Critical Investigation- HISTORICAL TEXTS

HISTORICALTEXT: BLACK HYPERMASCULINITY PORTRAYED IN MOVIES

'Boyz N The Hood'(1991) dir. John Singleton

'Boyz N the Hood' is a movie examining the social issues and experiences of three friends that grew up in a Los Angeles ghetto. The film takes place in 1985, and then flashes seven years into the future to 1992. The film follows Tre Styles, an intelligent ten-year old who was aggressive and immature in his early school years. As a result of his hot temper, his mother, Reva (Angela Bassett), sent him to live with his father, Furious (Laurence Fishburne), who proves to be stricter and more watchful

than his mother.

Dropping her son Tre off , Reva tells Furious, “I can’t teach him how to be a man; it’s your job.”: the quote suggests a singular type of masculinity, the film contests this notion, showing differing masculine role models and boys’ attempts for achieving manhood. In the process, it converses popular white notions of black masculinities and lifestyles, brought by  Reva as she denounces Tre’s white teacher for suggesting Tre's problems were rooted in family instability, such as parental unemployment and an absentee father. Here, she separates her family from these stereotypes and suggests multiple experiences rather than one unified under a singular conception of a “black” lifestyle. 

Throughout the film’s childhood sequence, Furious focuses on keeping Tre out of the harsh street life and teaches him how to be a true man, not the masculine male image young black men are all too familiar with. In fact, the first night that Tre is with his father, Furious shoots at and misses a burglar.

Furious renounces building his masculinity on sex and violence, trying to teach his son the power of respect, in part gained through responsibility. This proves difficult as from a young age, the boys see and react to men’s power with physical violence.  For emxample, the boys lose their ball to physically stronger older boys and, unable to defeat them physically, one of the boys keeps repeating he wants to “kill that m*therf*cker.”  The boys find themselves caught in hierarchy based on violence whose effects they cannot escape. Two choices offered by Furious:  either add to the violence and problems of the neighbourhood or not.

Most choose the former, expanding their sense of masculinity through sex.  One example would be a dramatic highlight of the film in which Tre tells his father with details of a sexual tryst which, along with the dangerous gunplay, acts as another, sweeter example of mis-channelled machismo. 

Also, demonstrated in the barbecue scene and the following dialouge amongst the characters, a lack of education around sex as well as stigmatization of virginity flourishes in the hood, with babies and STIs following in its wake.  A comparison can be made to Doughboy’s references to women as ho, bitch, hootchie, etc.  with bell hooks’ conception of black phallocentric masculinity, which hooks conceives of  as “a phallocentric model, where what the male does with his penis becomes a greater and certainly a more accessible way to assert his male status” . Hardened by jail time and adamant to reassert his fearsome reputation on neighbourhood foes, he talks and acts violently, but in a manner that’s entirely nonchalant. Forceful aggression is so ingrained within him that basic civility now seems quaint. When he refers to women as “bitches” and “hoes”, it’s not because he wants to, but because he has to.

 Throughout the film, the narrative follows Tre's struggles with this dilemma of how to respond to male aggression.  In one moving scene, he reaches the pinnacle of his frustrations and starts punching the air in front of his girlfriend.  Impotent to affect an immediate change in his situation, he cries in front of her, at first embarrassed as it goes against his friends’ ideas of maintaining a powerful persona and position toward women.  However, not responding rashly by adding to the aggression, he enacts his father’s vision of masculinity, which is followed by a symbolic second step towards enacting a masculinity—responsible sex with his girlfriend.  Importantly, he does so sensitively, and, when she expresses a fear of pregnancy, he tells her not to worry—the audience is left to infer that he is using a condom as taught by his father, reinforcing resistance to black masculinity. 

Black culture was both embraced and criticised in this film. Singleton celebrated certain aspects of African American inner-city culture, such as the closeness in community and family. However, despite a strong sense of empathy, the criticisms of the violent culture of  the Los Angeles ghetto outweigh the positives in the film. The  objective was to reveal the constant cycle of murder and the self-fulfilling prophecy due to the pressures of masculinity. In order to do this, Singleton risks reinforcing the stereotype that young black males are violent. Whether or not stereotypes exist in this film is purely subjective, because, for example, Singleton portrays the reality of “the Hood,” but an outsider may view it was stereotypical. Race politics  and arguments are inevitably implied, because Singleton’s film addresses societal problems related to race specifically. Police brutality is a sub-issue alluded to in the film through two scenes  involving a black cop  abusing his authority and threatening the young black males.  For example, a cop pulled Tre and Ricky over and the black cop presses his loaded gun to  Tre’s neck while verbally threatening him. Scenes like this one bring up serious societal problems surrounding race.

