Moonlight : My problem with this movie

Okay, so Moonlight is one of the most cirtically-acclaimed movies of the year and before seeing it I had read reviews where people say it is "unbearably personal", "emotionally gripping", "vital", etc. and perhaps I did have a bit too high expectations but I would definitely not describe the movie I saw as any of the above. For me, Moonlight did not bring anything new into the conversation, it did not show a problem that people did not realize was there. Heck, I live in Eastern Europe and i am aware of what is happening in these neighbourhoods. Of course, that is not the most important thing and there were a lot of topics and issues which were involved. The acting was good, but (in my opinion) nothing mesmerising or truly great about it. Yes, it was subtle and perhaps at times touching but it was lacking substance - all of the characters felt somewhat stereotypical, especially the addicted violent and chaotic mother. It was by no means a brave movie, it literally did everything a movie has to do in order to become an Oscar favorite. The way I see it, one can still create a personal and a dramatic film without using these never-dying cliches. Another problem I had was that every single problem and topic were too obvious and too on the surface. Although the story really is heartbreaking, the message was delivered without any room for interpretation or food for thought. The bullies had litreally no part other than being hurtful to Chiron and we were made to believe that they are just evil which is actually underestimating the problem. A much more effective way to tell this story would be to show not only the struggles of our misunderstood and lonely protagonist, but also the point of view of the people he is misunderstood by. In the end, where Chiron makes his "confession" to Kev, it was too obvious and it did not contribute to the story (again, my opinion). Frankly, I think the movie started out great and I was truly captivated and somewhere in the middle it just lost me and when I finished it, I was dissatisfied and not moved at all. Had Juan and Teresa more screentime, perhaps i would have a different view.

That being said, I am a straight white male who has never had an encounter with this type of lifestyle, but I do consider myself a person with broad horizons and able to connect with people and stories all around the world and yet, this movie just didn't do it for me. Did anyone else feel this way?

Yes I felt the same way the movie is stereotypical to the point of being offensive. Black people living in poverty affected by drugs, crime and violence. Not interesting to me at all. Wow another movie about a black mother who is a drug addict. It is not original and it is just boring. The reason the movie got a lot of buzz is because drum roll please.. white critics loved it. As another poster said these kind of racist movies about blacks always get some white liberal falling over himself or herself praising this piece of garbage.

I take it that this comment is coming from a white person? Correct me if I'm wrong. If you are white you have no business claiming what racism is. And this movie was directed by a black man, the drug addict mother was also based on his own mother so it was a very personal story for him in that aspect. Critics liked this movie because they aren't ignorant.

And you must be a liberal person, plenty of blacks are AGAINST Moonlight if you been paying attention. Big deal the director is black. Read the comments from blacks on this site. They are also opposed to this. As the OP pointed out Moonlight is stereotypical you can do verbal gymnastics but the point is it is. Again, this movie was made for white liberal people. A movie about black people hardships being poor and affected by drugs is boring. Hollywood always praises movies about blacks people poor and affected by substance abuse. The movie is racist garbage.

A black person made it based on a play that a black person wrote. They didn't make it for white people. They made it for any audience interested in the story. That's what art is.

Also the "blacks" don't like to be called the blacks.

I think people are missing the bigger points in this film As a African American male myself I found the bigger deal is that they did not stereotype GAY black men. We can argue about the hardships of being black in the United States, but hardly ever do we get the add on that this was a gay character who was going through these struggles on top of that.

"They didn't make it for white people."

That's not too racist or anything.

That is not the way to approach a rational conversation. White people also experienced some racism and prejudices. For example, the person identified he was from Eastern Europe and they may suffer harsh discrimination. You don't have to be Black and live in the ghetto to be able to understand a person's plight. Pain is pain and EMPATHY can be felt by anyone with his humanity intact. So it was wrong to disqualify the person on account of not being black. That suggests you do not have credible grounds to counter their point of view.

