Yazz on Film: Moonlight (2016)
My final assignment of first year was to 'critically analyse a specific media text (e.g. film, TV show, series episode) with regards to representations of race, gender, class'; frankly, I was overjoyed when I saw that this was a title I could choose - it's pretty much my dream essay. I decided to write about Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight' and was pretty happy with how it turned out. If anyone would like to read it, here you go.
Although it includes stereotypical racial connotations of violence, drug use and crime, it is arguable that ‘Moonlight’ (2016) offers a refreshing and human depiction of what it means to be a queer, black man living in an impoverished Miami neighbourhood. Critically analysing the media text through the perspective – termed by Linda Martín Alcoff as – “contextualism”, combined with the influence of Stuart Hall’s writing on “good” black popular culture, this essay aims to dissect the race representations in Jenkins’ film, evaluating the construction and writing of black male characters. Opening with a contextualising paragraph supported by the work of Erigha (2015), a literature outline and review of Alcoff’s “Visible Identities…” (2005) and three standpoints on race as a category, the debate on the meaning of “race” is introduced. There is then progression onto the discussion black popular culture and Hall’s “What is this ‘black’ in black popular culture?” (1993) and the importance of intersectionality when representing the experiences of minorities. Through a general overview of the representations of black men in ‘Moonlight’ and a scene analysis section, it is evident that the film adds depth to the, usually negatively, stereotyped black male archetypes and provides insight into the complicated experience of queer, black men.
It is evident that there is a lack of positive representation of BAME groups in media texts; research into the employment of non-white groups in Hollywood illustrates the lack of representation of minorities. Erigha (2015) cites the work of Smith and Choueiti (2011) exposing the fact that, in 2008, “only 6 of the 100 top-grossing films were directed by Black directors”. This issue is also highlighted through the achievement of Asian-born American film director, Ang Lee, breaking the barrier for racial/ethnic minorities when he won the Academy Award for Best Director with “Life of Pi” (2012). The lack of BAME individuals involved in the production of media texts ultimately means that racial/ethnic minorities are mis/underrepresented, ultimately leading to the “creation of a societal culture with stereotypical images and limited creative visions on screen” (Erigha, 2015). The influence of popular culture and media products on society must be taken seriously, as this enforces social conditioning and impacts the way in which individuals see the world and other people.
Alcoff’s (2005) book “Visible Identities: Race, Gender, and the Self” discusses race (and gender) as visual markers which cause segregation and oppression; in a section discussing the varying ideologies surrounding race as a category, three viewpoints termed “nominalism”, “essentialism” and “contextualism” are evaluated. “Nominalism” invalidates race through science and argues that the biological meanings of racial concepts are the issue. Alcoff then criticises this perspective as it “fails to capture multiple meanings of race”, presuming that the term solely refers to biology. In addition, ‘nominalists’ suppose that by refraining from the use of racial concepts, we will solve the sociological and economic determinisms caused by racialization. “Essentialism” views race as an “elemental category of identity”, stating that racial groups have shared characteristics, political views and historical destinies, whilst arguing that racism affects the content given to racial descriptions - as opposed to racial description as a method of categorisation. She evaluates this, exposing the ideology’s failure to capture the fluidity of racial meanings; highlighting that “essentialism” assumes that racial identities are obvious and racialized groupings homogenous. “Contextualism”, on the other hand, Alcoff presents as being the strongest position; the viewpoint interprets race as “socially constructed, historically malleable and culturally contextual”, suggesting that, despite the neoliberal and scientific perspectives disagreeing, race is real. Moreover, “contextualism” assesses the validity of racial concepts based on the context and proves to be strongest due to its political and metaphysical standpoint – determining the ways in which identities are produced, sustained and transformed through social beliefs and practices.
