Moonlight

Poverty is a pain in the ass. You see homeless people everyday, people who lost their jobs and can´t pay their bills, and have no money for food. Since i have worked 18 years in health care, i have met a lot of people, who have many problems. And things are not getting better, at least not for people who have no help, and no family to help them. Some end up having alcohol problems, drug addictions, or even steal just to survive. But then we also have people who live in poverty, who struggle and try to find their way in life. So what if you grow up in a middle class family, but know who you really are, but can´t show it ? This is where i am reminded of the icon we all know as Harvey Milk. The American politician who fight for the rights of gay people, and for anyone who needed to have their voice heard in society. He could see how much hate there was, against homosexuals, so he decided to run for political office in San Fransicso in the 70´s. Harvey loved everyone, no matter if you are straight or gay, everyone should live in a safe society, where we all respect each other. Then in November 27, 1978, Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone was assassinated Dan White. Even if Harvey Milk is no longer with us, his spirit to fight for equal rights have moved on in today´s society. By the way, if you have not seen the film Milk, with Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, i highly recommend that you do see it. It is strange that it is 2017, and we still have people who hate homosexuals. You would think that we should be able to find a way, to live together in society without the hate ? There is no reason to see a homosexual person as different, at the end of the day we all breath with the same lungs, and have our hearts beat, as any human being. Most of us have probably seen some really good films from the ghetto, such as Boyz N The Hood or Menace II Society. Films that shows how life is, when you live in the ghetto, not knowing if you will survive, or end up dead. We all heard stories from different ghettos worldwide, all the problems with drugs, crimes, and poverty. And it never seems to stop, while some people are trying to make things right. So imagine a young man, who lives in the ghetto, where men are supposed to be tough, knows he is attracted to men ? This is a story we will follow, about one man´s journey into real world, in Moonlight. I have heard so much positive reviews from many critics, before i got a chance to actually see Moonlight. Then at the Golden Globe Awards this year, Moonlight won the award for Best Motion Picture - Drama. And now the film have 8 Oscar Academy Award Nominations, so there is no doubt that this could be a special film. Is Moonlight as good as the critics are saying, or is this a film that may have been over hyped ?

Chiron ( Alex Hibbert ) is a shy and withdrawn child, who is hiding from bullies in a crack house, and found by Juan ( Mahershala Ali ), a crack dealer, who takes Chiron with him to his house, where Juan lives with his girlfriend Teresa ( Janelle Monáe ). Both Juan and Teresa can tell that Chiron is a kid with a lot of issues. The next morning, Juan take Chiron home to his emotionally abusive mother Paula ( Naomie Harris ). Chiron´s mother does not like to see someone taking care of her son, but at the same time, she can barely take care of herself. The only one who Chiron feel secure with, is his friend Kevin ( Jaden Piner ). Chiron and Juan spend more time together, and Juan feels that Chiron needs a father figure, so he can learn about life. But everything falls apart, when Juan confront Paula for smoking crack in a near by car, and Paula tell Chiron that Juan sold it to her. Chiron feels betrayed, and hate everyone, including his mother, Juan and Teresa. The years go by, and Chiron ( Ashton Sanders ) is now a teenager, still being a bully victim with almost no friends. But Kevin ( Jharell Jerome ) is still Chiron´s close friend. As they spend a night together on a beach, they both let their feelings go. Chiron and Kevin have feelings for each other, but they can´t let anyone know. Chiron´s mother Paula continue her drug addiction, causing their relationship to fall apart, and Chiron is forced to try and care of himself, and his mother. When bully Terrel ( Patrick Decile ) order Kevin to beat up Chiron, for being a fagot, Kevin see no other way then to do it. He can´t show anyone how he really feels about Chiron. Hurt once again, especially by his only friend, Chiron feels more anger inside. As an adult, Chiron ( Trevante Rhodes ) have moved away from his childhood, to Atlanta, now living as a drug dealer. With no future plans, and so much anger inside of him for being hurt so many times, can Chiron find a way to find happiness ?

The first thing that strikes me with Moonlight, is how well made this film is. From the colorful cinematography, to the locations, capturing the rough society. Seeing a young boy, growing up with a very unstable drug addict mother, will leave you affected. To see a mother, who can´t take care of her young son, and he have to find ways to survive himself, shows how cruel society can be in real life. Children don´t choose their parents, but they have rights to live a secure life. He is also a bully victim, and sexually attracted to a male friend and can´t show this to anyone, so just imagine everything he is going through. The story goes through different time periods of Chiron´s life, and once you follow his path, it is hard not to be touched by the rough edges of his life. All three actors Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes, who play Chiron from a child to an adult man, all do a wonderful performance. They manage to build up the character, for who he is, but have a hard time showing, since he is very shy. You can see the anger inside of him, you can feel his pain, why he have to deal with all the shit in his life. Naomie Harris as the drug addicted mother, makes a really strong performance. Moonshine is the kind of film that will get you thinking about how difficult life is. We are supposed to be in a certain way, just to fit in to society. And i have a feeling that many people out there can relate to this, we have all experienced different situations in life where everything is shit. But this is where Moonlight also manage to pick up something positive, that even if you are running from your past, maybe something good came along with it. And in the case of Chiron, he have tried to run away from who he really is, when he knows that he is not being himself. The love story between him and his best friend Kevin ( also played by three different actors from a child to an adult ), makes you feel hope, that no matter how long time goes by, true love never goes away. It is not often you see a film with a love story between men in this way, and i feel that Moonlight really capture that feeling really good. Director Barry Jenkins may not be a director you have heard of before, perhaps because his directorial debut film Medicine For Melancholy was not seen by many people. I have not seen it myself, so far, but i know critics were very positive when the film was released. Moonlight proves that director Barry Jenkins know how to show a realistic view of life, and shows a cruel reality, just the way we all should face the truth. Moonlight is a very strong film, with a lot to say. Especially the message that you should love anyone you want, gay or straight, we are all humans. A powerful film, that might help young men realise, just be yourself, no matter how much hate you get. Run to the cinema and see Moonlight, i am going to see it soon again, for sure.

Rating: DDDD