A white person has no credible grounds to say what racism is because as much as you say they've faced discrimination they have not faced the amount of prejudice black people have throughout history. No matter how bad a white person living in America has it, they are still privileged because the color of their skin.

Watch Jane Elliot's brown eyes/blue eyes experiment and maybe you'll learn something about racism. Or even a South Park episode where Stan admits to Token that he will never understand what exactly racism is because he can't experience it from a black person's point of view.

You are racist for saying someones opinion doesn't matter because of their skin color.

About to say the exact same thing.

I never said someone's opinion doesn't matter. I said that a white person could never understand what a black person goes through in terms of racism. If anyone wants to believe that they understand how it is to be discriminate for reasons other than their race that is completely fine and that is their own freedom. What I'm trying to say is the only people who can really vouch for what racism is are the people who experience it first hand in their everyday lives.

You're living in your American bubble. I have lived and travelled to many places, and have myself routinely have strangers on the street scream condescendingly at me for the pale colour of my skin. The history doesn't really matter when you personally have felt it. But if you really want to go there, there are countless examples of whites being treated horribly because of their race. Sami people for instance, or what about the jews that were sent to the death camps merely 70 years ago. Irish people were enslaved.

OP identified as Eastern European. My granddad was in a concentration camp, and told me about how one day he and other prisoners had to stand in a line, and all the slavs were asked to step forward. Then all the slavs were shot and killed. This was common back then, and it's a known fact different groups of Eastern Europeans historically and now are experiencing racism.

I'm only posting because I wanted to confirm that I see the bubble (as someone else in this thread mentioned) which encases the person to whom you are responding. As a middle-aged black woman, I am trying to get the younger people I encounter, to study the history of human civilization.

My parents were born in the first quarter of the last century. Because of their verbal and nonverbal communications, I have intimate knowledge of what life was like for them. I also have my own personal experiences to draw from, as I was born into the world when Jim Crow was in effect. I have always been consumed with a thirst for knowledge, so studied world history and psychology for quite a while to gain a perspective that would allow me to thrive.

I believe that an empathetic human can understand the experiences of my parents, and myself, although not in the same way as experiencing it oneself. However, the second hand experience is enough to equip a person with enough knowledge to gain understanding. For example, one of my favorite books is "The Grapes of Wrath". I read it as a young teenager, and I will never forget the emotions it invoked in me. That book gave me insight into the struggles of people whose emotional experiences were similar to my mother's mother, yet they were of a different skin color and a different time period (the late 1880's - when the company store, so to speak, still owned my descendants).

I also have a deep respect for Viktor Frankl, as I have read his work a few years back when I was grappling with a disturbing life experience. To paraphrase him: all we control in this life is how we respond to situations. This thought is beautiful because of its clarity and it is evidenced by his ability to have survived the conditions in the concentration camp.

I am hoping to impress upon young people, inclusive of young black people, to understand that one cannot expect empathy from people without being able to return empathy. How is it fair to demand that someone know the history of your people, when you are unwilling to learn the history of their people?

I guess I am writing this to let you know that I see what you see, and I am not alone. And I and others chip away at the scales on the young ones' eyes.

Peace.

"A white person has no credible grounds to say what racism is". In other words, any person with white skin is unable to say that they have been a victim of racism based solely on the fact that they have white skin. Correct? For starters, that is a great example of a racist statement about a group of people. Secondly, you're wrong.as is EVERY person that makes a generalized "factual" statement such as your comment. Ex: foreigners with white skin. They currently face and have faced large amounts of racism which could impact their sense of security, income, employment, happiness, etc. How is this racism a lesser sort of racism than what a black person potentially encounters? Hopefully it's not because they have white skin.that would be racist.

I also take it you're white? And did I ever say anything about foreign people? No. I am simply talking about the conditions of the film which takes place in America. In a country where black people and white people live side by side and on an every day basis face different types of hardships. This is the type of ignorance our country could do without. But hey, I'm not surprised, these boards are full of ignorant people. So yes, a white person can never know that amount of discrimination a black person has to face.

