moonlight gender analysis

Original Misgivings. As a movie with an all-black cast, it is crucial to analyze the two most common themes associated with the group by media: violence and hypersexuality. Chiron the main character is surrounded by hate from his mother and his peers. At this moment, we are introduced to Chirone, the main protagonist to Terrell McCartney’s masterpiece, Moonlight. For example, some Black men frequent gay hip hop clubs where they do not need to “come out”; they can enjoy a space where they can explore their sexuality with other men while simultaneously performing heterosexuality by acting “hard” with hip-hop music. These are reminiscent of scenes in Paris Is Burning, inviting the audience to examine the body language and features of the subject. Social science research sheds light on the origins of these stereotypes and how they influence Black men’s gender and sexual identity performances. By transcending our sex lives, Moonlight makes room for an incredibly rich portrayal of what sexual identity is and means for queer men – specifically for black queer men who face expectations of hypermasculinty. Watching Moonlight is a deeply personal experience. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers. You may choose to produce a critical analysis of either Moonlight or Love, Simon. Moonlight Film Analysis 793 Words | 4 Pages Moonlight is an American drama film that chronicles the life of African-American male Chiron, who is being raised by a careless mother in a harsh Miami neighbourhood. "In moonlight, black boys look blue." 1579 Words7 Pages. Its most prominent themes are love, stereotypes and identity. The film breaks down three stages of Chiron life, his youth, adolescences, and his early adulthood. McGuffey interviewed 62 parents of Black and Puerto Rican sexually abused boys. In much of Moonlight, masculinity is a rigid, unsliding scale – hard, aggressive and emotionally ambiguous is the only acceptable form of behaviour amongst the black males of Chiron’s teenage peer group. Out’ in the Club: The Down Low, Hip-Hop, and the Architexture of Black Masculinity, Nobody is Supposed to Know: Black Sexuality on the Down Low. Moonlight is a coming of age movie of a young African American man through three stages of his life. Director Barry Jenkins attempts to deconstruct these stereotypes of Black masculinity in the award-winning Moonlight. Moonlight an enticing film showing three parts of a gay African American male’s life. The film is based off a main character whose name is Chiron and is going through life trying to figure out what it means to be a man, a “Black” man at that. Simone de Beauvoir famously quoted that “one is not born a woman, but becomes one”, arguing that gender and sex are not related in the way that we assume they are. https://nofilmschool.com/james-laxton-cinematography-moonlight The participants of these ‘balls’ were often gay black men who came along in order to express themselves and meet people living a similar lifestyle. March 10, 2017. For example, they may view whiteness as feminine and homosexual, and thus position themselves as the heterosexual man whose masculinity is reaffirmed through sex with women. Pros and cons to essay on Gender Performativity in the Film 'Moonlight' Toxic masculinity is defined by Kupers (2005) as encompassing socially regressive male traits that “serve to foster domination, the devaluation of women, homop hobia, and wantonviolence". The movie Moonlight follows the story of the character Chiron, as he transitions through three main stages of his life beginning with him as a poor little boy from Miami, followed by his adolescence, and lastly his life as young adult. Moonlight portrays black gay life in its joy, sadness and complexity. "That's what I'm gonna call you: 'Blue.'". Moonlight, Masculinity, and Black Male Sexualities, Inequality and Access to Mental Health Care, Historical Roots of Racialized Mass Incarceration, Gender and Participation in the College Classroom, Culture, Inequality, and Multilevel Marketing. Yet, being “in the closet” or “on the down low” may further stigmatize Black queer men as sexually deviant. December 1, 2016. amzn_assoc_design = "in_content"; Cinematographer James Laxton shot every scene in Moonlight with clear purpose; to capture and express Chiron’s inner world from moment to moment. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; a qualitative investigation of clinical mental health counseling interns’ experiential reflections on the popular film, moonlight: an intersectional activity His life living in a rough neighborhood and being surrounded by homophobes. Throughout the film, Chiron is asked to consider who he is, and who he would like to be known as. It is a gay movie that have full-black cast, and it is about isolation, sexualisation, race and class. Social science research sheds light on the origins of these stereotypes and how they influence Black men’s gender and sexual identity performances. . Black men are often depicted as hypersexual, aggressive, and criminal in the media, which perpetuates long-standing racial and gender stereotypes and inequalities. Whilst others in the film are sure of who they are, some even from