MOONLIGHT 2016

I was a wild little shorty, man. Just like you. Running around with no shoes on, when the moon was out. This one time, I ran by this old... this old lady. I was runnin' and hollerin', and cuttin' a fool, boy. This old lady, she stopped me. She said..."Runnin' around, catching up all that light. In moonlight, black boys look blue.”

Moonlight (2016) | dir. Barry Jenkins

Moonlight(2017) ─dir. Barry Jenkins

ⓒWATCHA

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워낙 유명한 명대사가 많아서 그걸 제외하고 기억에 남는 대사를 가져와 봤다. 명작은 명작인 이유가 있어.

그래도 소설을 원작으로 한 영화는 계속 피하던 중이고 ‘문라이트(Moonlight)’는 100% 순수한 시나리오로 출발한 작품인 줄 알고 봤는데 다 보고 나니 원작 소설이 있었다고 하길래 조금은 실망스러웠다. (내가 영화를 선택하는 면에서 말이다. 영화 내용이 실망스럽다는 말은 아니다. 오히려 영화는 수작이고 걸작이었다.)

이 영화는 여러 리뷰를 찾아보길 추천한다. 이 영화를 보고 남긴 리뷰 중 통일된 의견을 가진 리뷰를 아직 못 봤다. 그만큼 모든 주제를 함축하고 있다. 원작자는 어떻게 이런 캐릭터를 만들 수 있었는지 궁금하다. 퀴어 영화라고 볼 수도 있고, 흑인 영화라고 볼 수도 있고, 성장 이야기라고 볼 수도 있고, 그 이상의 것을 찾을 수도 있고.

그리고 여기선 무조건 선한 인물도 없다. ‘샤이론’에겐 한없이 따뜻하고 기댈 어른이 돼준 ‘후안’도 직업을 따지면 마약상이다. 애처롭게만 보이는 우리의 주인공 ‘샤이론’도 결국 마약상이 된다. ‘샤이론’의 첫사랑인 ‘케빈’은 샤이론에게 돌이킬 수 없는 상처를 줬다. ‘샤이론’의 엄마는 당연히 아들을 사랑하지만 누가 봐도 최악의 방식으로 아이를 방치했다. ‘테레사’가 가장 바람직한 어른으로 나오지만 남자 친구가 마약을 거래하는 것을 말리지 않았다. 누구나 이중적인 면을 가지고 있다는 걸 영화는 보여준다.

그리고 흑인 사회에서도 보이지 않는 계급이 존재한다는 것도 새삼 느낀다. 그리고 ‘케빈’은 자신이 ‘샤이론’을 좋아한다는 사실을 동급생에게 감추려 마구 구타한다. 따돌림에서 벗어나려 안전함을 선택하는 것은 얼마나 비겁한 방식인가. 똑같은 소수자라도 그걸 겉으로 드러내는 사람들이 있는가 하면 그걸 감추려 오히려 같은 소수자를 공격하는 사람도 있을 수밖에, 하는 생각. 이 학교 폭력을 어느 정도 묵인하는 선생님들의 모습도 현실적이다. 학교에서 잘릴 일은 없어도 자기 사정이 복잡해지기 싫은 거지. ‘케빈’ 또한 자신이 선생님과 얼마나 더러운 일이 있었는지 ‘샤이론’에게 떠벌린다. 이 모든 악행을 영화는 담담하게 풀어낸다. 그 힘은 굉장하다. (그리고 나는 영화나 드라마를 보면 ‘미국은 무서운 곳이구나’ 했는데 영화나 드라마엔 당연히 자극적인 걸 보여주니 그렇게 느낄 수밖에 없다는 생각을 뜬금없이 했고.)

‘샤이론’의 유년기-청소년기-현재의 모습을 순서대로 보여준다. 그러니, 이건 20대 밖에 되지 않은 ‘샤이론’의 자전적 이야기라고 볼 수 있다. ‘샤이론’은 누가 봐도 그 천성은 착하다. 그건 숨길 수 없다. 아무리 근육을 키우고 함부로 자신을 대하지 못하는 일을 해도, 자신을 구제해준 ‘테레사’와 여전히 연락하고, 자신을 사랑한다고 울면서 고백하는 엄마를 안아주고, 술도 못한다. 자신을 괴롭힌 아이들에게 제대로 된 반항도 하지 못했다. 자신을 방치하고 정신적 폭력을 일삼던 엄마에게도 한 번도 제대로 대든 적이 없다. 하지만 ‘샤이론’은 자신의 부하에게 “농담에 쫄면 이 일을 못해.”라고 한다. 그렇게 살아온 거지. 그렇게 생존하는 방법을 터득한 거다. 하지만 어른이 되어 만난 ‘케빈’은 ‘샤이론’의 허를 찌른다.

