Moonlight is a betifully nuanced gay g-of-age tale - The Verge

Contents:

• MOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALEMOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALE
• ‘MOONLIGHT' IS NOT JT ANOTHER BLACK GAY MOVIE
• MOONLIGHT IS A POWERFUL AFFIRMATN FOR GAY BLACK MEN: WE’RE SUPPOSED TO EXIST
• IN 'MOONLIGHT,' GROWG UP BLACK, GAY AND POOR IN 1980S MIAMI
• ‘MOONLIGHT’ GAY THEM WILL TT CHE CENSORS
• 'MOONLIGHT' REVIEW: GAY TRIPTYCH FEATUR GREAT PERFORMANC
• REVIEW: BARRY JENKS’ MAGIL, MAJTIC ‘MOONLIGHT’ IS A STUNNG PORTRA OF YOUNG, BLACK GAY LIFE
• ‘IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE VULNERABLE’: HOW MOONLIGHT REFLECTS BEG A BLACK GAY MAN THE US

MOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALEMOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALE

Like Carol and Brokeback Mounta before , Moonlight nveys the pa of the ntug social stigma around homosexualy, the search for eedom and love, and the nstant stggle to munite and drop personal barriers. Moonlight rembl Brokeback Mounta and Carol s lh stagg, tensely ternal performanc, and treatment of the gay experience a very specific i.

One of the film’s most memorable scen when a teenage Chiron star at himself his bathroom, his face bloodied om a fight wh homophobic school bulli.

‘MOONLIGHT' IS NOT JT ANOTHER BLACK GAY MOVIE

Crilly-acclaimed movi like "Milk, " "Brokeback Mounta, " "Boys Don't Cry, " and "Philalphia" all told stori of LGBTQ characters — some real, some fictnal — who fought agast or suffered om of the LGBTQ nome ever snagged the Bt Picture award, though three of the four mentned above rulted actg awards for straight actors who took on gay or transgenr rol.

Olson said she was "sadned" to see Cate Blanchett lose the Bt Actrs award, notg that was rare to see a leadg Hollywood actrs portray a lbian character who don't die at the end of the only do "Moonlight" end on an upliftg note, the film breaks barriers by prentg the largely tobgraphil story of a livg, black, gay man told his own words.

Tarell Alv McCraney, whose script "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" was the basis for the film, also took an Amy Award for Bt Adapted Screenplay on Alv McCraney (right) livers a speech on stage next to Barry Jenks after they won the Bt Adapted Screenplay Osr for "Moonlight" at the 89th annual Amy Awards on Febary 26, 2017Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty ImagIn October, McCraney told NBC Out "Moonlight" isn't jt a "gay film" or a "black film, " that would be "disgenuo" to lim the story to jt one tegory. "It is a queer story, is a gay story, is a poverty story — you know what I mean? "For so long people thought bee the story is black or gay then that means 's not mastream, " Onuorah said.

MOONLIGHT IS A POWERFUL AFFIRMATN FOR GAY BLACK MEN: WE’RE SUPPOSED TO EXIST

Sunday night's diverse crop of wners — along wh the Amy's recent vatn to hundreds of women and people of lor to jo s homogeno ranks last year — uld potentially help overe that reputatn. Mahershala Ali livers a speech on stage after wng the Osr bt supportg actor "Moonlight" at the 89th Adamy Awards on Febary 26, 2017 Los Ralston / AFP/Getty ImagFor Bahamian-born filmmaker Sekiya Dorsett, 's important to intify "Moonlight" as the barrier-burstg black, gay film that is, bee that means the stori of queer people of lor have a reach like never before. When to films about sexualy, Black gay men have had our share of low budget movi wh medcre actg and stereotypil storyl.

McCraney, a Black gay man, often challeng genr and sexualy his work, and the movie he saw much of himself. It’s hard to ll the ma character the film gay bee he never intified as such; however, most of his timate nnectns the movie were between him and another man.

