"SC-S28/W3-Movie Highlights|Voices unheard(Moonlight!)

a screenshot of the movie title

It was an amazing to feed my eyes and gain understanding about life and it's fullness. I am so wowed by this movie (Moonlight)! Its a lot.

Watching Moonlight was like an eye opener to a opened a world I had never seen so closely, watching a young black boy pass through silent emotional battles while growing up in a rough Miami neighborhood and also trying to understand his sexuality.

The movie gave me a view that is commonly overlooked in popular films: the blend of Black identity, poverty, masculinity, and queerness. It opens up how society limits individuals based on race or class and imposes pressures on those whose identities do not tary to the conventional norms.

What impressed me the most was the way the narrative was conveyed through silence, feeling, and gentleness, rather than through chaos and aggression. It helped me realize that strength can be found in being vulnerable, and that even in tough situations, kindness can still thrive.

a screenshot of moonlight from google

One of the most impactful things Moonlight achieved was to challenge stereotypes. In many films, Black men are always pointed as loud, aggressive, or emotionally distant. However, Moonlight completely shattered that mind set.

Chiron, the protagonist, hardly speaks during the film, yet we sense every emotion he holds. His silence was not a sign of weakness; it shows survival. The film also shows the stereotype that boys from rough neighborhoods cannot be gentle or reflective. Even Juan, the drug dealer, had layers. Rather than just being a criminal, he transformed into a protector and father figure for Chiron.

He provided love, care, and wisdom, despite his lifestyle contributing to the issues in Chiron’s community. This mixed portrayal broke the idea that individuals can be defined by a single trait. It reminded me that people have stories behind their actions, and judging them just on surface labels is both unjust and incomplete.

a screenshot from my phone

The character I connected with the most was Chiron, not because I have gone through his exact experiences, but because his battles with identity, belonging, and self-expression seemed universal. Many individuals, no matter their background, understand what it feels like to be different or misunderstood.

Chiron’s desire to find a place where he could just be himself sincerely touched me. As a child, he attempted to hide from the world, as a teenager, he fought against it, as an adult, he tried to change himself to avoid pain.

I understood the fear he had in showing his true self, and I also related to the quiet hope he held inside, waiting for someone who truly recognized him. His emotional silence reminded me of times when I lacked the words to express my feelings, and his bravery to finally open up at the end tells me that healing is achievable.

a screenshot from my phone

A key message from the film that stayed with me is this; people become who they are due to both the pain they endure and the love they must have experienced. Chiron was raised in an environment that lacked kindness, yet even the tiniest gestures of love influenced him, from Juan showing him how to float in the water, to Teresa providing him with a safe haven, to Kevin reminding him that he didn’t need to pretend.

The film illustrated that even a single act of true kindness can have a lasting memory. It also conveyed that identity is not something we should be forced into; rather, it is something we develop over time with honesty and bravery.

Moonlight is more than just a tale of a boy's journey to adulthood. It explores themes of survival, identity, love, and the human need to be seen. It gave me a greater insight into experiences I have not experienced, and it reminded me that everyone fights their own battles that the world may never notice.

I invite @mariami @pandora2010 @aviral123