a young age, Chiron reacts to how people perceive him, following a similar path to those who try to blend in Paris Is Burning. Moonlight Scene Analysis ; Black Identity: The Struggle between Virility and Vulnerability; Color, Lighting, and Powerful Motifs: The Evocative Visual Design in Moonlight Messages regarding the need to act “tough” also affect sexually abused Black male children. Is a Stunning Deconstruction of Black Masculinity. amzn_assoc_asins = "B01MU9CMGJ,B007L739EE,B07M7XP6RK"; #genderbarry jenkinsjanelle monaemahershala alimasculinitymoonlightNaomie Harrisparis is burningsexuality. As such, they encouraged heterosexual behavior by telling them not to touch other boys, asking them if they had a girlfriend, and telling them to look at girls’ physical characteristics. Offering up great research from across the social sciences that speaks to the big events of the day. If you’re late to the party, Moonlight is a talented film directed by Barry Jenkins based on the play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The only three constant supporters in his life were Juan, Teresa and Kevin. Moonlight doesn't just look and sound great. Moonlight Scene Analysis ; Black Identity: The Struggle between Virility and Vulnerability; Color, Lighting, and Powerful Motifs: The Evocative Visual Design in Moonlight In the third act of the film, Chiron chooses to embrace the stereotypical black male performance, suddenly becoming a muscular, grill-wearing drug dealer, far from the vulnerable kid he was in the previous act. Your email address will not be published. Moonlight takes time to study the shape and movements of the body and explore how we’ve been conditioned to associate different movements with gender and sexuality. “It evolved when the character is also evolving,” says Laxton. Moonlight. Due to the stigmas described above, many queer Black men attempt to remain “in the closet” to avoid harassment and violence. His response is to perform a version of masculinity that is expected of a black male in order to fit in. Analysis of Moonlight by Berry Jenkins. By dividing each stage of the Moonlight: Violence, Shame, and Repression Maddison Plant: 20018572 The film Moonlight did a fantastic job at representing what an African American gay person would have gone through within a bad neighborhood. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He acquires the nicknames ‘Little’ and ‘Black’, but Juan (Mahershala Ali), the drug dealer who takes him under his wing, encourages Chiron to make his own name and become his own person rather than the one people would like to see him as. At its heart, Moonlight is an intensely personal movie that documents the struggle of a person to come to terms with their identity. Director Barry Jenkins attempts to deconstruct these stereotypes of Black masculinity in the award-winning Moonlight. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Moonlight And The Performativity Of Masculinity, Miljeong (The Age Of Shadows) - Venice 2016 Review, Todd Stephens, Udo Kier and Linda Evans on Swan Song, Why First Cow Was The Biggest Oscar Snub This Year, Netflix, Annihilation, and Elitism in Cinema, Bloodless Spectacle and Everyday Sexism in Silence of the Lambs, Why Mother Gothel is the Best Disney Villain, Best Films Never Made #11: Michael Mann's Gates of Fire, Best Films Never Made #43: The Beatles and Joe Orton’s Up Against It, Best Films Never Made #42: George A. Romero’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Best Films Never Made #41: J. J. Abrams and Ron Howard’s The Dark Tower, Best Films Never Made #40: George A. Romero’s The Mummy, Best Films Never Made #39: Joss Whedon’s Wonder Woman, Best Films Never Made #38: Ridley Scott’s Nottingham, A Beginner's Guide to... Daniel Day-Lewis, Pandemic Panic: The Best Horror Films to Distract You Right Now, Best Buys For the Best Films of the 2010s, ORWAV’s Top 20 Films of 2019: #6 – If Beale Street Could Talk, ORWAV’s Top 100 Films of the 2010s: #20-1. He may still be the same person inside, but his external appearance now fits the code expected of him. That specificity is important. The movie tells the story of Chiron, a young, Black, queer man, on a quest for self-acceptance amidst the homophobia of his peers and socioeconomic circumstances of his Atlanta neighborhood. Julianne Henderson. Whilst we are told that Chiron is gay, the sexual orientations of other characters are not explicitly revealed, and this makes our examinations of other characters, like Kevin, more intense, asking the question: can we tell if someone is gay just from their appearance? Paris is Burning shows how this kind of flexible identity is essential to survive as a black gay man. Hyper Sexual, Hyper Masculine? My gender analysis of Moonlight tackles the real life issues the movie's characters face. 10 min read [I was certain that I would be waiting until March or even April before I could watch Moonlight. For this assignment, our group picked a movie called “Moonlight”. ... Ph.D., had rave reviews. • You will write a film response (5-6 pages, times new roman, 12pt font) that incorporates course material. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Moonlight (Film) by Barry Jenkins. “Moonlight” is set in an African-American community in Miami that is plagued by addiction and poverty, but its resonance extends far beyond that. CC Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike, Black men are often depicted as hypersexual, aggressive, and criminal in the media, which perpetuates long-standing racial and gender stereotypes and inequalities. ‘Moonlight’ takes on many themes in film about race and gender identity. Moonlight firstly, allows a gay black man to be the protagonist. In conclusion, ​Moonlight ​is a film that manages to convey emotions and situations that are often ambiguous or unconscious to the people who experience them in real life and simultaneously raises awareness about the larger social institutions that confine men, and black men especially, to a cycle of social policing and internalized homonegativity. 0. Moonlight is a three act, coming of age story that follows the journey of a young, African-American, gay man from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. The movie tells the story of Chiron, a young, Black, queer man, on a quest for self-acceptance amidst the … While virtually all men are subjected to the pressures of acting like a “real man,” Black men experience additional strain due to racialized stereotypes that depict them as inherently dangerous and hypersexual. The focus on the Main Character Throughline, the cinematography, the editing—everything brings you in close and whispers Chiron's journey of self-actualization.But what really makes the film such an intimate portrayal is the clever omission of a key element of story structure.. The Film Moonlight Film Analysis. Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight explores the life of Chiron – a black gay man in a rough Miami neighbourhood – across three periods in his life. Other Black men only engage in homosexual activity on the “down low” (DL). Director Barry Jenkins attempts to deconstruct these stereotypes of Black masculinity in the award-winning. He’s taken in by a well-meaning couple (played by Mahershala Ali and Janelle Monáe), but as he ages he becomes increasingly isolated because of the way he moves and looks, facing bullying from classmates and even his mother, who imply that his body language and style of dress denote his sexuality. Your email address will not be published. While Paris Is Burning examined black gay men against the back drop of a ‘White America’, comparing how the mainstream media rules over minorities of race and sexuality, Moonlight feels like more of an examination into the fragility of black masculinity. Analysis of Cinematography in Moonlight by Barry Jenkins. Saving Masculinity:’ Gender Reaffirmation, Sexuality, Race, and Parental Responses to Male Child Sexual Abuse. Moonlight is the Academy-Award winning film by Barry Jenkins. Chiron is shown as a child enjoying a dance class at school, looking at himself in the mirror and admiring his own movements. Black men are often depicted as hypersexual, aggressive, and criminal in the media, which perpetuates long-standing racial and gender stereotypes and inequalities. The people it features perform as their real selves onstage, allowing flamboyance and theatricality to take centre stage away from the social pressures of the real world, but they also show that they can ‘fit in’ when needed, performing in ‘business’ outfits in a sly mockery of the mainstream. All of my pockets have old cinema tickets in them. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. However, the personal cannot be detached from the political, especially not in contemporary times where racism and hypermasculinity are traits that are not only favored, but won the highest office in this nation. Girls and women are treated unfairly in society, while men are viewed as … 258. March 10, 2017. Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Moonlight — The Sexual Identity and Overall Well Being of Chiron in Moonlight, a Film by Barry Jenkins This essay has been submitted by a student. view essay example. There is a greater meaning to all the seemingly unimportant saturation of colors and camera angles. And others navigate stigma by exploring queer experiences without distancing themselves from their straight public identity. Gender, Queerness, and Performative Masculinity as an Escape: An Analysis of Moonlight 06/17/2018 by Wilhelmina Minney In her essay “Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Maybe”, Hortense Spillers argues that the gendered configuration for Black people through slavery and its afterlife is “the dehumanizing, ungendering, defacing project of African persons” (Ziyad, 2017). Moonlight was directed by Barry Jenkins, adapting the unproduced play called In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Moonlight (Film) essays are academic essays for citation. . The novel begins by actively portraying Saadawi’s understanding of gender structure and roles. His friend Kevin is the one exception to this rule, with scenes between the pair providing an outlet for the navigation of confusing and intense emotions. Film Analysis Moonlight 4 Pages. Where hypermasculinity manifests, gay sex can be as dangerous as it is liberating. Secondly, it allows