Moonlight
Photo by David Bornfriend
“Who is you, man?” — a question posed to the protagonist of Barry Jenkins’ latest feature film, Moonlight. Issues of “identity” are often explored in film, but few offer such a fresh and unique take on the topic as Moonlight. Jenkins both directed and adapted the screenplay from Tarell McCraney’s original story “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue”. It’s a shame they changed the title because it succinctly sums up the central metaphor to this film — that is, how you are perceived through the critical lens of others. More-so, how others will always try to define you.
The film is presented in three acts spanning the formative years of Chiron, an African-American, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood. Growing up in a rough neighbourhood, his journey of self-discovery deals with universal themes of identity, sexuality, family, and most of all, masculinity. He discovers from an early age that certain feelings have no place in the hostile environment he lives in, and finds himself constantly on the outer. Chiron struggles to come to terms with his sexuality and his place in the world, all the while managing his drug addled mother (played by Naomie Harris).
Although such environments and topics often lend themselves to gritty social realism, Jenkins has instead opted to tell Chiron’s story with a vivid impressionistic style. The result is more akin to Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild and presents a very visual film that is striking but also utilises quiet moments and an economy of dialogue. Cinematographer James Laxton has done a wonderful job of getting his camera to tell Chiron’s story. Skin tones are exquisitely lit and the beats of camera movement match the incredible musical score by Nicholas Britell (Whiplash, 12 Years a Slave). The result is a sensory experience that had me spellbound.
Magical qualities are consistently present in all three performances of Chiron’s character, despite being played by three actors of different age and body shape. Director Jenkins explains that during the process of auditions he focussed on expression through the eyes; “find the eyes and you’ll see the soul, and if the soul is the same, then the audience will follow the character”. In actors Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes he found the same soul through three sets of eyes. And indeed, I did follow their journey as one.
Moonlight is one of those rare movies that just doesn’t take a wrong step. It is an astounding piece of cinema that compassionately taps into a facet of American life that is not often explored.
Rating: 5 perfect eyes
You can see the published review here
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Based on the hugely successful video game series of the same name, Assassin’s Creed is another attempt by a studio to transfer onto the bigger screen the success of its gaming origins. Although other efforts (such as Warcraft) have been met with critically tepid responses, there is no doubt that the sheer size of the video gaming industry means a ready-made market for box office success. Yes, I am one of the many who have played Assassin’s Creed … well, at least one of the nine releases within the franchise, which puts me in better stead at knowing the film’s labyrinthine mythology than its star, Michael Fassbender, who hadn’t even heard of the game prior to being approached for the role. To his credit however, he heavily involved himself in the production and went to significant lengths to canvas Australian Justin Kurzel to direct the film. They had previously worked together, along with Marion Cotillard, on the visually arresting Macbeth.
In Passengers, Norwegian director Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) has directed a hotly anticipated summer flick, that from reports of early screenings, seem to have polarised ethical opinion on the responsibilities of its protagonist. I couldn’t find any evidence of this in the trailer that I saw, so I was dying to find out more.
Very briefly, my favourite film of 2016 was … 
Disney’s first Polynesian-themed animated feature film since Lilo & Stitch (2002) has certainly landed with a splash. The film opened in the U.S. amassing over $200,000 in its first three weeks. This is perhaps standard fare for a tentpole Disney animated feature, but it is still nice to see such attention poured out on stories close to our own shores.
If I am honest I can’t say that I was particularly enthused to see A United Kingdom. A story of love that ushered in the birth of democracy in Botswana certainly sounds intriguing, yet something in its trailer left me wanting. Nonetheless, a dull trailer sometimes offers the film a gain — as they say, under promise and over deliver.