A lot of characters in Moonlight assume that masculinity means asserting dominance. Kevin is the first example of this, playing up to an image of a heterosexuality that practically comes across as parody. A similarly humorous sequence occurs in Boyz n the Hood, when Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr) tries to impress his dad with a phony story about a sexual conquest. Kevin attempts to keep up appearances are desperate, especially during a scene on a beach with Chiron. Following the near-admission that he cries, he backtracks and responds: “Nah. I wish I did.” It’s almost comical that even in a scene as intimate as this, Kevin feels the need to maintain his hyper-masculine facade.

Moonlight and Boyz n the Hood may be vastly different in style and tone, but there’s enough re occurring themes for these films to be considered companion pieces of sorts. They are personal, unique and honest explorations of the connection between the hostile environments that young African-American men are met with, and how they respond.

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'BEAR'(1993) dir. Steve McQueen

Bear, is a 10 minutes long, silent, and consisted of two naked men, one of them him, wordlessly circling each other, staring and sparring,  Steve McQueen's first major film. From looking at articles the video raises sensitive issues about race, homoeroticism and violence. It depicts two naked men-one of which is the artist-sparing and teasing one another in a confrontation which goes from tenderness and aggression. The film is silent but a series of stares, glances and winks between the protagonists "creates an optical language of flirtation and threat."(Tate)

The film opens with a close-up, a cinematic convention, shot of one man's shoulder. The camera then moves slowly upwards and to the right, travelling his face with close  proximity that suggesting the camera is feeling across the dents of his face. I think, McQueen may reinforce the idea of the sexuality Black male bringing into the idea of Black men being seen as sexualised objects rather than humans, at certain points, medium shots revealing underneath of the men showing their genitalia maybe to reinforce such ideas but also subvert them as Black men aren't able to freely be open with their sexuality or ability to be intimate sexually or platonic with other men- a sexual empowerment of Black men not represented in culture.

Throughout the film, the disorientating camerawork and silent movement of the two bodies moving across a shaft of light, adds to the existing sense of ambiguity. The ability to have the two characters, black males, moving around caressing each other but also fighting one another playfully depicts the on going relationship of Black men and the inability to not allow the society to justify their own identity, extending into a refusal to appear vulnerable, ‘feminine’ or just plain weird. both Jenkins and Singleton provide a similar answer: it’s not about adhering to or performing specific gender stereotypes, but rather a feeling of independence, and the right to choose a life for one’s self. This would reinforce the idea of McQueen's need to have the video play in an empty space quite and lilting . McQueen states in an interview:  "You are very much involved in what's going on. You are a participant not a passive viewer," and concerning the disconcerting sound of 'Bear' he states "The whole idea of making it a silent piece is so that when people walk into the space they become very much aware of themselves, of their own breathing,"

The viewer is left to watch the scene with the intentions of making their own images and ideas of what it is trying to communicate but the main idea is the two characters are in a world of their own and created their own identifies and unnerved from that of onlookers: "I want to put people into a situation where they're sensitive to themselves watching the piece"

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'Blaxploitation' genre (1970s)

The genre emerged in the 1970's in the United States and is a hybrid word using Black and exploitation. It targeted urban Black audiences and switched roles from the norm from the general white characters but making them villains and having Black heroes making it socially and politically conscious of it's time. There was the general stereotypes, which did exist, urban setting, drugs , prostitution but also social injustice, racial discrimination, brutality of the police.

Male character in Blaxploitation films characterised as:

-Hypermasculinity

-Virility
-Macho black hero
-Well-dressed
-Sexual prowess
-Sexual empowerment of black men in mainstream culture
-The hero fights against injustice (and/or white men) outside of the legal mechanisms

'Shaft'(1971) dir. Gordon Parks

'Shaft' follows a fairly conventional noir plot. Shaft is hired by local mob boss Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn) to find Bumpy’s kidnapped daughter – though not until Shaft has made it clear that he despises everything Bumpy stands for (he tosses one of Bumpy’s men out a window to get the message across). Similarly, the case brings him in contact with a Black Panther-like militant group that he also scoffs at. Shaft is seen to only serves no cause but his own. Even so, he ultimately becomes a uniting force, bringing both of these factions together to face a new enemy threatening the neighborhood: the Italian mafia. This is where the movie’s enlightenment ends, as well as its provocative headiness. The final third follows a well-worn action pattern, with Shaft, of course, taking the lead.

