Moonlight: Masculinity, Sexuality, and Tenderness
Moonlight is a 2016 film directed by Barry Jenkins and inspired by the unpublished play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney. The film lays out three defining chapters in the life of a black gay man from 1980s Miami. The chapters – titled “Little,” “Chiron,” and “Black” – follow Chiron in his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood as he struggles with notions of love, community, sexuality, and masculinity. The Oscar-winning film is a cinematic triumph, that excels in large part because of the phenomenal direction, cinematography, and acting of its cast and crew that all come together to tell a deeply personal and intimate story of connection, tenderness, and self-discovery.
Perhaps the biggest theme of this film is masculinity. In
part I, the first time we see Chiron, it’s Little (Alex R. Hibbert), as he’s
being chased by a group of bullies. These older kids chase Little to an
abandoned drug den, calling him gay and a f*ggot, with the intent to rough him
up. In the second part, teenaged Chiron (Ashton Sanders) is beaten up in a
schoolyard fight by Kevin (Jharrel Jerome), with whom Chiron had a close
relationship and a brief sexual encounter. In the third and final part, adult Chiron,
known as Black (Trevante Rhodes) is a drug dealer surrounded by violence.
“Moonlight is a visual meditation that compels us to consider
the everyday violence(s) that Chiron navigates and negotiates throughout his
life,” says LaLi Mohamed in a discussion with CBC. “[T]he film lays bare the
corrupting and contaminating terrain of masculinity — its toxicities, its
brutalities, its unrelenting banality. It certainly isn't a love story. It's a
story of robbed innocence, of a trepid, almost smashed adolescence, of a barren
adult life.”
Parts I and II portray Chiron as someone who is soft, and
someone who desires tenderness – things considered in opposition with manhood.
The main parties that give Chiron unconditional and constant tenderness and
love are Juan (Mahershala Ali) and Teresa (Janelle Monáe). He gets that from
his mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), but it’s sporadic, conditional on her mental
state, and interlaced with increasing moments of coldness and anger throughout
his childhood. He also receives it from Kevin, who offers Kevin friendship and
with whom he and Chiron share an intimate moment on a beach. However, that
vulnerability and trust Chiron offered to Kevin was betrayed by a physical act
of violence that forced Chiron to lock his softness and desire for tenderness
in a deep, hidden part of himself.
Masculinity plays directly into Chiron’s sexuality and his
acceptance of it. Multiple times in Part I, Little is called a slur by his
schoolmates. He’s not in a habitat in which being anything other than straight
is acceptable. In fact, being gay results in verbal and physical abuse from his
peers. “What’s a f*ggot?” Little asks Juan and Teresa, to which Juan responds,
“[A] word used to make gay people feel bad.” Juan goes on to explain that
Little could be gay, but he doesn’t have to let anyone call him a slur
(33:25-34:05). It’s a fumbled and awkward conversation, but it’s another
example of the acceptance and tenderness that Juan easily offered Chiron is
opposition to the cruelty he faces in every other part of his life. Part II
offers Chiron a path to acceptance following his moment with Kevin on the
beach, but that self-acceptance is halted in its path as Kevin – pressured by
his own fear of being outed – turns on Chiron. As an adult, Chiron is
presenting a mask of extreme masculinity, through his clothing and his
influence as a drug dealer. He remains firmly in the closet, with his sex
and/or romantic life a secret even to the audience. David Lewis-Peart argues in
the discussion with CBS, “I was a bit bothered that the choice was made to
desexualize Chiron in his later life. Was that necessary for larger,
heterosexual audiences to better receive him? I thought that [it was] a
disservice. There are already too few images of black men who love (and have
sex with) other men shown on screen. . . Showing Chiron and Kevin as
masculine, yet able to be vulnerable, intimate, and sexual would have
been a transgressive representation of gay blackness.” Would it have been more
transgressive to show sex between two black men as something beautiful? Yes, I
think so. Sex between two men is highly stigmatized, it would have been more radical
to show the sex life of Chiron and even Kevin. However, I do feel the choice to
not showcase Chiron’s sex life was made intentionally – and not to sanitize it
for straight audiences, but to externally represent Chiron’s internal
acceptance. He struggles with internalized homophobia, and Part III is
dedicated to showing that. The ending of the film, in which Kevin holds Chiron,
is to symbolize movement in Black’s acceptance of himself, in terms of his
sexuality as well as his desire to receive love and tenderness.