There is no way a white person can even grasp what POC have had to endure and still have over the centuries. No way.
There are many marginalised groups that suffer prejudice in one way or another. That's for sure. That's obvious.
But there is no BUT when it comes to racism. Not "BUT also these groups". I know that already. Spare me the time.

Every time a white person is approached by a POC about their struggles or racism/prejudices, defensiveness appear. Until that changes, we stop, and just listen and acknowledge it with no BUTS , there is no possibility for further grow and understanding.


PD: A white lady.

enjoylanguagesabroad is definitely AMERICAN and needs to get out more in the world. Tell that to the Jews in Europe who are WHITE yet were murdered by the Nazis during World War II. Tell that to the Irish in Ireland who had to go to war with England. Hell, the problems the British created did not end in Ireland until the 1990s. Or have you not heard of the troubles? From the 1960s to the 1990s thousands of Irish people in Ireland and Northern Ireland were killed. These people are also all white. Next, go to Eastern Europe in the former Yugsoslavia the war between the Serbs, Croats, ect.

Lol, yes. Just Separated by a few oceans. You're funny ?.

The issue was not about whether Whites suffer more prejudice than Blacks but rather whether a non-Black person is able to speak to the pain and struggles of a Black person. Furthermore, this movie goes beyond color/race it is about homosexuality and whether you are a Black gay person or a White gay person the direct experience of homophobia is still the same.
There are Black gay guys who grow up in an accepting environment and there are White gay guys who grow up being bullied, beaten and rejected. This movie does depict poverty, single-parent, drug addictionthemes that are shared by non-Blacks all around the world. Therefore, in actuality, you have no real basis to make this movie about race. It is about homosexuality and everything that character experienced on account of his sexuality has been experienced by non-Blacks.
Also, we do not get people to understand our perspectives if we tell them you don't understand. Most Black people worship a man (Jesus) who they believe to share their pain even though he is not Black, so it should not be hard for Blacks to understand another race's ability to empathize.

last I checked, Jews were white. Read up on their history and tell me you'd trade places with them. And RACISM isn't the only form of discrimination. Religious may be the worst. Sex discrimination is pretty bad too, just ask the Muslims about Sharia and how they treat women and gays. Thank god there are laws here in the US. But to say whites don't suffer discrimination is ignorant. They used to sterilize mentally-handicapped whites up until the 1930's to prevent them from reproducing when Eugenics was widely accepted. The only privilege is when you are rich.

And to debunk your argument, not ALL blacks are victims of racism. Blacks in England and Europe are not treated like they tend to be here. I have been there and even talked about it with black people there, and they say American blacks have attitude and act in such demeaning ways, that many of them bring racism and bigotry on themselves. If you act with dignity and self-respect(like not calling each other N's) then others might change their attitude towards you.

"If you are white you have no business claiming what racism is." this has to be one of the dumbest qoutes I had to make in my lifetime you can say his wrong in his assessment, you can counter argue, disagree in any way possible but this This is idiotic to no end and just plain wrong as it's a self-contradictory statement Ridiculous.

Possibly the most egregiously ignorant thing I've had to deal with is people's assumption that 'racism' means, "prejudice from non-black people, directed at black people". Racism covers any race. Shocking! A black person can be racist. A white person can be racist. People. Are . Racist.

But why did u watch it if it's not interesting to u in the 1st place.

TL; DR and try paragraphs. It at least makes you look educated and qualified.