     

The picture’s final shot is of Shaft walking alone down the street, offering a bookend of sorts with the walk he took over the opening credits. On that earlier stroll, he passes movie marquees boasting names like Robert Redford and Dean Martin. Shaft saunters right on by, leaving those stars behind, He’s taking us into a whole new era.

This film regales itself on  worshipping its central figure (played with an easy smile and an easier scowl by Richard Roundtree). Isaac Hayes’ Oscar-winning title song sings Shaft’s praises over the opening credits. When he struts across six lanes of New York City traffic, the cars give him the right of way. The first sex scene barely notices the woman on hand: it’s Shaft who poses nude on the couch; it’s Shaft’s (much darker) skin that the camera lingers on; it’s a framed photo of Shaft that the camera drifts toward as the couple goes about their business. 

The film is flashy and does posses the traits of using Black people to subvert the images normally seen in noir films, as instead of white actors being seen as the heroes they are the villains and it is a Black man who is put as the protagonist of the film, serving his own justice to crooks and immoral police officers. However, the film still olds notable traits of stereotypes of a Black man as Shaft himself is over bearing and dominating common traits represented on Black men , after slavery, the idea held of Black men of just being seen as bodies is evident, since slavery, Black men have been seen as scary and big which is why many were able to hung and killed just for simply being these traits or even not being evidently masculine (as they were killed too), this maybe due to the director being a whote man representing an image of a Black man, rather than it being a black man as seen in 'Boyz N the Hood' and 'Moonlight'. 

In the documentary, 'Black Hollywood', Jim Brown discusses that blaxploitation films that were under white control and production took advantage of the black audience and black actors, in order to create cheaply produced films which often perpetuated stereotypical images of black men and women; which is evident in 'Shaft'. The ability to just not conform to those stereotypes of Black men isn't seen in many Blaxploitation films because of their time, though flashy and different, they do not refrain from commenting on Black men as overly masculine, scary and angry. 

Robert Staples in his book 'Black masculinity' writes an explanation on how Black masculinity have been influenced and created throughout history. He explains how black men in the US have been unable to earn the same patriarchal privileges attached with the status of being males because of their racial identity. 
“Black men face certain problems related to institutional 9 racism and environments which often do not prepare them very well for the fulfillment of masculine roles. In addition to the problems created by institutional and overt discrimination, they encounter negative stereotyping that exists on all levels about them: being socially castrated, insecure in their male identity, and lacking in a positive self concept”(Staples, 1982:8) Staples concept of the problems black men face helps to show that blaxploitation films worked to perpetuate stereotypical images of black men.

As white masculinity is dominate in our society and thus makes inferior of marginalised  types of masculinity, like black masculinity and female masculinity. “Hegemonic masculinity among whites sustains the institutional oppression and physical terror that have framed the making of masculinity in black 6 communities” (Connell, 1995:80). Connell explains here of the difference between hegemonic masculinity vs. marginalised masculinity and could be used as a way in which blaxploitation films were influences by hegemonic white masculinity to produce the marginalised masculinity show in the films . 

Tutorial- 22/11/17

•  Bibliography:complete (books, journal, websites)

-use BidMe

-get layout of order right

-check others Bibliograpphy

• Black urban gangster drama 1980s/ 90s 

-Boyz N the Hood

-Bad Boys 

• Blaxploitation films e.g Shaft 

• 'Young Soul Rebels' (1991)

• Steve McQueen's 'Bear' (1993)

Blade Runner 2049 Film Trip- Homework

Blade Runner 2049 review – a gigantic spectacle of pure hallucinatory crazines

-The article is a very positive review of Blade Runner 2049 by Peter Bradshaw. He made it evident the movies ability to showcase breathtaking visuals and ability to show a realistic representation of technology in the future in the idealistic dystopian future the movie is set in. Bradsahw states the movie reveals an "idea of a post-human future, and what it means to imagine the wreck of our current form of homo sapiens. For me, the movie gave it's global audience an insight into a not too distant future. The film became remarkably prescient about the world of advertising, as the film had pre-internet visions of digital content  and moving-image billboards.

