Juan makes it known that he did not accept his nickname of Blue as his own, even if that was how the older woman from Cuba had viewed him. What does blue mean in Moonlight? Because when youre making a film, its a different thing to get these things up and have actors bring life into them. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. It is only explained through conversations that he has died. After studying the Weight Watchers points chart, he/she can decide the number of points given to different types of foods. At home, Chiron ices his face and stares in the mirror fiercely. Armed with more money for crack, Paula warns Chiron, "You're my child. Moonlight was the former leader of the Sisters. Courtesy of Color . Twenty years later, I still dont know how Jenkins got this flick made. Florence Griffith-Joyner of the United States still holds the record in the women's race with her 21.34s at the 1988 Summer Olympics yet to be broken. It is only explained through conversations that he has died. And its like a dream one night when Chiron, trusting little but wanting to trust more, approaches Kevin at the beach where Juan taught him to swim. He does not feel ashamed anymore. Kevin goes to detention, saying, "See you, Black," his nickname for Chiron. Kevin gives Chiron the nickname Black (side note: the color nickname is very similar to Juans old nickname of Blue). In this world, which is framed by the violence to comebecause it will comeJuan sees a skinny kid running, his backpack flapping behind him. Ultimately, it isnt until later on that its revealed that he has died. For instance, Juan doesnt take that runaway kid under his wing in order to pimp him out and turn him into a drug runner; instead, he brings him home to feed him, nourish him. The latter tells him he hated his mother too, but she passed away. At times, it feels like she didnt need to be there. At the end of the day, you have to go back to your mom because we cant take these children from their parents, but it was important for me to represent that aspect of the community. While he is not gay, Jenkins saw a lot ofhimself in McCraneys character. Juan becomes a fatherly figure for Juan, teaching him how to swim and giving him life lessons however it is later discovered that Juan is a drug dealer. Furthermore, up until this point, masculinity has played a huge role in the film and Chiron's life. Theres no funeral. What Really Happened To This Rapper? Not only that, but it earned eight nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. Jenkins has influencesI would guess that Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Terrence Malick, and Charles Burnett are high on the list, along with Michael Roemers 1964 film Nothing But a Man, one of the first modern black love stories to avoid buffoonery and improbabilitybut what really gets him going here is filmmaking itself, and the story hes telling. Throughout the rest of the film, it is only explained through dialogue that Juan has died. The audience is left to assume that Juan's life was cut short by his drug dealing activities. After bidding Chiron farewell, Juan notices Paula taking drugswith one of his customers. A large part of the process wasme being able to empathize with Little and blend his life with myself and Tarell, who are all coming together as this one person. After a brief vocabulary lesson, during which he learns the meaning of faggot, the boy confronts Juan about whether or not he is the one who supplies his mother with her drugs. Other members of the main cast include Janelle Monae, Ashton Sanders, Naomie Harris, and Jharrel Jerome. Afterwards, Juan takes Chiron home to his crack-addicted mother, Paula, who scolds our hero for worrying her. Teresa notices that Chiron is upset, but he doesn't want to talk about it. They laugh, and Kevin says he didn't know Chiron smoked. This is foregrounded when he arrives home after Kevin drops him off to find his mother asleep on the couch. But at times, when no ones looking, love happens, just the same. Running away from bullies nearly all his life, the intimidated boy finds refuge in a derelict crack-den, where Juan, the expendable drug dealer, takes him under his wing. MUSIC: BORIS GARDINER - EVERY N*GGER IS A STAR (1974)From the movie Moonlight (2016) - In Select Theaters Still **Moonlight DVD and Blu-ray release date is s. Watching Sanders play Chiron at this stage of his life is rather like seeing Montgomery Clift act for the first time, or Gloria Foster in Nothing But a Man. Theres no accounting for talent like this. While he can heal others, he can't heal himself. Instead of going to Teresa's, Chiron takes several trains and buses to the beach, where Kevin approaches and sits down next to him; apparently, this is Kevin's smoking spot. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Throughout the rest of the film, it is only explained through dialogue that Juan has died. I wanted to cast different people to play the same person, and I wanted to give him a different name. It's okay." You can tell Andi, a woman with a professional-grade B.S.