“그래서 이제 강해진 기분이야?”

Currently Watching - 30 Days of The Gays™ Edition

MOONLIGHT Barry Jenkins USA, 2016

Title: Moonlight

Rating: R

Director: Barry Jenkins

Cast: Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Alex Hibbert, Jaden Piner, Tanisha Cidel, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Shariff Earp, Duan Sanderson, Herman McGloun, Kamal Ani-Bellow, Keomi Givens, Eddie Blanchard

Release year: 2016

Genres: drama

Blurb: A young man struggles to find himself in a story told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love while grappling with his own sexuality.

Alex R. Hibbert and Mahershala Ali in Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016) Cast: Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Alex R. Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Jaden Piner, Naomie Harris, Janell Monáe, Mahershala Ali, Patrick Decile. Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, based on a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Cinematography: James Laxton. Production design: Hannah Beachler. Film editing: Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders. Music: Nicholas Britell. Coming-of-age films are the cinematic equivalent of the Bildungsroman, the usually semi-autographical "novel of education" that tracks the formative childhood and adolescent experiences of the protagonist. Dickens, for example, wrote not one but two Bildungsromane: David Copperfield and Great Expectations. In the movies, the classic coming-of-age films include Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy (Pather Panchali, 1955; Aparajito, 1956; The World of Apu, 1959) and François Truffaut's The 400 Blows* (2017). Lately, Richard Linklater has added a distinguished entry to the genre, Boyhood (2014). And now Barry Jenkins adds to the genre with Moonlight, a fine film about growing up black and gay, while deftly avoiding the double pitfall of making his film about being black or gay. There have been plenty of films about growing up black and about growing up gay  and much commentary about possessing the dual stigma in a straight and/or white society. But what sets Jenkins's film apart is its avoidance of pop psychology and trite sociology: Moonlight is about being human. You don't need to have grown up in India or France to understand and sympathize with Apu or Antoine, and you don't need to have grown up in the Miami housing projects to sense why Chiron (rhymes with "Tyrone," but with a spelling that suggests the mythical centaur) is so blocked, so stubborn, so silent. Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney, who wrote the play Jenkins adapted for the film, step carefully around the clichés of the genre, especially when it comes to ascribing blame. Juan (Mahershala Ali), the drug runner who finds the young Chiron (Alex R. Hibbert) hiding from bullies in an abandoned crack house and shows him kindness, isn't entirely the heroic figure he might be. Juan becomes the fatherless Chiron's first adult male role model, but he's a poor one even though he's generous and understanding, since Chiron grows up to follow Juan's profession and even imitate some of his showy mannerisms. Paula (Naomie Harris) is a terrible mother, but she doesn't want to be: It's the drugs that Juan sells her that send her skidding off the track she desperately wants to be on. Kevin (Jharrel Jerome), Chiron's first (and apparently only) sort-of boyfriend, isn't strong enough to stand up to the taunts of the bully Terrel (Patrick Decile), so he betrays the teenage Chiron (Ashton Sanders), provoking him to violence. So the film ends on an ambivalent note with the reunion of the adult Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) and Kevin (André Holland). Are they strong enough now to provide support to each other, or are their lives going to be haunted by the damaged child that was Chiron, seen in the film's final shot? There is something a little too formulaic about that ending, I think. I'm not entirely convinced, for example, that the handsome, bulked-up, successful drug runner that is the adult Chiron would have remained celibate for so long. But Jenkins has risked much and mostly succeeded -- after all, there's that Oscar -- in crafting a film that doesn't play the blame game or rely on pat explanations and outcomes. *I'm not including the other four Antoine Doinel films by Truffaut because, like many others, I don't sense a real continuity of character between the Antoine of The 400 Blows and the Antoine of the sequels.