Blade Runner 2049 review – a future classic

-Kermode says that the motion picture was both visually stunning and "philosophically profound". I can agree on that case as the idea of existential anxieties in the agent K when trying to 'find' himself is adamant. The qualifications in the portrayal is reality separate because of the mass expectation of things, transforming them into items. This is unmistakably shown with Agent K who is finding over created replicants and slaughtering them keeping in mind the end goal to accomplish an inversion to societal standard. This at that point shows the emulate reality undermines to supplant expert of the first form as the duplicate is similarly as genuine as the principle. This hyper reality made inside the circle of the motion picture evaluates present day society and how 'the truth' is characterised. This takes into account idealism to be made diverting us.

‘I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe’: what Blade Runner 2049’s dystopia tells us about 2017

-The idea of hyper-reality and simulation are written about in this review of Blade Runner 2049. The idea that audiences are unable to tell what is true is represented in the main problem of the movie Replicants. A sought of 'fake' human slave which have soon become extremely strong and out live humans. The movie highlights the dystopian future as bleak and a place where the elite feed to audiences and thus hwo how passive audiences have become to propaganda- The humans themselves and the replicants have all come to the conclusion that nothing is real and cant differentiate their own emotions of pain and love. Bauldrard's theory would reinforce that nothing is real and reality is false controlled by the simulation we are in.

Critical Investigation: Task #1

Section: 00.00.00 - 0.08.27

The beginning of the film introduces audience to the song choice of the song. The audience closes their eyes and hears only melody of the song, they would hear the soothing and calm rhyme if the words of song contains the derogatory term used for Black people which conveys the opposite. Once lyrics are sung, listeners will hear the vulgar language instead of the calming tones in the background, however, the lyrics state "Every n***a is a star" which is a juxtaposition of words with the negativity held in the derogatory word and the positive, powerful and heavenly ideas known for a star. This contrast in words in the lyrics represent how society has held beliefs and stereotypes  of Black people as unaccomplished and not beautiful, thus, this song subverts such images by stating that even in the negative imagery of Black people there is still positive and hold their own power. The films dominant audience would be young Black people (15-30) and such a phrase may resonate with this audience due to the issue of society representing Black people as under-performers, schools, works  etc. , and having a word that has become ambiguous in meaning and a colloquialism for Black people the phrase may resonate with such an audience. One minute into the film and Barry Jenkins has already represented one type of juxtaposition through his song choice and encapsulated his main demographic from the opening. 

The screen fades from the title of 'PASTEL' ,one of the production companies,to black then opening up to a medium shot of a blue car pulling up to the sidewalk of a vacant town street. In the car the audience is introduced to the character Juan, who plays high ranked drug dealer soon to be checking up on one of his sellers to see how business is going. For the second time, we are seeing the use of juxtaposition in the scene while not through sound but physically in the interior of Juan's car. The use of a mid-shot is useful as the audience is able to see Juan in addition to all his surroundings. On the font dashboard there is a crown and a cigarette at close proximity which he threw when pulling up the street, the two objects individually hold positive connotations and one negative.The crown and cigarettes being placed in close proximity in Juan's car symbolises the mixed role model Juan is for Chiron  The crown symbolises the power and respect Juan ultimately has within his neighbourhood, seen when he is the drug overseer for other and distribute to Chiron's mother, and throughout the film and the nicotine representing the dark side of his life. As we know Juan is a major role model throughout Chiron's childhood, even though he is flawed and misguided because of varying factors. Additionally, the colour of the car should be noted, the colour of the car is a light shade of blue, almost as if it presents water or purity, the exterior of the car is the only part of the car someone from the outside may view and so externally the blue seems calm and serene ,whereas, the interior shows his Juan's own internal conflict due to the crown and cigarettes. This shows the complexity of Juan's personality and how he is one character wearing a mask from the start. 

Juan exists the car leaving his own interior and putting on the calming and smooth mask of the exterior (car), the camera now follows him from the behind positioning the audience to follow his direction and the commotion between two men in front of him which he walks to. 

