in a way that is at odds with most of his other classmates. This part of the movie finds Kevin becoming Chiron’s first kiss and sexual experience, and almost immediately afterward, Kevin is instructed to hit Chiron and pursues her. In this way, Chiron’s experiences of sexuality and violence are intertwined.
Finally, we see Chiron as an adult, who goes by the name “Black”. At this point, he has become a drug dealer and seems to embody a kind of masculinity that seemed distant from him in earlier sections. However, once he receives an unexpected call from Kevin inviting him to visit the restaurant he works at, it is easy to see Chiron in it. When he meets Kevin, they share what’s happened in their lives since they saw each other in high school, and in the end, he admits that Kevin is the only person he’s ever been intimate with. Next, we see the two men sitting together as they did on the beach where they kissed, and we are shown a small flash of the beach.
What was the point of moonlight?
moon light is a beautiful, simply told coming-of-age story with a focus on identity, or more specifically gender and how that intersects with masculinity. One of the film’s greatest strengths is the way it uses three distinct action sequences to build depth and momentum. With different actors in each time period, it was easy for the film to feel disconnected at every change, but given the strength of the script and the performers, it’s always clear that Chiron’s old characters are still a part of it.
This aggregation of identity can be interestingly seen in the final third of the movie where, at first, Chiron seems to have changed a lot. The nickname he uses in this section, Black, was given to him by Kevin. Although it originally made him nervous to receive this kind of affectionate gesture from another boy, it now became so important that it overshadowed his real name. Furthermore, when Chiron tells Kevin that he’s the only man he’s ever touched, it’s clear that Chiron’s anxious teenage self is still very much a part of him, despite his tougher exterior image.
Perhaps most importantly, the final image of the entire movie is Little at the beach in the darkness. This comes after Chiron and Kevin cuddle the same way they did as teenagers, which adds another layer. By these two shots alone, all three stages of Chiron’s life are represented. It was at this last moment that Chiron opened up to some kind of intimacy and was known to have been afraid his whole life but always eager. Little finally receives the love and gentle relationship his mother could not provide through this companionship with Kevin. The point of moon lightAn epilogue is to tie each of Chiron’s stories together into a defining and powerful moment that shows how Chiron has changed and stayed the same.
