raw thoughts

wow. i haven’t watched a movie that i wanted to be longer in a while. i was so engaged with it the entire time that it was playing, and i cried when watching multiple different scenes.

where do i even start? the cinematography, the subtle acting performances given by (everyone, really) especially Trevante Rhodes and Ashton Sanders, the MUSIC. It was perfect by my standards, and it might be one of the most compelling queer films i’ve ever seen— but it’s not limited to just queer audiences.

overall, i think this film could not only heavily resonate with black and queer audiences, but also audiences that had to come to terms with any aspect of their individual selves that differs from the status quo.

I think films like this with a clear message tend to be on-the-nose with subpar execution, but Barry Jenkins really nailed the subtlety and drama necessary to keep audiences engaged.

Although I like researching and going into deep dives about sociological theory and informing myself about cultures I’m not involved with, I’m very much aware that I’ll probably not understand the full depths that this film went into. After all, I’m a mostly-straight Korean woman that has never seen even glimpses of Black culture growing up in a middle-class, mostly-white neighborhood in North Jersey. But I don’t think the film expects you to know everything. It’s very meticulously balanced, representing the depths of black masculinity and queer demographics by inviting you to watch Chiron grow up and become somewhat of a representation of what is expected in Black masculinity. I loved the scene when Kevin starts playing “Hello, Stranger”, sung by Barbara Lewis— her voice echoing out of the jukebox in the restaurant. Chiron and Kevin make eye-contact, and as the lyrics play out, you can almost hear them communicating with each other through the music even without them audibly talking.