Moonlight (2016) review

Moonlight is a coming of age story about a little black kid who grows up bullied by his own community, neglected by his junkie mom, and confused about his sexuality. Lahat ng ito, layer by layer, forms the person he eventually becomes. Gusto ko yung moment na gumanti siya sa bully niya. Long time coming. You can feel the years of pain and humiliation finally overflowing. Pero the sad part is it becomes a cycle. He becomes the same kind of person who hurt him. All the trauma manifests and gets projected into his adult identity. Pero kahit ganoon, may crack sa facade niya. And that is Kev. Kev is his soft spot and his safe space. When they talk again, you instantly see the shift in him. Mas lumalabas yung real side niya na matagal niyang tinago. On the technical side, ang ganda ng cinematography. The anamorphic lens gives it an intimate modern feel. The lighting and color grading are vivid and clean, very visually pleasing. It has a polished look that fits the emotional tone of the film. Moonlight is quiet, heavy, and grounded. It is about the people who shape you, the pain you carry, and the version of yourself you create just to survive. And in the middle of all that hardness, there is someone like Kev who reminds you of who you were before life got to you.