Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 2016)
October 19, 2016 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment FILM REVIEW: ‘Moonlight’ an Artful Tale of Sexual Repression Sandra L. Richards: The ‘Rice & Rocks’ Interview By Kam Williams For The Skanner News T ‘Moonlight’ tells the story of a young man’s coming of age By Dwight Brown NNPA Newswire Film Critic I n just his second feature ilm, “Moon- light,” writer/director Barry Jenkins tells a compelling story about sexual repression and ambiguity through the eyes of a vulnerable and confused little boy, who grows up to question his sexual identity as a teen and then inds a thin measure of serenity as a young man. Based on Tarell Mc- Craney’s theater piece, “ called Chiron (Ashton Sanders). His best friend is still Kevin (Jharrel Je- rome). They’ve come to a fork in the road, taking two opposite directions, so they think. Chiron is a confused gay adolescent. Kevin is a seemingly very straight kid with a long list of ad hoc sexual conquests. When Chiron is harassed by homopho- bic schoolmates, in the most public and embar- rassing ways, he reaches a breaking point. As the adolescent Chi- ron becomes a twen- ty-something young is more memorable be- cause it isn’t graphic. The camera just focuses on a hand making circles in the sand. It’s a poetic moment. Jenkins also intuitive- ly develops the relation- ships between the boy and his extended family. The scenes between Juan and Little, two totally disparate characters, ex- hibit a nurturing that is rarely depicted in ilms focusing on innercity life. In one scene Little asks: “What’s a faggot?” Juan answers: “A word used to make gay people feel bad.” The relationship between Kevin and Chiron is also very taste- fully delineat- ed. Just enough to make audiences wish the two could work out their diferences. The connection be- tween the needy lead character and his dys- functional mother is fraught with tension. Filmmaker Barry Jenkins is an artist. That’s evident in the visu- ally arresting way he shot the ilm “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue,” the ilm is set in Miami’s Liberty City, a thriving middle class African American community in the ‘40s and ‘50s that became a lower income neighbor- hood ater the 1960s. The story unfolds in three chapters, three stages in life when emotional and psychological devel- opment are crucial for anybody, especially in- ner-city males. Little (Alex Hibbert) is a scrawny kid, growing up in a neighborhood where crime is rampant and much of it is attached to drugs. He has no dad. His mom Paula (Naomie Harris, “Skyfall,” “28 Days Later”) is a nurse who struggles with crack addiction. On a day when he’s being chased by bullies, the extreme- ly withdrawn youngster meets Juan (Mahershala Ali, “Free State of Jones,” “House of Cards”), a lo- cal drug dealer. The two hit it of. Juan becomes a surrogate dad, bringing Little home to meet his girlfriend Teresa (sing- er Janelle Monáe). The couple and Little’s best friend Kevin (Jaden Pin- er) are the only stabiliz- ing forces in his life. The boy, as a teen, is man, he is known by the name Black (Trevante Rhodes). He’s adapted. He’s the alpha dog drug lord in his neighbor- hood. He has a calm man- ner. A bit more assured, yet still very internal. He’s learned from Juan that the he can survive, be tough, and yet still be humane. His relation- ship with his mom is estranged. Kevin is of somewhere else. On the outside Black looks like a cool reserved brother, but on the inside some- thing is not fulilled. Filmmaker Barry Jen- kins is an artist. That’s evident in the visually arresting way he shot the ilm with the aid of cinematographer (James Laxton). First, opening scenes depict dealers on the street being interro- gated by their boss. The camera swirls around them like a bee prepar- ing to sting. Second, Juan takes Little to the beach to teach him to swim. The vision of the burly man holding a very skin- ny boy in his arms as he loats him on top of the water is reminiscent of paintings of Jesus being immersed in the River Jordan by John the Bap- tist. Third, a dalliance Chiron has at a beach Read the rest of this review at TheSkanner.com he American-born daughter of Jamaican immigrant parents, Sandra L. Richards is the author of “Rice & Rocks.” She hopes that her debut picture book will serve as an educational resource for families seeking to teach their children the value of their heritage and the impor- tance of cultural diversity. Sandra completed both her under- graduate and graduate studies at Seton Hall University, and is the Executive Director, Head of Diverse and Multi- cultural Marketing, Wealth Manage- ment at Morgan Stanley. Learn more about Sandra at www.sandralrich- ards.com. Kam Williams: Hi Sandra. Congratu- lations on “Rice & Rocks.” Sandra L. Richards: Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. KW: What inspired you to write the book? SLR: The inspiration for “Rice & SHOWTIMES THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK - THE TOURING YEARS (NR) Fri-Thur: 11:30, 6:55 FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS (PG-13) Fri-Thur: 11:45, 4:15 PETE’S DRAGON (PG) Fri-Thur: 12:15, 5:05 cutline Rocks” came from my family in two parts. One, my parents are from Jamai- ca and immigrated to the USA with the hopes to give their children a chance of growing up with greater opportu- nities. However, it was important to them that we were raised with a sense of pride of our culture and traditions, and food was certainly at the center See RICHARDS on page 11 The Week of Friday, Oct. 21 through Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 JASON BOURNE (PG-13) Fri: 2:30, 7:20, 9:15 DON’T THINK TWICE (R) Fri-Thur: 2:10, 9:45 STAR TREK BEYOND (PG-13) Fri-Thur: 2:20, 6:40 THE HOWLING (R) Fri-Thur: 4:50, 9:55 $4.00 adults, $3.00 senior citizens (65+) $3.00 for kids (12 & under) 7818 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97215 503-252-1707 • AcademyTheaterPdx.com Babysitting: Available for children 2 to 8 years old. Fri: shows after 3:30pm and before 8:00pm. Sat - Sun: all shows before 8:00pm. $9.50 per child for the length of the movie. Call to reserve a spot, no drop ins.