Moonlight is one of the most gorgeous films I’ve ever
seen. It’s narratively and visually stunning, with a cast packed full of
talented people who bring immense vulnerability and care to the characters they
portray. This film is a must-see, and not just for pop-culture reasons, but
because it is a wonderful experience that everyone should have. It centers
blackness and queerness in such a beautiful light. It says so many things –
about sexuality, masculinity, human connection, violence, love, vulnerability,
loneliness – in subtle and tactful ways that leave you thinking hours, and even
days, after. It’s incredibly human, and it secured itself easily as one of my
favorite movies of all time.
Works Cited
Moonlight. Directed by
Barry Jenkins, A24, 2016.
Mohamed, LaLi. “Masculinity and 'Moonlight': Eight Black Men
Dissect Barry Jenkins' Momentous Film.” Arts, CBS, 4 Nov. 2016.
Lewis-Peart, David.
“Masculinity and 'Moonlight': Eight
Black Men Dissect Barry Jenkins' Momentous Film.” Arts, CBS, 4 Nov. 2016.
.jpg)
I feel like the narrative around his first sexual encounter being with Kevin, and then Kevin commits an act of violence on him was profound. After a shared intimate moment of great trust, there's a moment of gross violation and violence. It's not quite domestic partner violence because the boys are not partners, but they have shared a sexual moment and deep friendship. It sparks a conversation about partner violence amongst men who date other men, because that's such a tricky aspect of masculinity, expression, and tenderness. Already queer men are emasculated, and men in domestic violence situations are mocked, emasculated, and not taken seriously. People don't often consider highschool sweethearts when speaking of abusive relationships, but that's where a lot of people develop patterns in their future relationships. Kevin seems to have evolved in his adulthood, but it's uncomfortable that he was at one time willing to inflict violence on a body he had connected with sexually.
ReplyDeleteHi! I enjoyed reading your blog especially the way you gave a brief synopsis of the movie. You did an excellent job of providing many scenes in which the theme of masculinity was the main focus, especially in part 1 of the movie. I loved how you make note of the changes in Chiron’s character in the three chapters of his life. It helps understand and explain how masculinity and its performance can be adapted and play a huge role in Chiron’s life. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteReally love your thoughts on Juan's relationship (and mentorship) with Chiron! I agree that the conversation is very stilted and awkward during that scene, but I think it is one of the shining points of the film because of how real and genuine it feels. It is also, of course, visually stunning, and the baptism imagery had me pointing at the screen and yelling to my friends. Juan's ability to demonstrate masculinity that is not violent, but is instead kind and caring, felt like such a powerful part of the film. Thank you for your thoughts :-)!
ReplyDeleteHi, I really enjoyed reading your post, and I liked that you focused on kindness, masculinity, and sexuality. How Chiron trusted Kevin and how Kevin’s physical violence betrayed him was heartbreaking to watch because, as you mentioned, it triggered Chiron to suppress his softness and tenderness. At the same time, I was glad to see people who tried to help Chiron and show him kindness and the importance of accepting himself. I focused on Chiron and Juan’s relationship in my blog, so I am glad that you also mentioned how Juan positively influenced Chiron. Moreover, I totally agree with you that not showing Chiron’s sex life was intentional. I think that more than showing the audience his sex life, the people who made this film wanted to focus on showing Chiron's different emotional aspects. Overall, you did great, and thank you so much for your thorough analysis!
ReplyDelete