Moonlight (2016): Thoughts! Questions!
“At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be.”
Chasers
Early in the film, Juan (Mahershala Ali) helps Little (Alex R. Hibbert) learn to swim, at one point by supporting Little’s back as he gets a feel for floating in the ocean. The scene, the memory, sticks with you, a moment of ease, comfort, joy, that none of the movie’s characters ever really have otherwise.
The world can be a rough place. Certainly, not always kind. We hold onto what we hold onto, whatever we need, whatever pushes back and says in fact, the world can also sometimes be beautiful.
Anyway, hello, welcome, and thank you for stopping by. For new visitors, here’s what this situation is all about:
With Savor the View, we’ll watch, think, and talk about movies and the things that matter. A special welcome and thanks to our regular crew!
Each Monday, I share brief, spoiler-free remarks and questions to frame viewing a movie on our own.
Each Thursday, I share post-viewing questions to poke at the issues, ideas, quandaries, inspirations...whatever...that movie might have summoned (spoilers, ahoy!).
Paid subscribers can talk it all out in a weekly Discussion Thread.
General thoughts?
The universal/general
What does it mean, what does it look like, to love someone else? What about yourself? What does it mean, what does it look like, to care – about someone else, as well as for yourself?
Are certain people “allowed” – or not – to love or to care for others? Or perhaps enabled to love and to care – or constrained – by circumstances? When and how?
The specific/unique
When does Little (Alex R. Hibbert)/Chiron (Ashton Sanders)/Black (Trevante Rhodes) seem to be loved? By whom?
When does vulnerability get exploited? By whom? Why? When does vulnerability get protected? By whom? Why?
The viewer is always present
Keep in mind that you are watching this 2016 film in 2024. If you have seen this movie before, consider whether you view the characters and what’s at stake for them any differently now than you did at that first viewing. If you have not seen this movie before, pay attention to whether the characters’ circumstances and challenges might manifest any differently today.
Worthwhile Reads
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/16/moonlight-review-masculinity-naomie-harris
Next Week’s Movie?
For February – the month of “Love and Hate and Everything In-Between” – The Worst Person in the World (2021)
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