Moonlight is a concentrated, subdued drama, one that takes its subject matter seriously and projects it in a sometimes captivating manner. It is thus a film that will inevitably continue to be granted much critical acclaim. However, like 2015's Spotlight or Carol, this film will probably fade into obscurity pretty fast. Who's to know if it'll make a later resurgence, but I don't see that happening. This comes down to the design of this movie as one centred on heavy subjects, such as identity and sexuality, but also one without much thematic resonance. This is a subjective point of criticism as I'm sure this film will resonate with people differently, but, personally, I was never really moved by Little/Chiron /Black as a character and so never developed much empathy or interest in him. This comes down to the film's structure. The first chapter does an excellent job of introducing characters as well as themes of childhood and being different as a kid. This is done through ambiguity, us never really being explicitly told the details of characters lives, rather being left to figure them out for ourselves. And it's this ambiguity written into the narrative that melds perfectly with the camera work which is often handheld with a very shallow focus. This brings us very close to characters, blurring the background, giving a personal tone to this movie and a sense of entrapment. All of this assists the structuring of the first chapter as there is a tension built through which we truly understand Little's internal conflicts. The opening chapter then does a great job of introducing the story and setting up the audience to fall into Chiron's story. However, this is only sustained partially through the second chapter. It's at this point where Chiron's internal conflicts are somewhat externalised with him having to confront... more from:
danielslackdsu.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/moonlight-impact.html