Part of
Love Makers + Rule Breakers:
See the full film series.
In his Best Picture winner, Barry Jenkins deftly directs the story of a young Black man at three stages of his life. This coming-of-age film fit within our Love Makers + Rule Breakers series because it is fundamentally about loving yourself amidst a world that wants you to hate yourself. Our protagonist, Little, comes from a domestic life scarred by the crack epidemic of the 80s, and finds a father figure in Juan, a drug dealer (played magnificently by Mahershala Ali). As he grows up, he changes names from "Little" to "Chiron" to "Black." We sense that he is trying to find his identity as a closeted gay Black man– and his old childhood friend Kevin senses that too. Many have said that MOONLIGHT is a stunning drama, but "it would be truer to the mood and spirit of this breathtaking film to say that it’s about teaching a child to swim, about cooking a meal for an old friend, about the feeling of sand on skin and the sound of waves on a darkened beach, about first kisses and lingering regrets" –A.O. Scott,
New York Times.
Tuesday, February 14
7pm