So I Saw “Moonlight” Today and Well…

trevante2foxhole.
i want you to stop what you are doing right now.
get in the shower,
pick out a nice outfit,
and find the closest theater playing “moonlight” tomorrow.
( x go to fandango )
i am completely blown away at what i watched today.
i haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
i’m going to give a quick review without giving too much away.
although i reallllllllllly want to talk about it with someone.
this movie was heavy.
let’s get into it…

moonlight-posterwhen i arrived at the theater,
i was expecting a crowd of “us”.

black
gay
millennial
older

well gotcha!
the entire theater was packed with:

older
snow
gay
couples
families

it was 3 or 4 other blacks in there.
3 were vixens who were solo.
1 was on a date with a snow fox.
so “moonlight” is about a wolf named chiron and the 3 stages of his life.

cub
teenager
adult

it takes us on chiron’s journey of self discovery and homosexuality,
but within a life of poverty.
from the time we meet chiron as a cub,
we understand why he is so withdrawn and shy.
he was different and everyone could see it.
kevin could see it.
tumblr_ofe3hyycsa1qfmntoo1_500i was him at some point of my life.
i might be still.
it was good to see someone i could relate with and not a stereotype.
the movie also didn’t allow chiron’s character to wear his sexuality on his sleeve.
it wasn’t really a “gay” movie.
“chiron” was the theme of the movie.
his struggles,
trying to find himself,
and wanting the love from a parent who couldn’t provide it.
this is what made the movie so refreshing.

i will font this…
and hopefully it doesn’t give too much away
but chiron wanted to emulate the only male in his life.
the only older male figure that gave a damn about him.
i found that interesting that he looked up to him so much,
that he started to become him.
by the time he became an adult in the third act,
he was that older male figure.
you can impact someone’s life and not even realize it.

blown.

foxhole,
can you please go see this movie?
we can all take something out of it.
there is something,
or everything,
most of us can relate to in this life.
you will not be disappointed.
i promise you.

low key: i found myself attracted to chiron,
the adult male.
giphyhe was so sexy,
but his vulnerability was what made me fall in love with him.
i love a wolf who is hard on the outside,
but has many layers and depths to who he is.
that is so attractive to me.
i would like to meet a wolf like chiron.
bawdy and all.
source
nothing turns me on more than that.
oh…

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…am i the only one who thinks the bully in his teens was dl?
there is one particular scene that made me think so.

“moonlight” stars:

    trevante rhodes
    andré holland
    janelle monáe
    ashton sanders
    jharrel jerome
    naomie harris
    mahershala ali

…and they all need oscars.
go see this movie!
spoilers may be in the comment box below.

31 thoughts on “So I Saw “Moonlight” Today and Well…

  1. really enjoyed this movie. a lot of people In the theater were unaware of the gay element so it was surprising how they reacted to some scenes. no one walked out but I have read comments that said the trailer is “misleading” lol. and yes adult Black is a daddy. geez.

  2. I too was blown away by this wonderful film. I thought it was interesting that the director is straight, and the writer is gay. I first came across the writer Tarell Alvin McCraney in 2008 when he became the playwright in residence of the Royal Shakespeare Company. I knew then this man was gifted, and on the right path to producing some excellent work. And I haven’t been let down.

  3. Looks Dominican…where? Ppl here On the east coast, Black Americans and Dominicans, having been saying that about me, but I’m like, whatever look they consider to be Dominican is not unusual down South

  4. Oh yeah! I have to check if it’s playing here! I hope it is. I really want to see this one!

  5. I have been patiently waiting on the Foxhole commentary on this great film. I saw it last week. I too was surprised that there were not more of us at the theater I viewed it at. It was only me and my boo, and four other Black obviously gay dudes who all came together, I spotting them earlier having drinks at a restaurant across the street from the theater and the rest of the audience was Snow Vixens and a few Snow males sprinkled in there. I was sort of disappointed that more of us was not supporting but hopefully this will change once word of mouth catches on.

    Now on to my review of the movie itself and I will try not to give too much away. I love the fact that Juan despite his profession was shown in a human light, even as this macho character he had enough heart to play a positive role in the life of a child despite him being different. Janelle Monae aka Teresa was also surprisingly good in this film. My only disappointment was that they did not have bigger roles and the Juan story line left me confused that we had to just figure out what happened to him. I wished that they would have at least shown how Chiron handle that situation.

    Naomi Harris aka Chiron’s mother deserves a Oscar hands down, I thought she was the best actor in the movie along with the teenage Chiron coming in a close second. She owned the screen. The pain and vulnerability that teenage Chiron experienced just with his facial expressions and little words was also one of the highlights of the movie to me. His performance probably made every gay man want to hug him because most of us have experienced his pain growing up. I kept thinking that the bully really liked him as well and like so many dudes who taunted gay dudes probably grew up to be down low and gay himself. The unrequited love between him and Kevin as teens was also a highlight of the film.

    I thought that the adult Chiron was easy on the eyes but his character was actually lacking, the adult Kevin was a stronger actor and stole this scene, along with the songs on the jukebox, which I guess were suppose to subliminally express how Chiron and Kevin felt about each other.

    The ending was a tad disappointing, the four gay brothers who came together expressed their loud displeasure that they did not get to see Chiron in a love scene. I too felt a little disappointed not so much for a hot love scene but I wanted them to explore their adult relationship more.

    Overall a very different film and a very good film, my only gripe was the character development and story throughout the whole movie had a few too many holes in it and a better job could have been done on that, but I would recommend it whole heartily.