The cinematography used here is incredibly smooth and swift due to the use if a 360 camera angle. The camera slowly pans and revolves around the characters, the purpose for the style of shot is to establish Juan's characterisation as smooth, chill , well-known in both the neighbourhood and society. I believe, it also is used that way so the audience can get a glimpse of the sought neighbourhood they are in, when traditionally, a long shot would be used to establish setting, 'Moonlight' rather makes the film more immersive with the rotating camera movements. For me, the organised way the characters sell drugs are sold in the film is portrayed extremely realistically, the realism is conveyed thought the film earning it's acclaimed naming. 

Viewers are made to feel immersed in this scene as well as seeing the scene in every characters point on view (POV shot). This concept of a circular view connects to the theme of cycles , the 360 degree shot of this scene symbolises that cycles appear throughout the film, such as, Chiron having to break the cycle of doing drugs in his family or spending his childhood with Juan and eventually circling into the same path as Juan currently has. Additionally, the 360 degree view is always moving which provides a disorientating experience for the viewer, this  unsettling feeling illustrates the intensity of the situation between the drug dealer and the middle man. Lastly, in this moment we see two men one of young age and one of an older age staring into each others eyes as if they were each others mirror's, in the scene, one may imagine the addict was once a young man and the young is seen as a suture addict showing the concept of cycles and juxtaposition. 

 The composition of the scene shows a tableau of three men lined up in the order of social power in the community. The positioning of the three men shows Juan on the right, drug addict on the left and the distributor in the middle, in the article 'How to read a movie' the author writes "usually the person slightly  right to the centre" is shown as the most "dominant figure". These positioning choices made by Barry Jenkins symbolises the social status of these three men, in the middle we see the distributor of the drugs or the 'middle man' in this scene literally and figuratively the 'middle man' because he stands in the middle of the two characters showing him as the connector in their relationship.

To add, the lighting is important in this scene, it is daytime due to the lightness of the colour although the connection between the men is drugs which is more of a negative and dark feeling. The fact it is bright outside and there is no shadows ,for them to be discreet, symbolises the comfort Juan has in his job  and shows he is not trying to hide parts of his life.  

We see a major shift in power dynamic as the circle circles back to Juan after the distributor take the money from the addict and goes on to tell another man from the back ground being told by him to chase after the distributor. The change in power dynamic is seen through the positioning of characters, the man man in the black shirt (distributor) was standing on the right hand side of the screen ,when talking to the addict, being the man in power, now within a few seconds we witness Juan standing to the right hand side of the scene controlling. In the previous scene the distributor has significantly more power than he does now because the addict was dependant on him, now that the addict is no longer in view, the 'middle man' no longer appears to have any power. This illustrates the theme of dependency in the film, whether it be addict's dependency on the drug distributor ,Chiron being dependant on Juan or Paula (Chiron's mother) being dependant on the drugs Juan supplies. The dialogue itself shifts from "empty the register on the weekend" to "How's your mom doin'", this sudden shift changes the whole mood of the scene, this fashion symbolises that characters do have more complex lives which aren't of those an audience may perceive a drug dealer would have. Jenkins further goes to break the stereotypes of Black men and just as he does with Chiron in the film. Black men in film which hold narratives of drugs, rap, sex etc. would be shown as tough uncaring such as Dough Boy in 'Boyz N The Hood' to anyone and would only be there to sell drugs and kill, having Juan mention his distributors mother and state that "She's in my prayers" subverts the negative stereotypes of Black men as uncaring and selfish in films. 

I should note the camera has stopped moving gin this scene, the stillness of the camera symbolises the stability of the conversation. When the camera was moving drugs were the conversation at hand, now that the conversation shifted to family the camera has become still and stable in movement, positioning the audience to catch their breath and provides a strong transition for the next scene where they speak of their families.

The use of body language from the actor also reinforces the loss of power, as the man bends his back standing low and rubbing his hands on pants while also making minimal eye contact with Juan as he moves his head rigorously around. The tone of the actor has become softer from the loud and demanding voice used against the addict who was not able to give the right amount of cash for his drugs. These physical movements shown from the distributor, shows both his lack of power and Juan's ability to make others feel small and inferior to him. The addition to the build of the actor Marhershalla Ali adds to the strong and mindful characterisation of Juan, the post colonial theory would reinforce the idea of large Black men as menacing, strong and scary from times of the slave trade which have trickled into ideologies shown in both film and media. This would be both a positive stereotype (Perkins) as those who do fit this image would be represented and are part of this image and shouldn't be considered less, however, subverting from such 'negative' images would be used in media to show another image of Back men one of which isn't that of the 'scary Black man' seen in media. 

