“Moonlight” Scene Analysis
Moonlight is a film directed by Barry Jenkins and edited by Joi McMillion and Nat Sanders. The plot explores the life of Chiron in a three act structure: Little, Chiron, and Black. Each chapter explore a different age in Chiron’s life and the important events that shifted him at that age. It won The Academy Award for Best Picture in 2017, and is a very widely spoke about film. It dives deep into the themes of manhood, being black, and sexuality and how they overlap in Chiron life.
Throughout Moonlight, the relationship between Chiron and his mother is tense because she is a struggling drug addict and is focused on getting drugs for most of his childhood. The film is composed of three scenes with his mother, but one replays in his head throughout his life. The scene is the moment before his mother goes into her room to take drugs. The camera angle goes back and forth between looking at Chiron at shoulder level, back to his mother at shoulder level. The scene has no audio, just the same classic music track that plays throughout the important moments in little’s ( Chiron childhood nickname and chapter name ) life.
The mise-en-scene is set up to demonstrate the tense relationship of having a drug addict parent, and to show how “Little’s” home life affects Chiron life in the long run. The setting is in little’s house between two rooms. One of the room being where his mother takes drugs and most of the lighting of the scene comes in. That room is lit because his mother is about to go in to take drugs which is why she is yelling at him. The lighting in the scene places the focus on his mother and the room she is about to go in. Every time she walks into that room it affects Chiron because he knows what she is about to do in there.The depth of space between his mother and him show the distance relationship they soon would develop because of moments like this.
The whole scene used non diegetic sound which was a continuation of classical music that plays throughout the “Little” chapter every time an important life shifting moment occurs. The music emphasizes how much this affects Chiron and how he knows what is happening in that room even though he is young.
The scene parallels Chiron and his mother doing the same thing to show how similar they deal with fruition and problems. When his mother walks into the room; Chiron walks away to show how they both lost their battles. One to the drugs she is about to take and the other wanting to say more to his mother, but he can’t. The parallel editing really helps to show how his mother directly impacts his adult life and how he handles situations.
The scene pops up again in the beginning of his adult life chapter “Black.” This time the scene includes what was muffled audio at first. His mother yells, “Don’t look at me” and then a jump cut happens and Chiron is much older and the audience starts to explore his adult life. This scene is placed here a second time to show how his mother’s relationship with him still places a big role in his life. His mother and childhood taunt him even thought he is looked at differently when grown up.
Overall, the scene was an important and molded the audience view of Chiron and his mother’s relationship. It showed the struggle she had with accepting she was a drug addict and the way that Chiron had to learn how to deal with it.