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42

nobody lives forever

Great insight from your perspective. As a black male, I thought the film was great, for 2 reasons.
1. The story really spoke to how some young black males, struggle with what they think "masculinity" is. From Chiron, to Kevin, to the bullies, it captures how we don't really know what "being a man" is. So they sometimes do, what they THINK, being a man is. I.E. acting tough, fighting, bullying, bragging about sleeping with girls. Its all a front, to hide the fact that, they are scared and have no clue. This fact is even more pronounced, in these type of environments, where there are no dads around or positive male figures. Look no further, than the persona Chiron takes on towards the end. He turns himself into the only "man" he knows, which is Juan.
2. The story also spoke to the struggle of sexuality in some of these kids. Because they only know one way to be, they struggle to even entertain, another type of lifestyle. And because they don't understand it, they sometimes bully and throw the f@g word around. Recall the scene where Black picks up one of his "workers", who is bragging about a female. Black knows hes lying and overcompensating, because hes probably done the same thing himself, to hide his sexual preference.

my 2 cents

I appreciate your response. It's well underpinned and balanced.

I thought this was the best movie of the year because of the reasons you stated. For me, it's groundbreaking and I hope it sparks dialogue. I really had no idea what the movie was about before seeing it, so everything came as a huge surprise and was very eye-opening. And I have to say, I didn't realize how much I stereotyped until I witnessed them all turned upside down.

I thought the performances were uniformly excellent, but the actors had great material to work with. The more I think about the movie and its characters, the larger it gets in my memory.

Fantastic!. I didn't see the movie as the typical description of poverty, POC, drugs, etc etc as the OP says.
I saw it as you described.

I totally agree.

"Kicks" was a much better movie.

It's not so much stereotypes as just the way things are in these poor neighborhoods. I think what you're missing is that this movie really goes in a different direction from a lot of those same films, showing us a kid who isn't a thug but whose life is still nonetheless plotted to go that way. He is forced to keep things hidden, to disguise himself, to push anything resembling his real self down throughout the film. It's only in the end did I ever really think there might be a chance at finding real happiness for Chiron.


Trying to create a channel based on interpreting, reviewing, and even giving you something to laugh about film. Hope you enjoy what you see. Thanks in advance.

Review of the film here-

I didn't feel this way at all. A movie isn't there to shine light on a problem and fix it to justify a corrupt piece of humanity just to appease an audience. Chiron is a sensitive guy who struggles socially coping with his peers. His quiet and subtle nature implies that. The subject matter is not what gives this movie the power it has. It's the seamless journey of Chiron and how he changes. By the end I felt stronger when I left this movie, because it touches on such vulnerability. That is where the focus of the movie is. The only time it shows another character's perspective is with Chiron's mentor at the beginning. The subject matter is just an atmosphere of this movie. Berry Jenkins sheds light on Chiron's tough times where the character is so greatly fractured. No matter how Jenkins could emulate a justification with the bully characters, it would take the vision and focus of the piece off track. I cans see how people don't like this movie. There is a magic in it I loved.

I thought this movie was going to turn into a gay romance between chiron and his pal kevin when they were sitting on the beach. So I turned it off as I don't like being tricked into watching gay movies. I would rather have the option first. Then I would choose not to watch a gay movie. No slur, Im just not gay and this type of movie has no interest for me. But correct me if I'm wrong. Did it end up being a gay movie. I'm sure someone will tell me.
I was thinking off turning it off anyway as it was getting boring around the 40 minute mark.

For all the comments about who is best positioned to talk about racism, regardless of your skin colour and where you live. Can I just say no one has the monopoly on who is best positioned because through out recorded history and I would hazard a bet before recorded history, Nearly every race has been enslaved at one point or other in time. Just check the history books and the dozen or so empires in that time.Persian, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantium, Ottoman,
Austro - Hungaro, British, The Moors, The german dictatorship, The Russian dictatorship. Alexander the great, Atila the Hun, The Ming dynasties, The great Indian moghuls, To name a few of the more well known empires / dictats.
So you see let's watch a movie and keep our views on racism to ourselves because we all think we are best positioned to comment so it doesn't teach us anything.

And can I just re - iterate for the hard of hearing Im not homophobic,
I'm just not gay. My preference.

Fascinating strings of comments.

A few thoughts from an old man.