Over the course of this scene, Barry Jenkins is not only setting up the plot but also introducing the audience or viewer to crucial themes which will play a major role throughout the film. 
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Section: 40.15-1.20.00 





In Act 2 we are introduced to Chiron's teenage years, at this time in his life we are aware he is still confused but not unaware of the fact that he can have feelings. At the beginning of this specific scene the audience is standing afar from Chiron seeing him within a medium shot of him gazing outside through the fence, the camera then is put at his shoulder in a medium close shot peering over his shoulder through a quick edit shot. I think the use of the camera being positioned at close proximity to Chiron is used as a tool to immerse the audience in while also positioning the audience in a place of 'knowing' as we follow Chiron through his home, his school . The lighting remains cool and dulled which represents Chiron's own insecurity of feeling powerful in the light but finding safety and comfort within the dark as in Act 1 we see him comforted in being held up by the bullies in an abandoned dark empty house.
The theme of blue becomes more vivid and evident in Chiron's teenage years as we see in this scene. We firs see the colour blue appear in his first interaction with teenage Kevin in this scene, when Kevin, somebody who clearly has his identity figured out more than Chiron comes out of the blue surrounding. 

As the two converse the camera is shakes slightly from panning from Kevin to Chiron further emphasises of Barry Jenkins wanting to fully immerse the audience by acting as if they themselves are in the movie by having the camera be handheld. Unlike, the beginning of the film's scene with the use of a 360 degree camera angle we see the two characters rather circling each other. This image of circling is an imitation of a power battle between males which can be shown in many animal behaviours, for example, when a male animal is sizing up another male they circle each other and to show their own power they put them selves higher or give a brutal attack. The scene shows Kevin circling Chiron as though he is prey and something to hunt for, this could be an indication of Kevin showing his dominance through his body language to Chiron, to try and asset overall dominance and power over him. This identity of Kevin which he has taken upon can be the conformity he has shown for such images of Black boys; he wears a gold chain and loose shirt and baggy pants, which Chiron was teased for by the bullies for being too tight. Kevin further conforms to the ideal of Black  boys by over sharing his sexual experience on the stairwell which ended getting him a detention for getting caught. The idea that Black boys should be sexual and are over sexualised and for them to be derogatory to women: "with this trick", which would of been an influence of the rap culture eaten up by young Black boys from society today. 

The whole scene, Chiron moves from the colourless scene to the blue setting by the end of the scene conversing to us that he is now comfortable being in that way Kevin is.

As the whole scene progresses, Chiron is told to leave his house due to his mother  having company over another negative representation of the lack of parenthood in Black communities from thr films own representation of Paula's mistreatment of Chiron. As Chiron meets Kevin at the beach, who having realised is Chiron's crush at this point, it is hear we witness Chiron opening up to Kevin next to the water which is a follow up scene to the initial beach scene with young Chiron and Juan, considering how much more open Chiron remains in this beach setting compared to the first especially when he looks up to the moonlight. This contrasts Chiron's character and the effect of Juan being a father figure, he was able to talk more and open up about himself with Juan as he was never given that emotional vulnerability with Paula  while talking to Kevin at the beach left him more silent and speaking less words . This maybe due to the subject they talk about as they speak openly about crying, Chiron recalls how he felt he cried "so much I just turn to drops" and Kevin replies with "You jsut role out into the water right?". The ability for two Black boys to openly their feelings especislly about crying subverts violent images of Black boys created in movies (Bad Boys, Kidulthood) and masculinity in Black men and how they are presented.

The socialisation of African American males to separate themselves, if not totally mute, from the natural range of human emotions begins at a rather young age. During adolescence when scores of us faced physical and verbal reprimand  as a consequence for misbehaviour, we heard the rhetorical cliches from a parent or guardian “stop crying ” ,” man up”, or “be a man”.

