MOONLIGHT: THE HEAVINESS OF BEING

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The brilliant movie poster for Moonlight (2016) trisects the film's hero-- adolescent, teenager and man--in one photograph. Three skilled actors play Little/Chiron/Black, each embodying the states of metamorphosis--director, Barry Jenkins's description--a fitting analogy. Watching the child's misery you wonder what changes must he endure to become a man, let alone [SPOILER ALERT] a beautiful, free Lepidoptera.

The weight that the young boy carries on his shoulders--no father, a drug-addicted mother, having to care for himself--would daunt any child. But when others' have an inkling that Little is not like other boys, that he may be gay, the cultural taboo silences Little's voice. He becomes a victim before he understands why. Adolescence for the diminutive kid rarely involves child's play. When it does, Little usually gets tagged as the one to chase.

As his mother spirals out of control (the powerful Naomie Harris), Little appears doomed until an unlikely rescuer steps in, a father-figure for the nine-year-old who happens to deal drugs. The Oscar-worthy, Mahershala Ali inhabits this part. Mr. Ali said, when interviewed on CBS This Morning, that he took the often stereotypical role because it had been written to break viewers' perceptions of a black drug dealer. Indeed, his character, Juan, shows compassion toward Little without patronizing or dominating the boy. In fact, he shares the child's demons, also having been raised raised by a single, addicted mother.

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Juan and his devoted, self-sufficient girlfriend, Teresa, (Janelle Monae), provide the love and home Little desperately needs. Each help the young boy navigate his way through troubled waters--literally and figuratively. In time Little summons the courage, the self-confidence to assert himself, such as his demand from Juan that Little be called by his given name "Chiron." This act becomes Chiron's rite-of-passage into the next phase of his life.

I'll leave you to discover what happens next, too many spoilers, and move on to Moonlight's themes. Not being an African-American or a gay man, I could never truly feel what it's like to be in Chiron's shoes, but Jenkins wisely finds a universality that many people can comprehend. Watching Little, then Chiron, this writer relived the painful memories of childhood: having been bullied for being awkward and too sensitive. Plus, I appreciated how the boy looks to escape his miseries through the power of nature if only for a moment. The night becomes Little's friend: standing on the beach with a full moon overhead, Little looks toward the stars and the bright light streaming through the darkness, to find comfort. Where daydreaming isn't an option for him, fantasizing at night is.

The director returns to the "moonlight" theme again during pivotal scenes in the movie (set and filmed in Miami). One night Chiron, the teenager, realizes his friend Kevin, shares a poetic appreciation for nature--the ocean lapping the shore; the sand beneath their fingers. The darkness in daylight is replaced by a brief lightness under the moon. The lovingly shot scene of awakening makes what follows even more painful.

There's a beauty in the dialogue, too--much of it street talk--nuances which may be missed by some who are unfamiliar with black dialect. The director, Jenkins, accentuates that poetry isn't lost on children who see its potential. Rap and Hip-hop music demonstrate how the impact of words, with their underlying musical intricacies, can express deep-seeded anger, fear, distrust and violence these children live with everyday. What surprised me is that Jenkins' screenplay (based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's story) emphasizes words over music. Not drowned out by a soundtrack, I could hear the rhythms in the dialogue which may have been lost in another director's hands.

In contrast, violence is a rite-of-passage in Moonlight, but Barry Jenkins skillfully tempers the expected bloodshed until one, life-changing moment. The intimacy, moreover, is implied, not explicit: impressions reveal more than forced romantic dialogue or nude scenes ever could.

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When I left the theater, like other reviewers I felt equally drained and uplifted. It's difficult to fathom how living under an unending, increasing heaviness, [SPOILER ALERT] Chiron finds his way clear; he finds his destiny. I later thought, "How long will it last?" Since then, I've realized that's the wrong question. No, better to ask: how does a little boy with no hope of surviving, discover solace; in other words, how did he retain his ability to love?

Langston Hughes wrote: Hold fast to dreams/For if dreams die/Life is a broken winged-bird/That cannot fly. Moonlight asserts that we all should have a right to be ourselves and to dream.

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