Moonlight Review
Discussion points:
Chiron is a character of a few words. Why is this?
Chiron doesn't speak alot because he lacks confidence. He is constantly put down both at home and at school. He feels as there isn't much place for him to turn and as a result is very shy and keeps himself to himself.
How do the three actors use body language to communicate Chiron’s emotions to the audience? Why is he reluctant to make eye contact with people?
The characters body language communicate Chirons emotions differntly as his mother was very imposing during her addiction to drugs, which intimidated Chiron. Although she was smaller than him, raising her hands made him crumble and back away which convey his lack of self esteem. Teresa had a more open body language to try and get him to speak. She faced him in a less agressive manor. Juan was always shown to be standing over Chiron almost as if he is protecting him. This makes him look up to juan and in the future becomes quite similar.
Did anything about the Miami setting surprise you, compared to its party image in popular culture?
The way in which drugs were used in the film was different to the way people think they are used in Miami. Miami is known to be a party city, so you would think that drugs such as MDMA and ecstasy would be used more as they are "party drugs". There wasnt many house party scenes or club scenes. The use of marijuana was also quite limited which is another assumption of the area.
How does the saturated colour capture the image of the city the filmmakers are trying to convey?
The saturated, vibrant colour added to how rundown the area really was. In contrast to the vibrant colour of the peoples clothes, you noticed more details in the area. An example is you could see how the paint was stripping off some of the houses.
What is the significance of Juan? How is his influence felt over the entire film, despite the fact he is only present in the first chapter?
Juan is significant throughout the film as he took Chiron under his wing and gave him guidance from early. Juan seemed to be his only escape from the cruelty of his childhood and although he is only present in a short period of the film he plays a major part of the film. After their encounter, Chiron gradually stands up for himself. At the end, we see how much he admired Juan as he becomes very similar to him, wearing durags, grills and driving a low riding car.
Several key sequences take place on the beach, or near the ocean. Why do you think the filmmakers centred so much of the film around this location?
I think this was to signify this area as Chirons escape area. First we see him there when he goes swimming with Juan. Each time he is at the beach, it is a positive experience for him escapes the harsh realities of his world. The directors use the beach as his own retreat.
Did anything about Chiron in the final chapter surprise you? To what extent do you think he is being true to “himself” before and after his reunion with Kevin? What did you make of his various nicknames?
I was surprised at the drastic change of Chirons appearance at the end of the film because of how mucch he had changed. He was almost unrecognisable to the character we had been shown previously. You could see that his time away changed him alot and he rebuilt himself as someone new. I think he was true to himself both before and after his reunion with Kevin because he had to become a certain way in order to get through life so I feel he was being true. However, his old shy self took back over when he was on the phone to Kevin and became the Chiron everybody saw in the previous scenes.
Chiron is a character of a few words. Why is this?
Chiron doesn't speak alot because he lacks confidence. He is constantly put down both at home and at school. He feels as there isn't much place for him to turn and as a result is very shy and keeps himself to himself.
How do the three actors use body language to communicate Chiron’s emotions to the audience? Why is he reluctant to make eye contact with people?
The characters body language communicate Chirons emotions differntly as his mother was very imposing during her addiction to drugs, which intimidated Chiron. Although she was smaller than him, raising her hands made him crumble and back away which convey his lack of self esteem. Teresa had a more open body language to try and get him to speak. She faced him in a less agressive manor. Juan was always shown to be standing over Chiron almost as if he is protecting him. This makes him look up to juan and in the future becomes quite similar.
Did anything about the Miami setting surprise you, compared to its party image in popular culture?
The way in which drugs were used in the film was different to the way people think they are used in Miami. Miami is known to be a party city, so you would think that drugs such as MDMA and ecstasy would be used more as they are "party drugs". There wasnt many house party scenes or club scenes. The use of marijuana was also quite limited which is another assumption of the area.
How does the saturated colour capture the image of the city the filmmakers are trying to convey?
The saturated, vibrant colour added to how rundown the area really was. In contrast to the vibrant colour of the peoples clothes, you noticed more details in the area. An example is you could see how the paint was stripping off some of the houses.
What is the significance of Juan? How is his influence felt over the entire film, despite the fact he is only present in the first chapter?
Juan is significant throughout the film as he took Chiron under his wing and gave him guidance from early. Juan seemed to be his only escape from the cruelty of his childhood and although he is only present in a short period of the film he plays a major part of the film. After their encounter, Chiron gradually stands up for himself. At the end, we see how much he admired Juan as he becomes very similar to him, wearing durags, grills and driving a low riding car.
Several key sequences take place on the beach, or near the ocean. Why do you think the filmmakers centred so much of the film around this location?
I think this was to signify this area as Chirons escape area. First we see him there when he goes swimming with Juan. Each time he is at the beach, it is a positive experience for him escapes the harsh realities of his world. The directors use the beach as his own retreat.
Did anything about Chiron in the final chapter surprise you? To what extent do you think he is being true to “himself” before and after his reunion with Kevin? What did you make of his various nicknames?
I was surprised at the drastic change of Chirons appearance at the end of the film because of how mucch he had changed. He was almost unrecognisable to the character we had been shown previously. You could see that his time away changed him alot and he rebuilt himself as someone new. I think he was true to himself both before and after his reunion with Kevin because he had to become a certain way in order to get through life so I feel he was being true. However, his old shy self took back over when he was on the phone to Kevin and became the Chiron everybody saw in the previous scenes.
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