The Magic of MOONLIGHT

Director:  Barry Jenkins

Writer:  Barry Jenkins (Screenplay) Tarell Alvin McCraney (Story)

Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski

Cinematographer: James Laxtton

Casting Director: Yesi Ramirez

WOWEE WOW! I cannot believe that I am just now watching this movie. Moonlight won best picture in 2016 and it is well deserved. This movie was amazing from casting to scene edits to the score. I just feel so dumb not knowing about it until now.

In this movie we follow a young man - Chiron - throughout his life. It begins with the first chapter - LITTLE. At that time, we follow Chiron aka Little - played by Alex R. Herbert - we start with him as a boy of about 9, he lives in a not so bad area and seems to have a caring mother but falls into the hands of a drug dealer that takes him under his wings - Juan (the King) played by Mahershala Ali. As a child Chiron just takes in everything he sees - everything he feels - and everything everyone does. He's truly like a sponge and you just feel bad for him because there's nothing you can do to stop him from uncovering the evil in the world. The only solace he seems to find is in his friend Kevin (Jaden Piner) and in Juan who becomes his father figure.

Fast forward to chapter 2 - Chiron. Chiron is now a teenager in his awkward years, this adolescent version of Chiron is played by Ashton Sanders. In this time of his life all he is is beaten down. From his peers at school, to his mom who has fallen to addiction, to his own thoughts. He's never been good enough and will never be good enough. Everyone around him has called him awful names degrading him for being gay, and he doesn't even know if he is or not. In the previous chapter he asks Juan and Teresa (Janelle Monae) what a faggot means because his mother just screamed it at him. IT IS HEART WRENCHING to have to watch him figure out that people have been calling him this his whole life. And in chapter two, he succumbs to this idea that he is what everyone has been calling him. His life is deteriorating in front of him, and all he has to do is stand up for himself, and he does. At the end he's had enough. His best friend and first man he fell in love with has to beat him up because the school bully is forcing his friend (Kevin, Jahrell Jerome) to do it, but if Kevin doesn't then they'll both be found out. After his beat down, Chiron changes. You can see that he will never be beat down again. He stands taller and moves with confidence. He put and end to the bullying and leads us to the final chapter - BLACK.

Black is played by Trevante Rhodes. Can we just take a brief pause to pay respects to the casting of this film?! EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER WAS PERFECTLY CAST!!!!!!!!! From the bully, to the mom, too each version of Chiron, holy shit, hats off Yesi Ramirez. Anyways back to it. Black isn't weak. There's nothing off about him. He's strong. He's got his shit together. And he sure as shit doesn't take any shit from anyone. But this is the most heart breaking version of Chiron. He's closed off, hasn't loved since he was 16, and is always masked in this version of masculinity that protects him. I mean, he is the most relatable version because we all have been there at some point. And all you want to do is hug him and tell him, it's okay, you are safe now. Which is what makes the end so beautiful. He finally reconciles with his mom and his mom apologized for her wrong doings. And he finds love with Kevin (FINALLY). And it's not sexual, although it could be, but it's just Chiron. Not Black. Not Little. Just Chiron. BEAUTIFUL.

Each scene of this film was thoughtfully executed. It's artistic yet character driven. The cinematographer did an excellent job..... Now the goal is to be on a project that brings this much revelation to the world as it does artistic creativity that moves people.

Well done to each and every person involved in this masterpiece.

MOONLIGHT (2016) Directed by Barry Jenkins Screenplay by Barry Jenkins Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney

the only one  

Wrestling

Moonlight (2016) - dir. Barry Jenkins Screenplay written by Barry Jenkins, based on In the Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney

I/III (II/III, III/III)

Moonlight, 2016

BOO! (2019)

ESE: 5/100

50 -10 for “It’s permanent” - no shit. It’s a tattoo. -10 for ultra-conservative Christian dad +10 for Morgan +5 for Torque the Dog -10 for pretty much nothing happening for the first half an hour of this movie +5 for the music during the sex scene -5 for Reggie the goldfish dying -10 for “We’ll talk about this blasphemy in the morning.” -5 for Morgan bashing her face into the mirror -5 because why does Caleb not have any real furniture? +5 for Morgan telling her dad to shut the fuck up, essentially +5 for Elyse siding with her children -10 for Torque the Dog’s injuries -10 for creepy kid eating eyeballs

so i’ve watched moonlight, and i frecking loved it.

Moonlight (2016) dir. Barry Jenkins

moonlight (2016) dir. barry jenkins