IN 'MOONLIGHT,' GROWG UP BLACK, GAY AND POOR IN 1980S MIAMI

And that do not make a gay or “sissy. For this reason, Moonlight unrsr the experienc many lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) youth face when creatg their own fay and support system. Hell, even I remember as a young Black gay man beg ncerned about the negative rpons to my sexualy om my fay and close iends.

Often tim when we are troduced to Black gay characters, often volv a bleak story about eher beg HIV-posive, sexually asslted by fay members, or the “down low” boogieman cheatg on his wife. It’s important to realize we have to go beyond the narrativ when talkg about “g of age” movi, and regnize Black gay men have a history of rilience and overg challeng.

‘MOONLIGHT’ GAY THEM WILL TT CHE CENSORS

Black gay men are much more than sexual beasts and dysfunctnal dividuals. Black gay men serve the space to be human- on and off screen.

'MOONLIGHT' REVIEW: GAY TRIPTYCH FEATUR GREAT PERFORMANC

This film is not jt another Black gay movie, is lorful, creative, and reflective—and well worth your time.

While searchg for ias to follow up his 2008 film ftival h "Medice for Melancholy, " Jenks me across "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" — and while not himself gay, Jenks was strongly moved by Chiron's story, pecially sce otherwise mirrored Jenks' own difficult Liberty Cy upbrgg (McCraney and Jenks even went to the same elementary and middle schools, though they never met as children).

Masterfully directed by Jenks, flawlsly acted by a fantastic st, and givg an unprecented glimpse to what means to be young and poor and black and gay Ameri, the film is also powerfully universal as the story of one man's qut for OUT spoke to McCraney — who's also the wrer of the acclaimed "Brother/Sister Plays" trilogy, as well as a Steppenwolf Theatre member and the recipient of a MacArthur "geni" grant — about the phenomenal "Moonlight" on the eve of s Friday you ever envisn anythg like this when you were wrg "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue? I've seen a lot of gay movi my day, and hontly, "Moonlight" is one of the most powerful gay-themed stori I've ever seen put to film. It is a queer story, is a gay story, is a poverty story — you know what I mean?

REVIEW: BARRY JENKS’ MAGIL, MAJTIC ‘MOONLIGHT’ IS A STUNNG PORTRA OF YOUNG, BLACK GAY LIFE

And what do mean to wa for the touch of a person that also betrayed you — whout givg too much of the film you heard any reactns om other gay people who grew up Liberty Cy? (Lghs) you have a favore gay-themed film? To be able to tell this very timate story on such a large nvas feels really great, and 's really you plan to ntue to tell gay stori your work, or do you even thk of those terms?

It was a symbol of wretched homophobia (which ntu to plague the film dtry).

The amy lov to give actors shy trophi for “gog gay”  a role, but seldom giv the stori they’re tellg the abily to pete at the same level or even regnize queer actors who portray the stori of their own muny. Rayon (Jared Leto) di “Dallas Buyers Club” so a homophobic whe du n learn a lson about tolerance, whereas Ferg (Stephen Rea) throws up when he learns his girliend (Davidson) is transgenr “The Cryg Game. The real-life John Nash was likely bisexual or gay, but “A Betiful Md” scbs any mentn of the mathematician’s homosexual dallianc.

‘IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE VULNERABLE’: HOW MOONLIGHT REFLECTS BEG A BLACK GAY MAN THE US

There has been a great al of bate on the subject, but iends of Ron Woodroof, the fun-lovg roo wboy played by Matthew McConghey “Dallas Buyers Club, ” claim he wasn’t the gay basher the movie mak him out to be.

Jt three movi wh queer leads have been nomated for bt picture sce 2006 — one of which, “The Imatn Game, ” was cricized for playg down s protagonist’s homosexualy. McCraney is gay and Jenks is straight, but Chiron’s story belongs to them both. It was the first time I’d seen anythg that was gay.