  6. I’m so glad that you went to go see it! It’s so amazing and I want to see it again. I was also in a theater full of older white people which threw me for a loop. Especially considering that I live in the DMV area. Anywho, I loved all of the acting and the humanism in the movie. I really felt at times that I wasn’t even watching a film. They all did such a great job and its a story that people certainly need to see on screen.

      1. I honestly don’t know! In all honesty, if I didn’t want to be caught watching the film I would go during the day because its typically less people. Maybe they’re waiting for it to gain more buzz or come on Netflix lol. I don’t know. But I really would love for a lot of people in the Black community to see it, gay and straight.

  7. I saw it and thoroughly enjoyed it. The directing was great, the cast was great, and the acting was great. That adult Chirone has to be one of the finest men that graced the screen in a long time — he’s the new Idris or Denzel.
    My only critique would be that this buster ass muscular nigga sat his ass in there the entire movie, and then as everyone was leaving, his downlow ass started saying, “Man, I can even go to the movies, from this gay shit.” I’m like, “Nigga, shut yo fufu ass up. You came to this movie because it had a gay theme.”

      1. Jamari, he was alone. I think he a little embarrassed when he saw me (another masculine looking brother) because we walked out the movie at the same time.

  8. *******Spoiler********:
    When Chiron(Black) told Kevin “You are the only man that has ever touched me,” I thought Chiron’s heart was about to bust out his chest. Then you had all the heavy breathing he was doing. That is a level of love I’ve never experienced before. I was hoping for a kissing/sex scene between the two, but that part of the movie made up for it.

    1. Agree. After he said that, I wasn’t necessarily looking for a love scene, but a scene that looked more authentic and real. The director did such a good job making the bond between the two look authentic, but on that final scene, it looked forced. I would have preferrred them coming in close as if they were gonna kiss; then the screen fades to black just before their lips touched.

    2. ^OMG WHEN HE SAID THAT…!!!!!!
      so that means chiron probably stayed a virgin.
      his only touch from a male was that moment on the beach.

      imagine if there are males actually out here like this???????!

  9. So far it is coming no where near me in Louisiana…I guess I will just have to wait until DVD.

    1. Spread the love. Live in the light. #MOONLIGHT shimmers with humanity and hope. Opens EVERYWHERE Nov 18.

  10. Jamari, I saw it in Atlanta with my partner last weekend (we’re both Black). The rest of the audience were White senior citizens. That threw me off. You’d think in Atlanta that there would be more Black people supporting it. Just an observation. You could tell they didn’t know what half the slang meant, i.e. trap house/trapping.

    I really liked the movie. Loved Janelle Monae. The whole audience gasped when the little boy asked “What’s a _____?”

    1. ^yeah that part made everyone gasp in my theater.

      was I the only one who kinda cringed with the “pineapple” word being thrown around?
      the reason I cringed was being in a theater with all whites.

      is that wrong?

  11. Mahershala Ali (Juan) plays Cotton Mouth in Luke Cage, was also in House of Cards, and is in the upcoming movie Hidden Figures with Janelle Monae and Tarjai P Henson

  12. amazing movie, finally you saw it, took you long enough. andré holland was in Selma. jharrel jerome is in the upcoming movie Monster.

    Black stay down!

    Chiron who is you?

  13. Awesome movie. I saw it this past Thursday at a screening in Memphis. We need to see this, regardless of persuasion.

  14. I saw this movie here in Atlanta and I loved it. The story line was very deep for me. It really tackled on what black boys go through growing up and what is perceived to be masculine in our society. The audience was soo diverse and I loved it (Black gays, white straight, Latino gays and straight . This movie is making money at the box office. This movie first started out in 4 theaters. Now it is in 176 theaters. As of Friday, this movie has grossed over 3.8 Million dollars. It is getting raved reviews and I know its going to be nominated for Images awards and even an Oscar. Oh by the way, did you know that Brad Pitt is one of the producers of the movie?

  15. I habe been obsessed with this movie. I wanna see it but its not playing anywhere in North Charleston.

  16. Trevante Rhodes is so damn sexy! He was the only reason I watched “If Loving You Is Wrong” last season.

  17. I saw it 3 times here in Cambridge, Ma. Great movie.. loved it.. The first two times I went with friends, the 3rd by myself.. Adult Chiron.that is a beautiful man. love his quiet persona , the eyes and his smile.. Great acting.. The actress who played the mother is a class act.
    By the way the 3 times that I went the theatre was packed and the movie was shown in 3 theatres. Hope they make lots of money off it and that it goes to the cast.

  18. I’m planning on seeing this with friends next Friday, I’ll have to stay away from the comment on this post until then.

  19. It was an amazing movie Jamari. The ending was weird as hell though. It was building up to a good sex scene and left me with blue balls. The movie was good throughought….but BAY-BAY when he become a MAN. OH MY GOD I couldn’t keep my legs closed because he was so fine. And is it me or did they mis-cast the adult version of Kevin. The Kevin in high school was giving Dominican Papi tease and the adult just looked like a light skin guy.

    1. ^when adult chiron first came on the scene,
      i was like………..

      take me now.

      the thing that gets me is “chiron” is someone out here.
      many vixens who saw it were shocked that a “chiron” does exist.
      he is just discreet.
      i’m glad this movie helped others see “we” come in many packages.

      i agree with kevin!!!
      he was black as a cub,
      dominican as a teenager,
      and then a light skin male as an adult.
      was kevin even gay?

      am i the only one who has thought about how the “straight” wolf has sex after he talks about it?
      i related to that scene when kevin was telling chiron about his adventure in the stairwell.

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