-meter, is sincerely assuaged by the conversation. You tell that bitch, 'you better not forget it,'" referring to Teresa. Chiron asks Kevin why he calls him "Black," saying, "What kind of dude walks around giving other dudes nicknames?" The audience is left to assume that Juan has been crucified by the inevitable, doomed life of any long time drug-dealer. Juan is a drug dealer in Miami, Florida. Much of the story is based on playwright Tarell Alvin McCraneys In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, which Jenkins says told the story of not just McCraneys childhood but his own. Our hero asks Juan if his mother does drugs, and when Juan says yes, Chiron leaves. I believe much of this has to do with the significance of Juans role in Chirons story. Later, in a confrontation between Juan and Chiron's mother, the topic is presented again, as his mother disorderly yells at Juan and asks him mockingly if he's going to care for her son. 2. Chiron does receive love from Juan and Teresa, but unfortunately, by the time Chiron is a teenager in the second act, Juan has passed away. Since then, it would appear that the teen has occasionally been spending time with his former girlfriend, Teresa. The gold fronts that his Chiron wears are just another form of armor against longing, in a mouth that yearns to taste Kevins once again, to relive that forbidden love, for which black men sometimes punish one another. Later, when he lets down his guard to connect to Kevin in an intimate matter, the world once again punishes him for it. I think Tarell did a great job of creating a character who I can tell, through reading, was struggling with this idea that he was indeed worthy of love. In 2000, Toploader covered "Dancing in the Moonlight," which became a hit for the band. Seeing as how he lived life on the edge as a drug dealer, however, its not surprising to know that things ended the way they did. One night, Chiron has a dream about his friend Kevin. But as I watched the film, it was clear to me that Juan never left. Hes being pursued by a group of boys, and he ducks into a condemned building to escape. All rights reserved. Its a vicious cycle, in which the characters are oppressed by everything but hope. When I was casting, I wanted someone who was extremely charismatic. Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney told NBC News that Moonlight is based on his own experiences about coming to grips with his Queen identity and growing up in Liberty City, a neighborhood of Miami, Florida. "It's gonna be okay," he tells her, using an elongated version of his beloved catchphrase. More books than SparkNotes. I gonna call you Blue." What Happened to Him in the Game? "Moonlight" was one of the best films of 2016, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. The motif of nicknames also persists into this chapter, echoing Juan's earlier story about when he was given the nickname "Blue." The audience is left to assume that Juan has been crucified by the inevitable, doomed life of any long time drug-dealer. Why did you decide to end it that way? He looks physically different: beforehand he dressed in a preppy style, was slender, and carried himself in a very insecure manner. This gesture is one of many that Jenkins, who, like McCraney, was raised in Liberty City, understands from the inside out. Local tuya home assistant. Kevin made Chiron feel loved and trusted; like how Juan had always treated Chiron from the moment he found the vulnerable little boy hiding away from the world. The first image the trio felt they nailed was this image of Juan (Mahershala Ali). This law states that, despite chemical reactions or physical transformations, mass is conserved that is, it cannot be created or destroyed within an isolated system. At one point, after teaching Little how to swim in the ocean, Juan recounts a story from his youth about an old lady who said to him, "In moonlight, black boys look blue. Kevins newly christened perspective affirms to Chiron that there is more to life than the troubled, poverty-stricken world where they grew up. His words of wisdom continued to reassure Chiron whenever he felt alone and his transition from boyhood to manhood was made easier. He discovers Grace's betrayal, and faces Billy Kimber alone in front of The Garrison Pub with his gang of Peaky Blinders and their machine gun and rifles. Drag.Select and drag objects including control points. Terrel falls to the ground, tightening his fists but mostly still. This one time, I run by this old lady. When the boys kiss, Chiron apologizes for it, and we wince, because who among us hasnt wanted to apologize for his presence? In the film's second act, viewers learn more definitely that Chiron is gay, as he is just starting to understand his sexuality. In a bid to protect