Youngkar18181: It has intrigued me for the better part of a day that you are not homophobic but you know ahead of time that you don't like, wont be moved by, or simply cannot be entertained by a movie that has a gay component to its plot or subplot. A lot happened in Moonlight before the beach conversation. Your perspective has truly caused me to reflect about myself and others I love. I recognize and respect that the moment you think something has a gay theme, it is not for you and also that you dont want to be tricked. I accept that this is how you are made and you seem content to stay that way. I am not judging you for that. But I do want to address your question and to make an appeal. And while I do in fact happen to be quite deaf, I believe that I read your words and meaning as you intended them. Fortunately for me, the sound was blasting so loudly in the theatre that I could actually hear the dialogue in the movie.
But you asked, Did it turn out to be a gay movie? I am not sure exactly what that means to you. Was there gay sex? Was there a gay character? Did the movie have a gay plot or subplot?

As you aptly saw and heard, there was a gay component to the plot. I would like to share with you, YoungKar18181, or with anyone contemplating whether to go see Moonlight, that to mean old gay white man, there was much more. And before anyone jumps to any conclusion, for me, having a gay component is neither positive or negative. I my old mind, a movie, book, person, whatever, doesnt especially need more than a sexual orientation to be of value. It just is. And I do assume you were not talking about sex here, you were simply referring to the human experience of being gay or grappling with gay themes in life.
Your words and question move me to share an experience I have hadand I share it so that maybe you and others will feel comfortable seeing, and perhaps even being touched by, Moonlight. Even if you/they might not be gay, or poor, or African American, or whatever label society wants to put on your/their/my human condition. While Moonlight does have an important gay strand as part of its plotline, to me, Moonlight is about infinitely more than a sexual identity. Among the several other components of the Moonlights plot, there were other touching and complex examples of relationships that were not gay..

In my experience, in "real life" as well as in movies, I have been deeply touched, both positively and negatively by relationships between two people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender. I don't know what that makes me, but, like you, I am what I am.

Now back to my sharing and to my eventual appeal to you and to others who share your belief that there is not value or learning to be had through experiencing the feelings of a sexual orientation other than your ownthere was a movie that came out in 1965, Dr. ZhivagoI apologize for explaining to the many readers who know it, and like me consider it a classic, but others did not or will not like it, or for that matter, even know about itI tested this with my nieces and nephews in their late teens and early 20s Dr. Chicago?

To this day, hearing Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago still pulls strings in my heart; it has been many decades since I first saw the movie. As a young gay man, I'll admit perhaps being a bit charmed by Omar Sharif. But, the deep sense of mixed joy and sadness I felt, and still feel when I hear Lara's Theme today, are all about Yuri and Lara and notions of love and tragedy and simply life that I suspect are quite common to many of us. I share this only to encourage others whose hearts might be closed to Moonlight because one of its themes is gay, to give the movie a chance, to give their hearts a chance to feel something, perhaps even positive, when experiencing a gay theme in a movie. If you dont know this joy, doing so will help you understand that your gay friends, relatives, enemies, whatever, love and feel in a manner probably similar to the way you do.

As sappy as it sounds 50 years later, living and feeling Yuri and Lara's love and attraction certainly didn't change my sexual orientation or evoke any heterophobic notions or questioning of my reality. But it did enrich my view of the world and the complicated nature of love and attraction. Moonlight moved this old fool too.

Youngkar18181, I am sure you are not an old horse like me. You might have heard of the movies Brokeback Mountain or A Single Man? These are relatively contemporary movies whose stories have a gay theme that touched the hearts of many non-gays and gays alike. While these movies have gay themes, they dont have explicit sex and there is only brief nudity; they are pretty safe in that regard. If you havent seen them, consider this your warning so that you are not tricked. But take a risk and push, or even simply confirm, your visions of love.

To anyone considering seeing Moonlight, go see it. Through my many decades, I have developed one basic guideline for whether I think a film was worth my time or not. And that is, "Did I think about the film (positive, negative or indifferent) the next day?"
I will digress briefly to recognize that my guideline above might sound simplistic but I believe that when something moves me or challenges my thinking, even as an old man, whether I personally enjoyed the learning or not, I grow as a person because of the experience. Perhaps I am wrong, but I think that growing and learning throughout our lifetimes is an important hallmark of the human experience. What are we as people if we are not growing and learning?

