This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
paige’s review published on Letterboxd:
This review may contain spoilers.
"Black boys look blue in the moonlight."
Barry Jenkins has crafted one of the most heart breaking and tender stories of 2016.
The parallels alone between Kevin and Chiron made me so happy, they did such a tremendous job with how to handle the situations put in front of them. Kevin/Chiron giving each other rides, the beach was literally such an integral part of the story. The two of them would say the same lines to one another in different context. The fact that Chiron struggled with being too soft and then at the end, Kevin pointed out that he was trying to be "hard" or tough.
The acting... oh my god. All of the actors, especially teenage and child Chiron, were incredible. Other studios should take fucking notes 📝. This is how you set up a story over a different timeline. The balance struck between child, teen, adult. They knew how much they wanted the audience to be told the different stories. It never faltered.
The cinematography... I wanted to eat it like ice cream, it was so good. The color palette, it was so Miami i've never loved Miami more. The use of camera, THE ONE SCENE WHERE CHIRON'S FRIEND GETS IN THE CAR AND THE CAMERA MOVES WITH THE SWINGING DOOR. HOLY SHIT!
The score... this is why i was captivated while seeing the trailer (via tumblr) It was so beautiful and they played during the swimming scene. I wanted to cry even though there was zero reason to.
The camera shots, Barry Jenkins made it feel so visceral, you could see the chipped wall paint in their house. The spinning camera angle made me dizzy i'll admit but it got my heart going.
I haven't even talked about the love story yet but it made me so fucking sad but happy, these boys deserve to love one another. That beach kiss was oscar worthy to begin with.
Everyone who worked on this film should feel incredibly proud and despite this year being really shitty, Moonlight offers a beacon of hope that more POC and LGBT storylines deserve to be told.