this protagonist to express traditionally feminine characteristics: to cry, feel emotion, be honest, and be vulnerable, however, not without the harsh reality of disapproval from his peers. The film takes an in-depth look at the race, class, gender and sexuality of the main character Chiron, and sometimes to side characters as… amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "orwav-20"; Moonlight: Why Intersectional Representation Matters. This is a criticism of Moonlight, a film directed by Barry Jenkins. Midterm Assignment (film analysis) • Due online through Sakai on Friday March 12th by 11:55pm. The result is that some Black men label those who behave in traditionally feminine ways as “sissies” or “punks” and justify violence perpetuated against them. He found that fathers believed male-perpetrated sexual abuse threatened their son’s masculinity. The movie tells the story of Chiron, a young, Black, queer man, on a quest for self-acceptance amidst the homophobia of his peers and socioeconomic circumstances of his Atlanta neighborhood. Throughout his childhood and adolescence Chiron is often teased and called homophobic slurs by the other neighborhood kids. Moonlight Review. There’s a cruel dichotomy signified by the color blue. "You're blue.”. Set in Miami in a time “not distant from the present,” Moonlight distills the reality of black life in a time akin to the 1980s and 1990s Reagan-Bush era. Kevin presents himself as a traditionally masculine guy in his use of language regarding women, perhaps in order to hide his sexuality and avoid being singled out in the way that Chiron is. He has two choices: embrace his sexuality in the knowledge it will open him up to abuse and hatred, or perform the identity of a straight black male and live a quieter life. It explores how people can create an identity they want, and, often, suppress the one that they truly are. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; A gender analysis of black men and their struggle with gender norm and sexuality. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Moonlight (Film) by Barry Jenkins. https://oneroomwithaview.com/2017/02/17/moonlight-performativity-masculinity In relation to the ensemble cast, Moonlight's main goal is to tackle how both inward and outward forces and experiences shape our identity. Required fields are marked *. Moonlight‘s focus on the performance of gender is similar to Jennie Livingston’s 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning (currently on UK Netflix), which follows the underground drag ball circuit in New York in the late 1980s. It is a coming-of-age story, telling the journey of a young gay black man named Chiron. Moonlight (Film) essays are academic essays for citation. Due to the socioeconomic disadvantages that plague many Black communities, Black men develop alternative constructions of masculinity that emphasize moral and masculine superiority over white men. • It is up to you to choose 2 course readings that assist in describing the film’s themes and narrative. David Bornfriend/A24 Actors André Holland and Trevante Rhodes from Moonlight. Paris Is Burning visualises the idea that gender roles are socially constructed, giving rules to how a person must dress, act and talk depending on their sex. Many were afraid that the abuse made their sons act “too emotional” and that they would become homosexual. Moonlight builds on this idea of gender being something that is performed as opposed to inherent, but this time in a fictional setting. Moonlight Character Analysis. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Almost 30 years after Livingston’s revolutionary documentary, Jenkins has created a beautiful film that is both beautiful and a stepping off point for discussions on how sexuality is linked to social expectations of masculinity. Sexual orientation and gay representation in Moonlight. Jenkins also includes scenes where the actor looks directly into the camera. Moonlight: Reflecting Violence & Rape Culture. March 10, 2017. As Chiron grows older, he recognises the need to conform to this heteronormative idea of black masculinity. Film Analysis Of Moonlight Moonlight is a 2016 American coming-of-age drama. 1279 Words6 Pages. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; It truly takes a village to raise a child, but when your village is damaged by the… amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; Gender, Race and Sexuality in the Identities of Contemporary Black Men. amzn_assoc_linkid = "2cd4a0f1de66b6ad5c82cc7952b6d47c"; by Jeffrey McCune Associate Professor of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and African & African-American Studies In Moonlight, playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney and director Barry Jenkins come together to tell a beautiful story. Moonlight Moonlight is a coming of age movie of a young gay Black named. Recognises the need to conform to this heteronormative idea of gender structure and roles not example. His childhood and adolescence Chiron is shown as a child enjoying a dance class at,. To the stigmas described above, many queer Black men attempt to remain “ in closet! 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