The alluded to socialisation continues throughout secondary  school many of us with the age old admonishment of “men don’t cry” is hurled at young African-American males. Subsequently  many young Black men  who audibly or visibly express feelings of pain will be denigrated by not only peers, but also family members, including parents.The alluded to images are also perpetuated  through the mass media,  namely through Rap Music.  Music from artists like Snoop Dogg, Chief Keef, Young Jeezy, and others  has  reinforced the notion that masculinity is synonymous with hyper-sexuality, anger, criminality, and violence. These images combine with highly questionable lyrics to create a poisonous socialisation cocktail that inevitably leads African-American males to believe that the only emotional expression available to them is one that can only be characterised as anger and unbridled rage. The alluded to socialisation inevitably forges a Manhood construct that makes the absence of emotion as a core principle of what it means to be a man.There is a parallel in medium shots between the two actors staring up at the camera in awe and another of the just the moon in the sky. For me, I think the shot represents the moon looking down at two carefree boys that are stripped of all false identity that was previously placed upon them.

To add, the dialogue is able to show the type of charterers they are, while Chiron admits he cries Kevin passively tries to dismiss the notion he cries and when Chiron tries to conform it Kevin states:"That's some sh** you would say", saying he was piggybacking of his point and that it is something that Chiron would want to do. This shows us that Chiron was always the one that would try and stay true to himself regardless of the crowd using him in a certain way for his honesty. Kevin The two speak of the "ocean breeze" which they talk about represents a state of peace and tranquillity where they can cut the facade and just have their freedom to be who they really are without receiving judgement from anybody. Relating to what the moonlight says, if it wasn't for the moon they wouldn't the receiving that peaceful ocean breeze by the waves is an example of someone who is more concerned about what other people think rather than stay true to his identity, he is not truly honest the way Chiron is. Chiron says "I want to do a lot of things that don't make sense " from this Kevin becomes more engaged and curious, he playfully pushes him which moves into him caressing his neck Coincidentally, after this shot, Kevin and Chiron share what is Chiron's first kiss and the realisation of who he is become clear in himself from the facial changes from the actor Ashton Sanders. Chrion has not only confirmed with himself who he is but he has found somebody that he can trust. The ability to show subtle imagery of what happened between two was done well but I think it may be due to censorship and the ignorance to show a scene between two men not being allowed, The film goes at a certificate 15 which is only restricted to "portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence", this could argue they have shown the act but because they went against it many have complimented the scene for being subtle as many queer movies misinterpret homosexual sex as extremely sexual and promiscuous. 
The scene continues where both end up in Kevin's car as he drives Chiron to his house, the car has taken on a tinted yellow due to the lampposts illuminating their faces in the car. As stated the night is dark and could possible be that Chiron is really from adolescents to his teenage years he finds comfort and confidence 

Moonlight Film Trip - Homework

SUMMARY: 
For me, from seeing the poster you can infer the story will be looking at the lives of the three faces merged together in different lighting, as conventionally the main characters are placed on the front of the poster. However, after viewing it ,self I can say, 'Moonlight' centres Black maleness/masculinity, but more specifically Black male sexuality as well as Black male intimacy and youth. Moonlight raises the question of Black male performativity; what Black men need to do to be considered a Black man, who decides these rules, and how, so often, exploring and discovering your sexuality – outside of heteronormative (straight) norms – is seen as a denial of your Black masculinity. 

• Chiron is a character of few words. Why is this?

When Juan introduces himself by helping Chiron out of the house and find his home the audience is shown the characterisation of Chiron among adults as the interactions made have been with children all of which he spoke very little. When Juan took Chiron to eat, asking his name, home address and parents Little is reluctant to answer, So Juan pulls the food Little is eating leading to him slouching his shoulders and further silencing himself by not making eye contact. Juan sees this and pushes the food back to Chiron which he quickly starts eating again, this scene is their to reinforce Chiron's own shyness but also shows the audience you can't get through to Chiron through punishment, which ,maybe be due to the verbal abuse shown by his mum and one can infer it has happened multiple times. Chiron when travelling around in the trains always holds his hands around him, when the camera itself has a medium shot Chiron becomes small again in the shot representing his inability to act in the world. Chapter 3 he is full of confidence and stereotypical masculine traits but when he meets Kevin he breakdowns and returns to the quiet Chiron from Chapter 1, which even Kevin notices stating that he would only "speak 3 words at a time". 

