"Moonlight" has deservedly won the Oscar for best film. Barry Jenkins' drama about a gay black man's search for identity is a masterpiece and a milestone.
If there's one film at the moment that's really worth going to the cinema for, it's "Moonlight". Go with someone, because you'll want to talk to someone about it afterwards! Avoid the German dubbed version as much as possible (because it's a crime)! And be prepared for the atmosphere, the images, the faces and the dialogue to stay with you for days afterwards.
"Moonlight" is proof that surprises and wonders can still be experienced in cinema today. A small independent production - the debut film of a previously unknown director, with completely unknown and exclusively black actors - is in the process of making cinema history. The coming-of-age drama is already considered a milestone in the portrayal not only of black African America, but also of gay cinema.
A sentimental social drama?
In "Moonlight", director Barry Jenkins tells the story of growing up in a poor neighbourhood in Miami. Poverty, violence and drugs characterise everyday life and seem to inevitably shape the course of their lives. Classic material for a sentimental social drama with familiar and tried-and-tested stereotypical characters.
In "Moonlight", too, there is the scary drug lord, the small-time street dealers with hopes of making it big. And there is the crack-addicted mother who can barely look after herself, let alone her boy. But Jenkins, whose screenplay is based on the autobiographical play by gay author Tarell McCrane, neither repeats familiar clichés nor does he fall into the kitsch trap. Instead, he succeeds in portraying his main character Chiron's search for his own identity and a place in this world so truthfully, creating an intimacy that leaves the viewer breathless time and again.
Open violence and first affection
"Moonlight" follows Chiron's development through three stages of his life: as a nine-year-old (Alex Hibbert), he is chosen by his classmates to be a whipping boy and labelled a "faggot" - long before he knows what the word means and is aware of his own gayness. The irony of fate is that he finds a kind of surrogate father and mentor in the understanding Juan of all people, as Juan is also the dealer of Chiron's single mother (Naomie Harris). But even at high school, Chiron's (now played by Asthon Sanders) life situation hardly changes. Instead, the bullying at school has escalated into open violence. At the same time, however, he experiences affection and mutual erotic attraction for the first time with his classmate Kevin (Jharrel Jerome) during a night together on the beach. But then the situation escalates...
In the third part, Chiron (now played by ex-athlete and recent Calvin Klein model Trevante Rhodes) is barely recognisable. The slight boy of old has now put on a suit of muscle armour and followed in the footsteps of his only male role model, Juan. His upper arms are so pumped up that they threaten to burst his T-shirt, his neck is adorned with flashing gold jewellery and his car is a swanky dealer's car.
Like a punch in the gut
The surprising reunion with his former school friend Kevin promises a hopeful twist. In one of the usual gay coming-of-age films, the happy ending would come with a long kiss and a jump into the box. But "Moonlight" also thwarts the standardised narrative patterns. Instead, a single sentence - spoken very quietly, in a trembling voice - shatters more than just Chiron's protective armour of muscle mass and macho posturing. This sentence is like a punch in the gut and at the same time goes straight to the heart. It echoes for a long, long time.
Breathtaking, unforgettable images
The great thing about "Moonlight" is that there are many such scenes. There are intimate, almost tender moments in which postures and gestures, in which the silence or even the deeply sad gaze of Chiron, who is struggling for self-confidence, convey more of his loneliness and pain than any excessive dialogue could. In addition, Jenkins succeeds in dealing with a whole range of topics that are anything but superficial - questionable ideals of masculinity and role models as well as gay self-discovery, homophobic violence and bullying - without becoming bold or preachy. Jenkins proves himself to be such an accomplished director that he not only finds breathtaking, unforgettable images, but is also able to portray great emotions in a completely unsentimental way. The creative team and the impressive ensemble of actors have rightly been rewarded with over 180 (!) awards.
"Moonlight", USA 2016, directed by Barry Jenkins, with Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes, Alex R. Hibbert, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe. Cinema release: 9 March - to the trailer: Click here
