Movie Thoughts: Moonlight

     Upon watching Moonlight, I noticed a major theme this film excels in conveying. The movie opens following a young African American boy, Chiron, whose homosexuality makes him an outcast. Poor Chiron is a sweet outspoken kid but has become a target for society because of his attractions. I noticed that many of the young black boys relied on the nature of being tough to fit in. Chiron didn’t quite meet that expectation. The cultural norm of how a black kid growing up in the hood should act is entirely different from the personality of Chiron deep within. This movie successfully convinced me that Chiron was far form what appeared to be the cultural norm of black kids in the hood.

Throughout the movie, I was saddened to see the changes that followed Chiron as he matured into a man. He knows that he doesn’t fit in but sees little choice but to conform. After high school, he transforms into a tough, thug-looking drug dealer to get by. Chiron has completely shielded his identity from society and lives a life of loneliness behind closed doors.

As a gay black man, Chiron knows that society won’t let him embrace his identity without repercussions. As a social influencer, I feel that it is my mission to spread the message of this movie and inform my audience of the major theme associated with it. The struggles of straying from cultural norms as a black male and embracing true personal identity is a real-life scenario that too often is overlooked. Fear of isolation keeps individuals stuck in the cycle of society, forcing them to hide who they truly are. I feel great pity for Chiron as he is deprived of embracing his identity and living without fear of societal rejection.