his dream of love, Chiron shows up at school one day and, wordlessly, breaks a chair over Terrels back. Kevin explains that he got detention for having sex with a girl in the hallway at school. Kevin was Chirons first and only sexual experience with a boy. We learn that Kevin has begun referring to Chiron as "Black," which Chiron confronts him about on the beach. Thanks! In each section, he becomes a different person. Moonlight (Film) essays are academic essays for citation. These are some of the questions that well be addressing belowso if youre curious for the answers, be sure to keep reading! You have to get onyour moms still a crackhead, and you still have to deal with these kids f***ing with you at school. Juan goes by a hole in which a young boy (Alex Hibbert) has been chased into by a group of bullies. It is because of Juan that Chiron chose to go back home to Miami, to be brave enough to choose love and to fight back. What happened to drug dealer in Moonlight? Original Wednesday Addams Actress, Lisa Loring, Dies at Age 64, Adele Reveals She Suffers From Debilitating Back Pain, Nordstrom Shutting Down All 13 of its Canadian Stores, 28-year-old Hong Kong Socialite Found Murdered and Dismembered In Village. But this does not cease Juan from taking little Chiron under his wing, helping the young boy find himself and gain confidence in who he was. " Moonlight " ends with a flicker of hope. Throughout the movie, Jenkins avoids what I call Negro hyperbolethe overblown clichs that are so often used to represent black American life. Juans death scene is not clearly depicted in the movie Moonlight. In the dream, Kevin is being intimate with a woman, however, Chiron seems to be fixated on Kevin. Explain that duality. Although Chiron is leery of the fact that another boy gave him a nickname, to avoid any implications of his sexuality, Chiron never did stop Kevin from calling him Black. Because this section also includes Chiron's tryst on the beach with Kevin, which will become one of the most identity-forming moments in his life, it confronts the film's themes of love and its frustrations. Juan follows, entering through a blasted-out window, a symbol, perhaps, of the ruin left by the riots. Jerry Leon Wallace (December 15, 1928 - May 5, 2008) was an American country and pop singer. At the beginning of the film, Juana Cuban drug dealer comes across a withdrawn child in a crackhouse in Liberty City, Miami, who goes by the name Chiron. Even Chirons own mother, Paula, notices the peculiar way he carries himself. "Moonlight" was one of the best films of 2016, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture. Mentioned only in passing, viewers are left to imagine the events prior to the second act themselves. On December 12, while searching for a priest to administer last rites to his uncle, Juan Diego was visited by Mary again. Serve immediately after making the salad. Theres been a lot of talk around Hollywood about Moonlight. Boring, but we remain hopeful. It wasnt anything I thought about. Ashton Sanders, as the teen-age Chiron, has a conjurers gifts, and an intuitive understanding of how the camera works. This one time, I run by this old lady. What happens next? They make sexual comments about Teresa and Paula, implying that they are both prostitutes, to which Chiron instinctively reacts, grabbing Terrel by the shirt collar. Phenoxide ion is more stable than phenol due to the delocalisationdelocalisationIn chemistry, delocalized electrons are electrons in a molecule, ion or solid Being a drug addict, though physically present, she was not emotionally available for Chiron. Ad Choices. In astrology, Chiron represents your "mortal wound" a pain that you suffered, often in childhood, that doesn't seem to go away . So when a classmate, Kevin (Jharrel Jerome), shows Chiron something other than hostility, it feels like a kind of fantasy. Blue.. Throughout the drama, which is split inthree acts like a stage play, Little (who later goes by his birth name, Chiron, and his street name,Black, as an adult) grappleswith how to reconcile his sexuality and struggles with trusting others. In other words, Juan is now the boy's pale paternal figure, while Paula, Chiron's neglectful mother, is Juan's best customer. (Jenkins and his ardent cinematographer, James Laxton, film the car as if it were a kind of enclosed throne.) The correct way to say Beethoven's surname is difficult for English speakers because it . Terrel easily escapes from Chiron's grasp and assures him that he's not gay. Tarell had an actual paternal relationship with this drug dealer. Despite having appeared throughout the initial third of the film, however, his character is gone by the time it enters the second act, Chiron. What happened to him? Juan was the only person to ever see Chiron as a young boy, to give him a chance, to take the time to show him a life worth living. GradeSaver "Moonlight (Film) Chiron Summary and Analysis". Juans biggest impact on Chiron was when he was, well, Little. He is simplygone. The film explores a young black man's. Moonlight undoes our expectations as viewers, and as human beings, too. For whatever reason, Juan stuck to his hard lifestyle to survive. Questions about identity, and whether one determines it for oneself, loom large in this section, chiefly in the form of Chiron's ultimate decision to respond in kind to the violence of his bullies. Tarells like, no I was neverinvited into a penis competition (laughs). A liquid cup and a solid cup are exactly the same size. Juan is street-smart and hard when he needs to be, but he also has the heart and courage to venture outside of a cultural norm. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Moonlight (Film) by Barry Jenkins. Juan feels guilty for being responsible for the drugs that have continuously affected Chirons mother negatively. Chiron was able to go back to Miami, chose love and was able to fight back. This causes Chiron to retaliate the next day by hitting Terrel over the back of his head with a chair during class. The two exchange deadly eye contact. Juan was brought to life by actor Mahershala Ali. Running around with no shoes on when the moon was out. TG:Theres a moment in the film where Black (Chiron) seems like hes about to finally get redemption through love and have a moment of intimacy with a childhood friend but it doesntgo where we expect it go. Faggot is another name, and its one that Chiron hears often as he grows up. Theres a kind of mirroring going on. Things that have died in the pool: 2 dragonflies. Theres no music in this scene; no one cries; Juan doesnt grab a gun and try to blow the slandering universe away. He now goes by the name "Black," a nickname that was first given to him by Kevin. I just said lets get Chiron right. Little : [innocently] What's a faggot? In his high school science class, a bully named Terrel makes fun of Chiron for being effeminate and is kicked out of class. The film is divided into three parts, titled Little, Chiron, and Black. In the second part, Chiron (played now by Ashton Sanders) is a teen-ager, thin and walking with the push, resolve, and loneliness of a character for whom Billie Holiday would have given her all in a song. 8 "Primrose Lane" that was later used as the theme song for the television series The Smith Family.He made his debut on the country music charts in 1965, entering it thirty-five times between then and 1980. Hes growing up without much reinforcement outside Juan and Teresas home. TG:You mentioned that you identified with parts of Chiron. I felt like in order to get it right, I had to have extreme fidelity to some of the things he had written. He is first introduced having a conversation with one of his customers. The ensemble performance of three actors in three separate acts: Little, Chiron, and Black, showcases the painful struggle of identity and homosexuality of one young black boy growing up in Miami, Florida (side note: Ill mostly be addressing Chiron by his actual name instead of by his two nicknames; Little and Black). With beautiful cinematography and powerful acting, its no surprise that the movie Moonlight won Best Picture at the Oscars. Please provide all information in your posts. How he talks. Either way, Juan had gone much too soon in Chiron's story. At the start of this chapter, Chiron has grown into a teenager. I was runnin, hollerin, cuttin a fool, boy. The bullies throw rocks at the window before leaving. The movie ends with Black in Kevins arms, being free, accepted, and loved in their private moment together. Its The Lord of the Flies all over again: whale on sensitivity before it can get to you. Juans car was an icy blue. Chiron himself does ask Juan about being gay, but only because of a slur the other boys call him, however Juan tells him it's okay to be gay just to not let them call him slurs. And they treat each other very differently at different ages. Juans physical presence is only portrayed in the beginning of the movie. Billy Kimber manages to shoot Thomas in the chest, but Thomas is able to shoot him in the head, killing him instantly and ending the short war between the two gangs. While he may not be living an openly gay lifestyle, he does not deny what he wants or who he wants to be, just like Juans testimony. Young Chiron severally sought refuge at Juans home whenever he needed to escape from his broken home-life and abusive mother. Through a series of events, he eventually becomes a father figure to the movies protagonist, Chiron. Later, he eats dinner at Teresa's house; Juan is notably absent. The authors Zadie Smith and Jeffrey Eugenides discuss their personal approaches to writing novels. Freelance writer who loves dogs and anything related to Japanese culture. Its hard for a man of color walking those sun-bleached streets not to watch his back or feel that his days are numbered. How Did Larry Die in Sally Face? Copyright 2023 HowDidTheyDied | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. Eventually, he finds solace in the paternal relationship he forms with a local drug dealer, Juan, played by House of Cards star Mahershala Ali. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Chiron is then picked up by a police car, which leads into the third act. BJ:The time in the movie shifts once we get to the diner. The two then part ways, and this is unfortunately followed up by Kevin being pushed, via bullying, to beat up Chiron. After coursing through three disillusioned chapters in the life of our young main character, Chiron, the movie poses a question: Will he embrace the truth of his sexuality, or will the homophobia that taunts him continue to dictate his well-being? Directors: Barry Jenkins Writer: Barry Jenkins Cast: Trevante Rhodes as Chiron / "Black" It is only explained through conversations that he has died. What was the significance ofTeresa? Either way, Juan had gone much too soon in Chiron's story. Why is September 15 Clemente Day? He tries to change the sheets on his bed there, and Teresa teases him, teaching him how to make a bed properly. "Which sentence" means that you have been provided with answer choices or an exceprt from the story. Nominated for six Golden Globe Awards, it eventually went on to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (Drama). "I kept thinking about Juan and really missing that character," he said. She pointed out to Juan about the peculiar way in which Chiron carries himself, especially his feminine walking style. That night, Chiron appears to wake up and walk through Teresa's house only to find Kevin having sex with a girl in the backyard. Kevin, who is more comfortable in his own body, says that its because Chiron is black; to him, its not an insult. One could conclude that she was the mother figure that Chiron lacked. A bullied, neglected and all-but-silent child, he grows toward an understanding of himself and his world, and though it is agonizing to witness his progress, it is also thrilling. Chiron eventually returns home, only to be told by his mother that she's having company over tonight and has found "somewhere for [Chiron] to be." As such, its not surprising to know that Moonlight has reeled in a considerable amount of accolades. Of course, Kevin and Chiron also play at performed toughness or masculinity on the beach when Kevin pretends he doesn't cry, whereas Chiron admits he does. When we meet Chiron here, we realize that he's grown into a high school-age young man, yet is still haunted by the issues that plagued him as a little boy: his sexuality and his relationship to his mother. Does Juan die in Moonlight? He cant afford to; this situation, any situation, could be changed in an instant by a gun or a knife. Chiron learns Kevin is now a single father and content in life. You almost feel cheated as a viewer. A system, especially a computer system, that is constituted of poorly matched elements or of elements originally intended for other applications. How he looks at a man or doesnt look at a man. His mother is a drug addict who shows him little affection. In the context of Juan's advice to "decide for yourself who you're going to be," Chiron's decision to seek revenge on Terrel seems like a perversion of the notion that one can shape one's own future. Everyday, one word, is an adjective meaning "used or seen daily," or "ordinary." "The phone calls were an everyday occurrence." Not only does he protect and feed him, but he also encourages the young lad to find his own identityat one point, they even go to the beach where he teaches him how to swim. We see them sitting on the subway, we see them in the corner, and we think I cant identify with the person I have nothing in common with them, and because we cant identify with them, they become invisible. Eventually, the two find themselves at Kevin's apartment where Chiron breaks down, revealing to Kevin that he is the only man Chiron has ever been with. Juan's death scene is not clearly depicted in the movie Moonlight. Juan (played by Mahershala Ali, who would win the first of his two Best Supporting Actor Oscars for the role) is a drug dealer whose softer, nurturing side is drawn out by Chiron, known as Little. This can be easily verified by measuring a cup of water in a liquid measuring cup and pouring it into a one-cup dry measuring cup: they take up the same amount of space. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. There is a crown on Chirons dashboard, just like Juans car had. GradeSaver, Read the Study Guide for Moonlight (Film), Black Identity: The Struggle between Virility and Vulnerability, Color, Lighting, and Powerful Motifs: The Evocative Visual Design in Moonlight, Sexuality and Performance in Paris is Burning and Moonlight, View Wikipedia Entries for Moonlight (Film). The audience is left to assume that Juan has been crucified by the inevitable, doomed life of any long time drug-dealer. Chiron was originally called Little because he was smaller than the other boys, was very quiet, and appeared powerless. A group of school boys are chasing him which leads him to hide out in an abandoned apartment where Juan follows him into and takes him back to his home. You blue, that's what I'm gon' call you. Kevin then comforts Chiron, letting down his wall, and the film closes with a shot of a young Chiron on the beach. Chiron looks as if he means to pursue them but thinks better of it. As an adult, Chiron now goes by "Black," and lives alone. After all these years, three periods define a vulnerable young adult Chiron who, above all, is still struggling with complex pent-up emotions. Juan, his mouth fixed in a poutsometimes he sucks on his tongue, as if it were a pacifierdoesnt take his eyes off the street. Juan, who comes from Cuba,works as a drug dealer in a poor Miami neighborhood. He respects our intelligence enough to let us just sit still and watch the glorious faces of his characters as they move through time. Though portrayed as dead in the movie, his immense influence lived on through Chiron, the main Protagonist in the movie. How does it make a boy whos been rejected because of his skin color, his sexual interests, and his sensitivity feel? Directors such as Marlon Riggs and Isaac Julien explored gay black masculinity in the nineties, but they did so in essay-films, which allowed the audience a kind of built-in distance. Intimacy makes the world, the body, feel strange. BJ:That character is what the whole project is based off. It was up to only Chiron himself to decide who he was going to be. All the same, it ties into the themes of fate and identity that govern the film's look at individual characters in the context of a cutthroat Miami environment. As Juan squires his fatherless friend about, we cant help thinking, Will he abuse him? Is 1 cup of liquid the same as 1 cup of solid? Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? BJ:She didnt have to be there, but in a way she had to be there. Theyre unique because theyre actual people. Chiron is a shy, withdrawn child largely due to his small size and being neglected by his mother, who is more concerned about getting her fixes and satisfying her carnal needs than taking care of him. He badgers Chiron further about his jeans being tighter then leaves, calling Chiron "Little." A younger Chiron asks Juan what a faggot is, to which Juan responds: A faggot is a word used to make gay people feel bad., No., says Juan. You Blue. A year after its release, The New York Times even hailed Moonlight as one of the Best film of the 21st Century So far.. What the purpose of creating a class? Barry Jenkins: He did a great job of capturing the spirit and essence of this place that were from which is Liberty City, Miami. We provide the most recent, unbiased accounts of the news that matters to you. Alex R. Hibbert as Chiron, a young black man growing up gay in an impoverished part of Miami in Moonlight. Chiron was accepted by Juan, completely and effortlessly, as the divine ocean embraced them. Remove the lettuce from the water and place it in a salad spinner to dry. Juan is a drug dealer. Not even just the story of Chiron, which is one thing very specific to this film, but even just in general in telling the story of what I think is this a very beautiful, complex place in the inner city of Miami. Both my experience and Tarells experience is that when our moms werent able to provide or werent there, there was somebodys house you could go to. Its a life, you know? This moment of confusionabout internalized self-hatred and the affection of namingis unlike anything thats been put onscreen before; it shows what freedom and pain can look like, all in one frame. Chiron continues to carry Juan with him until the very end. But drugs have made a mess of family, or the idea of family, and Paula gets in Juans face when he tries to stop her from using. "I was a wild lil' shorty, man, just like you. 2023 Cond Nast. He may be a boss on the streetshis black do-rag is his crownbut hes intelligent enough to know that hes expendable, that real power doesnt belong to men like him. What Really Happened To Fran Lockwood? Continue with Recommended Cookies. Either way, Juan had gone much too soon in Chirons story. In fact, it has since made it onto the top ten lists of numerous critics. Nov. 24, 2016 A man teaching a boy how to swim turns into a powerful moment of communion in this scene from "Moonlight," directed by Barry Jenkins. That he is able to pluck that feeling out of the darkness of those Miami nights makes him a classically heroic figure: he knows his limitations, he knows that life is tragic, but he is still willing to dream. At school the next day, Terrel asks Kevin if he remembers playing the game "knock down, stay down" as children, asking Kevin if he'll beat up whoever Terrel points out.