This is echoed in Hall’s writing, in which he states “[r]ace, in that sense, is a discursive system, which has ‘real’ social, economic and political conditions of existence and ‘real’ symbolic and material effects” (Hall, 2002, as cited in Solomos, 2014), suggesting that race is not simply cultural or ideological, but something intertwined with the everyday. Hall (1993) also stresses the issues of viewing racial groups as homogenous – in the way that ‘essentialists’ do – by questioning, “What is this ‘black’ in black popular culture?”. The theorist/sociologist calls attention to black popular culture as a contradictory space and argues for its need to recognise cross-cultural influences, claiming that in order to be “good” black popular culture, media texts must explore the diversity within the black community; in addition, Solomos (2014) also understands Hall’s writing to imply that “racialized identities are constructed and reconstructed through migration, living with difference and forms of racial and ethnic absolutism.” Black popular culture must be heterogeneous, exploring the array of ‘black’ experiences lived.
It is then, therefore, evident, that media texts should be critically analysed for diverse, realistic and non-homogenous race depictions; Hall and Alcoff both suggest that the strongest critical perspectives should consider context and the influence of social beliefs when analyzing texts.
‘Moonlight’ (2016), directed by Barry Jenkins and based upon the play ‘In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue’ by Tarell Alvin McCraney, is a film that explores the life of a queer, black man, Chiron – alluding to the mythical Greek character known for being an outsider. Split into three chapters – “Little”, “Chiron”, “Black” – the audience are exposed to his life as a child, teenager and adult, watching as he attempts to understand his intersectional identity. Despite the previous backlash towards the academy awards (#OscarsSoWhite), Jenkins’ film received the award for best picture. Although the film still features many of the negative black stereotypes reproduced by mass media, Jenkins and McCraney were praised for their ability to create multi-dimensional characters, humanizing the, often misrepresented, ‘black man’. The two, however, would likely argue that the characters are reflections of real people as opposed to fictional creations, emphasising Hall’s statement that “we only express what we already know we are” (1993). As Erigha (2015) implies, the inclusion of minority creators in the film industry allows for the stereotypes to be contested, “dismantling the White male hegemony”; therefore, it is arguable that ‘Moonlight’ was so well-written as it was crafted by two black men from impoverished Miami neighbourhoods, like the character(s) in the text.
Water is a key motif in ‘Moonlight’ and is evident in each act of Chiron’s life as audiences witness him evolve from child to man; its symbolism is complex and changes over time to represent freedom, danger, transformation and rebirth – particularly suggested by the baptismal “In the Middle of the World” scene.
The “In the Middle of the World” (or “swimming lesson”) scene in the first act - “Little” – offers a refreshing depiction of black father-son relationships. The scene is significant as it marks the start of Chiron’s own life, not the life expected of him due to the racial stereotypes of society and statistics. In contrast to the majority of the film, a moment of peace is offered; the sound of waves lapping washes beneath the score and the camera is submerged in the water beside the two, adding a sense of intimacy. At face-value, Juan embodies the hyper-masculine, criminal, black stereotype – a drug-dealer; yet Jenkins adds depth to the character, creating a flawed father figure. The caring attributes of Juan illustrate the strength of “contextualism”, humanising the ‘black criminal’ archetype. On-screen father-son relationships, especially those within black families, are often centred around masculinity and manhood (eg. ‘Boyz in the Hood’), however, Juan offers the young protagonist tender and non-judgmental love, challenging the typical portrayal and also the view that people of colour are more homophobic than others. The relationship is reinforced through the similar appearances of the two, with “Little” Chiron mirroring Juan both in looks and in movements as he learns to swim. The dark bodies of the characters’ contrast with the muted blues of the setting, emphasising the personal and sincere moment. The act of Juan teaching Chiron to swim mimics the event of an infant taking their first steps, drawing further attention to the close bond the two share; Juan becomes the ‘proud father’ with his joy evident through cheers and laughter, celebrating the child’s success.
