Film Techniques In The Film Moonlight By Chiron

Moonlight is a story of human relationships and how the social pressures surrounding a person can shape and mould a person’s development and identity. Told in three chapters of Chiron’s life, Moonlight is a complex visual biography of a black man and his search for his place in the world, his sexual identity, and his efforts to navigate the chaos surrounding his upbringing.
Circular camera movements are used prominently throughout the film. We are first introduced to this technique when the camera follows Juan as he approaches his drug dealer, who is talking to a buyer. The camera starts revolving around the three subjects in a swirling, smooth motion. In this case, the camera’s circular movement gives an insight into Juan’s character. He is relaxed, he knows who he is and where he stands in this social dynamic, and he knows how to operate his business smoothly. Using this technique in the opening scene also allows the audience to get a visual idea of the type neighbourhood the characters are in.
Immediately after this scene, we are thrown into Chiron’s chase scene where he is hurriedly running away from a pack of bullies. Here, we are introduced to another film technique when

When they lock eyes, we hear Kevin speaking but the words do not match his lips on screen. In this case, the mismatch is used to emphasise the meaningful meeting by simulating a break in space and time as Kevin and Chiron try to recover from the initial shock of seeing each other after a decade. The disjointedness could also represent Chiron’s disconnect with Kevin after being betrayed by him back in high school—a similar feeling to when this technique was used in the scene mentioned earlier with Paula. This technique of mismatching audio and video puts us in the shoes of Chiron, where we get to experience the way he reacts to the people around him, as well as a glimpse into his emotions towards