This is a rare beast. A film exploring the life of a young black gay man in America.
We first see Chiron as a young boy being chased by some bullies in a rough part of Miami. Even by this time some of the school kids have an inkling Chiron might be queer. He is certainly introverted and even lonely, his mother is a crack addict.
The only solace young Chiron finds is from a neighbourhood drug dealer called Juan who takes an interest in him with his girlfriend Teresa and his only comfort is spending time in their home.
We next see a teenage Chiron, still bullied due to his small stature, his mother has gone deeper into addiction but he finds comfort with lifelong friend Kevin and an awakening of his sexuality but this comes crashing down as Kevin has to beat him up as part of a gang initiation. Chiron leaves this stage of his life under arrest as he tackles the bully who has tormented him for years.
We next see Chiron as a young man in another city, he has bulked up and like his mentor Juan, now a drug dealer. However when he receives a call from Kevin he returns to Miami to see his mother and then confront Kevin as well as his true feelings and the encounter they had one moonlit night as teenagers.
Director Barry Jenkins has made a small scale, slow paced, low budget drama. Some of the finance was provided via Brad Pitt's production company. It is in many ways a simple, but human tale of a young bay growing up. The first two actors playing Chiron are excellent, although it is difficult to see the resemblance with the more muscular actor who plays the older Chiron.
Although a lot of thought has gone in by the director as to the way it has been filmed and the use of colours, some parts of it were far from original. The influence of Truffaut's The 400 Blows is there to be seen.
It was obvious that Kevin will have to beat up Chiron as soon as he wanted to join the school gang because I saw a similar scene in the British film Ill Manors.
We first see Chiron as a young boy being chased by some bullies in a rough part of Miami. Even by this time some of the school kids have an inkling Chiron might be queer. He is certainly introverted and even lonely, his mother is a crack addict.
The only solace young Chiron finds is from a neighbourhood drug dealer called Juan who takes an interest in him with his girlfriend Teresa and his only comfort is spending time in their home.
We next see a teenage Chiron, still bullied due to his small stature, his mother has gone deeper into addiction but he finds comfort with lifelong friend Kevin and an awakening of his sexuality but this comes crashing down as Kevin has to beat him up as part of a gang initiation. Chiron leaves this stage of his life under arrest as he tackles the bully who has tormented him for years.
We next see Chiron as a young man in another city, he has bulked up and like his mentor Juan, now a drug dealer. However when he receives a call from Kevin he returns to Miami to see his mother and then confront Kevin as well as his true feelings and the encounter they had one moonlit night as teenagers.
Director Barry Jenkins has made a small scale, slow paced, low budget drama. Some of the finance was provided via Brad Pitt's production company. It is in many ways a simple, but human tale of a young bay growing up. The first two actors playing Chiron are excellent, although it is difficult to see the resemblance with the more muscular actor who plays the older Chiron.
Although a lot of thought has gone in by the director as to the way it has been filmed and the use of colours, some parts of it were far from original. The influence of Truffaut's The 400 Blows is there to be seen.
It was obvious that Kevin will have to beat up Chiron as soon as he wanted to join the school gang because I saw a similar scene in the British film Ill Manors.