As he ages in “Chiron”, the protagonist begins to explore his sexuality; Chiron and Kevin – a childhood friend – both struggle with their identities as queer, black men – “I wanna do a lot of things that don’t make sense” (Jenkins, 2016) – and discuss the hope for their tears to merge with the water, presenting the sea as a place of comfort and safety. The teenagers being shown in such vulnerable states offers insight into the struggles faced by queer, black men; Copeland (2017) comments on the 1990s ‘New Black Realism’ movement and the flaw of the hyper-masculine undertones that were produced. The article highlights the issue of emotional suppression in the system of black masculinity; the, essentially secret, release of tears from Kevin and Chiron, combined with the “toughness” of the Miami area – “if you were a man…” (Jenkins, 2016) – emphasises this.
The use of the recurring shot of Chiron washing his face in “Chiron” and “Black” implies routine; once Chiron becomes violent for the first time at the end of the second act, he is arrested and thus becomes accustomed to more reckless, criminal behaviour, fulfilling the ‘black man’ stereotype. Copeland (2017) expresses the problem of black males being exploited by the media and devalued by law enforcement reinforcing the interpretation.
The conversation which occurs after the swimming lesson serves as a pivotal moment in the film; Juan recalls a memory from when he lived in Cuba, telling Chiron about his childhood. The man describes a particular instance in which he was told he looked “blue” in the moonlight; this is particularly striking as it allows audiences to question the amount of power race has. “Blue” suggests that Juan (and Chiron) do not need to be reduced to the stereotypes of their visual identities as black males. Although this may seem a flawed interpretation due to Juan’s occupation, Jenkins’ characterisation of the father-figure offers depth to the often dehumanised drug dealer, highlighting his genuine love and care for “Little”. Furthermore, the last act of the film being titled “Black” may initially appear to simply reinforce the idea of race as stereotyped categories, however, a new sense of empowerment is added to the term. Though audiences are presented with a masculine, criminal, adult Chiron, he returns to his gentle nature once reunited with Kevin. ‘Moonlight’ is, in part, a love-story and Jenkins’ ending suggests that love is needed in order to allow black men to grow and shape their own paths. The final shot of the film features the younger, “Little” Chiron looking out to the sea, further suggesting hope for the destruction the black stereotype, adult Chiron and a return to vulnerability and innocence for the protagonist.
The three-act film, ‘Moonlight’ (2016) depicts much more than the life of an individual, queer, black man. Each ‘character’ – “Little”, “Chiron”, “Black” – portrays the lives of many BAME minorities. Jenkins’ work successfully replays the fantasies of the stereotypes, whilst simultaneously contesting them; through exploring archetypes, such as the ‘drug dealer’, he is able to contextualise the black man, offering a human representation as opposed to the mythic, two-dimensional, brutal character shown in most media outlets. Through the intersectional identity of Chiron and Kevin as queer, black men, the text also proves itself to be “good” black popular culture. Telling not only the story of those living in poor, “black neighbourhoods”, but in particular the story of those who are unable to conform to the presumptions of their visible identities. These portrayals strongly intertwine with the ideology of “contextualism”; although it appears that the path for black males living in impoverished areas is pre-determined, Chiron’s return to his gentle nature and contrasting, muscular adult body suggest that there is hope and opportunity to break out of the system of tough, black masculinity and of the socially constructed expectations of his race.
Bibliography:
Alcoff, Linda M. “Visible identities: Race, gender and the self”, Oxford: Oxford University Press. (2005) 179-186
Copeland, Kameron J. “MOONLIGHT, Directed by Barry Jenkins.” Journal of Homosexuality 65, no. 5 (April 16, 2018): 687–89.
Erigha, Maryann. “Race, Gender, Hollywood: Representation in Cultural Production and Digital Media’s Potential for Change.” Sociology Compass 9, no. 1 (January 1, 2015): 78–89.
Hall, Stuart. “What Is This ‘Black’ in Black Popular Culture?” Social Justice 20, no. 1/2 (51-52) (1993): 104–14.
Solomos, John. “Stuart Hall: Articulations of Race, Class and Identity.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 37, no. 10 (August 24, 2014): 1667–75.
Filmography:
Jenkins, B. “Moonlight” (2016)