Moonlight Film Essay

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Moonlight, the 2017 independent film directed by Barry Jenkins, utilized lighting, contrast, and colors to tell an insightful story exploring themes including race, sexual identity, and drug abuse, among others through the metamorphosis of its central character, Chiron. One particular scene expertly directed occurred within the first fifteen minutes of the film, where Juan teaches Chiron how to swim. The scene itself retains an intimate mood and is comprised of eight medium close-up shots in total, with low contrast and natural lighting. These aesthetic choices aid in the establishment of the intimacy between the two characters and illustrate the budding relationship created between Juan and Chiron. A shot is a “single, uninterrupted take of filming” and the …show more content…
The two begin as strangers, and as Juan holds Chiron like a priest would during a baptism, demonstrates the new beginning for the two. This new beginning consists of Juan adopting Chiron as a surrogate son and Chiron accepting Juan as a father like figure. The choppy, short shots that make up the scene are indicative of their fast moving, developing relationship. The two begin the scene as relative strangers, however, end it as much more, a considerably rapid development, illustrated by the quickness of the shots. The closeness of the camera to the characters further promotes the intimate mood of the scene because just as the viewers feel close to the characters, the characters are growing closer to each other. The calming colors of pale greens and blues prove instrumental in establishing a calmness in the scene. This tranquility is necessary to promote the attachment and affection between Juan and Chiron. Artistically, this scene’s cinematography enhances the intimate mood necessary to set up Juan and Chiron’s

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