Moonlight Review - Fails As A Coming-Of-Age Narrative But In A Good Way

Moonlight is a coming-of-age narrative about a young African-American boy living in the drug district of Miami and the hardships he goes through not just for his upbringing but his coming to terms with his sexuality. The plot takes each act of the film through the three phases of his life, childhood, youth and adulthood, and paints a tableau of Chirod throughout the course of his life.

I love this film so much. It's everything I could have hoped for. I went into this film knowing nothing, I'd heard buzz and stirrings surrounding the film but it wasn't quite on my radar. The cast of relatively unknowns, safe for Mahershala Ali from Netflix's Luke Cage, actress-singer Janelle Monáe from Hidden Figures and Naomi Harris of the Bond Series fame. They lend some legitimacy to the cast but not distractingly so. I was surprised by Monáe's appearance at the start of the film however, as I had no idea she was in it I was pleasantly surprised as I really do love her as an actress. Mahershala Ali was fantastic, he was wasted on Luke Cage in my opinion and he's a genius find. Naomi Harris I have always been a huge fan of, she is an amazing actress and here I do truly feel it's her greatest work yet. She is also wasted in her respected franchise and she is not given enough work. And considering she filmed her scenes in no less than three days is astonishing to me.

The themes it deals with and the way it presents them is brilliant. The way it's shot is breath-taking, with such low budget and resources they make the film look incredible. While watching it it called to mind several Eastern films I had watched and upon researching I discovered that there was some influence and inspiration on the director. It really gives the film an iconic look and file, transposing the filming style of Asia to the locations and atmosphere of Miami USA.

What sticks out to me the most is the coming-of-age side to the story. The film takes you on the journey of Chirod's life but when we see him as an adult he's still just the same as he once was. I like that the film didn't have a linear story with an easy ending but rather addressed the idea of never truly growing up. It made the film that much better in my eyes and I truly loved every second of it.