I suggest that for those who have not seen Moonlight, it will provoke thoughts about childhood, adolescence, coming of age, race, class, sexuality, love, loss or struggles with addictions or yet something completely different that I didnt see. I challenge anyone to not find something in Moonlight that does not resonate with part of their human experience while also making them think about life and confirm previous beliefs or alter their current beliefs.

This is a long post, for that I apologize. Yes, as I have written, I am old and I have a lot of time on my hands. While I have written the occasional "letter to the editor" to get on my soapbox about one thing or another, this is the first time I have ever posted on a feed.

Youngkar18181, I hope you can tell I am not hating on you. On the contrary, you and many, many of the other posters pushed and broadened my thinking. I thank you for that. Parallel to my definition that a movie is good if it makes me think, I believe that a post that makes me think, whether it pleases me or not, is also a learning, and thus positive, experience. In addition to giving the topic quite a bit of thought, you also helped conjure up long-ago scenes of ice palaces and trains barreling through a snowy countryside to the strands of Somewhere my love That alone has made this a good day. To a lot of people, straight or gay that probably sounds pretty gay as the youngsters say. But look what a strictly hetero movie did for me! A movie with a gay component could do the same for you, simply by tapping into universal sentiments through its portrayal of the human experience.

Hey, you even pushed me how to learn how to even make a post! If I do it again, it WILL be shorter. Maybe the proverbial old dog still has a few tricks to learn. But alas, Im staying gay, and wishing Omar were still around. Fortunately, the equally seductive Julie Christie is and she is still rocking the world with her amazing talent. In a small way, without Ms. Christie, instead of Somewhere, there would have been nowhere for my love to go.

In closing, can you let us know where you tuned in to Moonlight other than in the theatre? I am a novice at this internet streaming stuff and Id like to find it and share it with some friends since it is not showing anywhere near my outpost in the hinterlands.

Hey Mike,

While this may be your longest post ever written, I can guarantee you it is the longest post I've read on IMDB. For the most part I end up regretting even searching for comments here. I do no regret reading this one, since it was surprisingly pleasant and well-meaning.

You said:

---

I challenge anyone to not find something in Moonlight that does not resonate with part of their human experience while also making them think about life and confirm previous beliefs or alter their current beliefs.

---

Yep!

The reason why this is the first time I am writing on a message board to reply to you is that it is not every day that an "old gay white man" takes the time to put into words the things that I, a young-straight-white-man, was thinking about the movie as well. Of course, I was only able to muster the courage to allow myself to understand the things that I have never, and most likely will never experience, while watching the Little-Chiron-Black story.

I was fascinated by how the film presented Chiron's struggle to shape his own identity. I was only able to imagine the tension building inside him and the frustration of not knowing what was happening to him and how to make sense of it while being in an environment that promotes an impoverished sense of masculinity.

I think that with enough patience, empathy and demystification of our preconceptions, this film can remind you or teach you that every single person has a remarkably complex interior life that is meaningful and deserves attention. I suspect that this movie will haunt me for at least the near future.

And don't worry about writing long posts, Mike. I for one skipped most of the short ones and read yours in full.

Cheers

Thanks, SRG.

Not sure why I got so passionate about Karl's reaction to Moonlight but it certainly did stir up something. I appreciated your measured and thoughtful response to my raw nerves. Perhaps it's the part, as you so much more succinctly than I, "every single person has a remarkably complex interior life" And I guess I felt likeheydon't write me, or people like me off

After many years in a highly visible and politically charged career, not to mention growing up gay in a Rock Hudson world, I have some pretty thick titanium armor that can deflect all kinds of arrows. While Karl was certainly not shooting arrows, something got through my armor and it just struck me as sad that because a movie had a gay component to it, he thought that there couldn't be anything of value in it for him. It was truly a sadness, not anger or indignation.