• Did anything about the Miami setting surprise you compared to pop culture 

The setting of Miami held a lot of realism and the image of Miami in pop culture is minimal, except that there were less people who were Latinx, except for Juan, which I thought there would be more of, though the small amount of people shown throughout the move wasn't a lot which really represents the exclusion of others in Chirons life. The use of vivid colour was a continuous theme of the movie, the cinematographer was able to cater to black skin which is rarely seen in movies, where the lights bounces off or mixes with the skin tone, these of a reflector on the skin was able to achieve the look and the saturation of the whole scenes allowed the filmmaker to make specific colours such as the blue doors in Chiron's school when he returns to attack his bully 

• What is the significance of Juan?

Ultimately, Juan becomes a sought of role model or father figure for Chiron which he has not received, evident, in the lack of father presence in his house. The trust between "Little" and Juan was embodied during the moments when Juan kept "Little" and Juan was embodied during the moments when Juan kept "Little" afloat in the water almost resembling a baptism. This scene signals the first bonding moment between "Little" and Juan. Here we see Juan assuming a faster role as he reaches "Little" to swim. Juan isn't the only character which adds to Chiron witnessing multiple types of men around him much which he encounters and interacts with,  like Alec Baldwin's Giuseppe's Room. There is the overwhelming and chocking, hetro-patriarchal masculinity of the neighbourhood in which protagonist Chiron resides in, then his own kept and tender masculinity, the archetypal toxic and insecure masculinity of the school bully Terrell, the erratic and performative masculinity of Chiron's close friend and "love interest ", Kevin and finally the more complex, layered and warm masculinity of the fatherly ally, Juan.
Chiron ends up taking the same route of going into the drug business like Juan showing the theme of a cycle and how even if Chiron was trying to be different he would still be pushed into the stereotypical role. 

• Significance of the beach and why have the directors centred the movie so much on it

Water is a running theme of Chiron's life from the film. From the beginning when he is almost "baptised" in the sea by Juan is Little's first contact with water. The camera lens is slightly submerged in the water to give an immersive perspective as if the audience is in the great body of water, which conveys that the two characters are in the middle of the world. The camera bobs through the water alongside the two bodies, occasionally dipping beneath the water, submerging the audience in the scene.

The moment seems to be revelatory for Little, and its significance is echoed in other moments that use water throughout the film. We see when Chiron sees the beach and just hears the waves as states when he cries he feels like drops which maybe why waves and ocean resonate within him. When he sits in Kevin's restaurant, while looking out the door he watches the cars through the door which when listened to closely sounds similar to waves which is why the actors face looked so intently in the direction of the door. I think it also shows he has a part of Juan within him, though the "negative" would be the drugs but the positive is teaching him how to swim as he has never had anyone teach or show consideration to him and from that moment water has remained with him much like Juan.

• Did anything about Chiron surprise you? 

Nothing particularly, except for, the scene where he takes his revenge out upon his bullies as I would have thought it should have been Kevin due to him physically punching Chiron. However, I think due to the personal turmoil he continuously had to face with the bullies it seemed right. Chiron after being called derogatory emasculating words and being told by teachers themselves"If he was a man" was left feeling everything and had a surge of adrenaline to seek revenge on his bully. Which is a pivotal to see him come out of his shell and try to fight back as we have seen multiple times his want and need to retaliate to their mistreatment. However, we see he lost both himself in the end as the colour blue on the flashing lights indicating each chapter shows just red and loses blue which is both himself as he found comfort in areas of blue and has resonance in the word as Juan told him but also trust and friendship in Kevin

• NEAR END:

For me, in the near future, Chiron would of stayed the same as he is so embedded into his shown through the shots being used of Chiron excising with weights and listening to rap music, is him conforming to these Black male stereotypical ideals set for him by society. The ending is left ambiguous, this is due to the movie being an Arthouse film, thus the director would want the audience to make their own interpretation of the film. I think, that the relationship that Chiron and Kevin would not have become anymore than the movie let on, just friends. For Kevin, he seemed adamant on not talking about his attack on Chiron in high school while Chiron wanted to let him know of his feelings for him. 
The two would of stayed in the friendship, Kevin still working while Chiron would still be in the 'trapping' lifestyle of his life, due to having such a hard exterior and conformity has become so engrained he would most likely no stop. However, as the movie had a part where it had the adolecant Chiron looking up at the moon, this would indicate as the movie is cyclical that he, like Juan, would go on to find his own 'Little' to try and show the right path and not let hims stray.