Note: While dragging, type a distance at the command prompt to constrain the drag distance. BJ:Tarell is the openly gay playwright, and Im the openly straight filmmaker; however, the scene didnt happen with Tarell, it happened with me. Pick one of the main characters, and discuss who they were (this should include their name, age, occupation, etc. Theres no music in this scene; no one cries; Juan doesnt grab a gun and try to blow the slandering universe away. This is followed by her asking him if he's going to tell him why the other boys pick on him? Written and directed by Berry Jenkins, Moonlight revolves around the main protagonist Chiron, whose life is presented in three different actsLittle, Chiron, and Black. As such, his character is played by three different actors, Alex Hibbert (Child Chiron), Ashton Sanders (Teen Chiron), and Trevante Rhodes (Adult Chiron). Billy Kimber manages to shoot Thomas in the chest, but Thomas is able to shoot him in the head, killing him instantly and ending the short war between the two gangs. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Its the whole reason why the story exists. GradeSaver, Read the Study Guide for Moonlight (Film), Black Identity: The Struggle between Virility and Vulnerability, Color, Lighting, and Powerful Motifs: The Evocative Visual Design in Moonlight, Sexuality and Performance in Paris is Burning and Moonlight, View Wikipedia Entries for Moonlight (Film). She was an actress, of course, best known for her role in the Star Wars movies (as well as smaller but no less memorable parts in films like When Harry Met Sally and TV shows like 30 Rock ). The couple look on as the kid eats and eats; its clear, though, that hes hungry for more than food. Please check your email for confirmation from us. How he looks at a man or doesnt look at a man. How Did Jack Twist Die? Based on a story by the gay black playwright Tarell Alvin McCraneyJenkins himself is not gaythe film is virtuosic in part because of Jenkinss eye and in part because of the tale it tells, which begins in nineteen-eighties Miami. Was moonlight a book? - zbaagv.bluejeanblues.net Juans character is only seen in the first act of the film. Chiron was originally called Little because he was smaller than the other boys, was very quiet, and appeared powerless. Its a disorienting scene, not so much because of what happens as because of what doesnt happen. The film tells a beautiful story, told in three acts, about its main character Chiron (Trevante Rhodes).. Director Barry Jenkins unpacks his new film 'Moonlight' - TheGrio What Becomes Of Chiron After 'Moonlight' Ends, According To - HuffPost Does it snow in heber springs? Kevins newly christened perspective affirms to Chiron that there is more to life than the troubled, poverty-stricken world where they grew up. That child has to eat, is what people would say. Once I made that decision, it opened up this world where I could really see how things manifested itself in the character and how it would manifest itself in scenes, and I began to have a much clearer path of working towards manifestation of that section of intersectionality. To understand theending of "Moonlight," you have to look deeply at the film's themes and storylines. Juan lives in a small, unassuming house with his soft-spoken but confident partner, Teresa (played by the singer Janelle Mone). Chiron admits he's smoked all kinds of things his mother leaves around the house. Throughout the rest of the film, it is only explained through dialogue that Juan has died. Last Update: Jan 03, 2023. The next day, Chiron comes home to find his mother, appearing crazed, pestering him about where he was. The first image the trio felt they nailed was this image of Juan (Mahershala Ali). While his character disappears early on in the film, however, his legacy ultimately lives on in Chironwho (ironically) eventually becomes a drug dealer himself by the third act. The audience is left to assume that Juan has been crucified by the inevitable, doomed life of any long time drug-dealer. This is how he initially meets Juan. Other members of the main cast include Janelle Monae, Ashton Sanders, Naomie Harris, and Jharrel Jerome. Moonlight undoes our expectations as viewers, and as human beings, too. This can be easily verified by measuring a cup of water in a liquid measuring cup and pouring it into a one-cup dry measuring cup: they take up the same amount of space. The Ending Of Moonlight Explained - Looper.com The audience is left to assume that Juan has been crucified by the inevitable, doomed life of any long time drug-dealer. Viewers first meet Chiron when he is a little boy and is troubled by both bullies and an addict mother. It is only explained through conversations that he has died. The only friend Chiron had growing up was his childhood friend and first love, Kevin. But as I watched the film, it was clear to me that Juan never left. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Whether or not it was intentional from the writers or the director of the film, they never stated exactly how Juan had passed. Seeing the boy is troubled, Juan and his wife Teresa (Janelle Monae) take the body into their home before returning him to his mother. Directors: Barry Jenkins Writer: Barry Jenkins Cast: Trevante Rhodes as Chiron / "Black" Moonlight (Film) essays are academic essays for citation. Its every queer kids revenge fantasy, but what follows is every queer kids reality: fight back, and youll pay for it; the power does not belong to you. Eventually, the two find themselves at Kevin's apartment where Chiron breaks down, revealing to Kevin that he is the only man Chiron has ever been with. Note: There will be spoilers for the film down below! In each section, he becomes a different person. Because of these issues, Chiron is bullied, the slurs hurled at him which he doesn't understand beyond knowing that they are meant to be hurtful. Explain that duality. BJ:In a larger context, the movie for me is about rooting the film and the character of Chiron, but I also want to take the audience on the journey with Chiron. And I think people are seeing that and recognizing the humanity in every individual., The actor, who was also working on House of Cards and Luke Cage while shooting Moonlight, said each time hed travel to a new city to work on another role, he kept thinking about Juan and really missing that character., Missing him during the process of shooting it, and then mourning him later, he explained. A liquid cup and a solid cup are exactly the same size. Jerry Wallace - Wikipedia Kevin goes to detention, saying, "See you, Black," his nickname for Chiron. Both my experience and Tarells experience is that when our moms werent able to provide or werent there, there was somebodys house you could go to. I hadnt seen anyone even attempt to tell that story before. Juan follows, entering through a blasted-out window, a symbol, perhaps, of the ruin left by the riots. He does not feel ashamed anymore. He lets Chiron spend the night with him and his girlfriend Teresa before returning Chiron to his mother Paula. BJ:I wasnt trying to defy anything because I think when you get into that, instead of creating something genuine, you end up creating this thing thats meant to serve this defined element. "Moonlight" was one of the best films of 2016, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. Boring, but we remain hopeful. Chiron continues to carry Juan with him until the very end. For me, it was a concrete gesture that I couldbelieve transpiring in that time. Day after day, as they spend more and more time together, Juan becomes somewhat of a father figure to the boy. This moment of confusionabout internalized self-hatred and the affection of namingis unlike anything thats been put onscreen before; it shows what freedom and pain can look like, all in one frame. The film follows him as a child, as a teenager and eventually as an adult. Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros.)/Gallery, Princess Daisy (Super Mario Bros.)/Gallery. A younger Chiron asks Juan what a faggot is, to which Juan responds: A faggot is a word used to make gay people feel bad., No., says Juan. Their collaborative project is now getting the attention of industry insiders and has earned rave reviews. I believe much of this has to do with the significance of Juans role in Chirons story. Remove the lettuce from the water and place it in a salad spinner to dry. Only references to him are made and his inspiration on Chiron is felt throughout the movie. Juan, who comes from Cuba,works as a drug dealer in a poor Miami neighborhood. Jerry Leon Wallace (December 15, 1928 - May 5, 2008) was an American country and pop singer. Photograph by Gabriele Stabile for The New Yorker. Teresa still looks after Chiron, to his real mother's resentment. He looks physically different: beforehand he dressed in a preppy style, was slender, and carried himself in a very insecure manner. Later, Kevin gives Chiron a ride home and asks if that was his first time doing anything sexual. The last scene we see of Juan is when a young Chiron asks Juan if he is a drug dealer, to which Juan responds with a painful and honest: Juans heart-breaking guilt for being the reason why Chirons mother continued down her never-ending rabbit hole of addiction brings Juan to tears. What Actually Happened to the Cowboy? Thus, this scene underlines some of the film's overarching themes of masculinity and performance, as well as those of childhood games and their equivalent in the adult male world. I think one of those sections deal with masculinity and how the world is creating this environment where were presented masculinity. Zadie Smith and Jeffrey Eugenides on Writing. I wanted to just move the audience on and have them feel the shock and disorientation of the loss the same way I feel these kids in the neighborhood feel all the time. A Cuban drug dealer, Juan appeared as one of the main characters in the drama filmMoonlight. I think we walk past people like Chiron and encounter people like Juan or Paula all the time. Barry Jenkins: He did a great job of capturing the spirit and essence of this place that were from which is Liberty City, Miami. She also informed Juan Diego that his uncle would recover from his illness. I think Tarell did such a good job of translating and transferring hisexperience into Chiron but also creating these people who weredistinct and very unique and were like the people I knew growing up. The two reconcile in the climactic moment of the film, right before the final shot shows Chiron again as a child.