While I know that many of us do, and at the risk of sounding trite, I wish we could all see our common humanity as something that goes far beyond our sexual preferenceswe have, in my opinion, so many other and more complicated societal issue to address!

I'm glad your mind is openI struggle to keep mine openIn today's reality, there are so many factors pushing us to define our world in absolutesI would say black or white, but considering the movie in question and many of the posts, let's leave it at absolutes!

Cheers, and here's to pipe dreams, more thought-provoking movies, and shorter posts.

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I thought this movie was going to turn into a gay romance between chiron and his pal kevin when they were sitting on the beach. So I turned it off as I don't like being tricked into watching gay movies. I would rather have the option first. Then I would choose not to watch a gay movie. No slur, Im just not gay and this type of movie has no interest for me. But correct me if I'm wrong. Did it end up being a gay movie. I'm sure someone will tell me.

---

Wow, I only hope you understand how ridiculous, bigoted, narrow-minded, homophobic and shallow that sounds.

So you don't watch movies about woman because you're a guy, or movies about Jews because your not Jewish, or old people because you're young, etc. A movie with so much critical attention has made it clear it was about a black man discovering himself and coming to terms with his sexuality. Tell me, would you have no problem saying in these (soon to be gone) message boards, "I didn't know there was going to be black characters so as soon as I saw one I turned it off"?? That is what you're saying. I hope you're a kid still because women hate guys like you with no depth or security. The decent women at least.

No not at all, but if that's how you wish to be oppressed by my comments
Then feel free. No one has a shackle on you in order to tell you how to behave.
Feel free to express your insecurities in however fashion that elliviates you. Sorry not sure if I spelt elliviate right.
Ok about insecurities . Will you also have an insecurity about me calling you insecure.
Thankyou for your interpretation of my statement, and of course you are entitled to your opinion. Everyone is right?
So I viewed mine. I did not mean for you or anyone to be victimised by it.
Oh and no I don't feel victimised by your response.

What makes this film standout in my mind is not the subject matter, but its cinematic artistry how it tells the story it wants to tell using the tools of the cinematic trade (sound, camera placement & movement, acting, music etc., etc.). The glory is in the details.

Take for example the scene of when Juan teaches Little how to swim. I think one reason why that was such a powerful scene is because the movie-goer views it, with the camera serving as his/her surrogate, as he/she were also in that same body of water. If the camera were positioned at another angle, the viewer's emotional connection with that scene would have been different.

I do disagree that the movie should have spent time exploring the inner lives of the bullies. Doing so would have compromised the story it wanted to tell, which was to focus on the Little/Chiron/Black character. I think of the narrative as the facet of a gem. Widening the narrative would have resulted in a 3 hour or serial film. Not that it wouldn't be interesting, but could be the subject of another film.

"ida," the recent film from Poland i think is a good comparison. It tells the story of a community an entire nation? in a mere 80 minutes by focusing on a very small number of characters.

I think its best to judge a film based on what it is as opposed to what one thinks it should or could have been in my opinion.

it's a sodomite propaganda crap

Well, then you must be familiar with the American stereotype of the Eastern European. Mylar jackets, knockoff watches, heavy gold chains. Sorry, but that's the image.

This looks like it was a small movie with a tiny budget that happened to strike it lucky at a festival and therefore is now publicized. I don't think the makers of the movie even thought about oscar when they decided to make this movie.

That being said it is very clear from all the news and social media that the stereotype is more true than not. Unfortunately the lifestyles in the inner cities is like what is portrayed in the movie. The whole movie is based on the perspective of a person that does not feel that he fits into a certain environment and how he has to change to fit into his environment all the while losing what he is in the first place. We all robots and we just exist and look for ways to survive but how connected are we. He ends up with a glimpse of some connectivity. In his life he connected with 2 people. 1 died and the other was his friend.