Queer Film Blog

  Moonlight is a 2016 film directed by Barry Jenkins. The film follows Chiron through his adolescence, teen, and adult life through three acts; Act One: Little , Act Two: Chiron , and Act Three: Black . During the first act, we see Chiron deal with emotional abuse at home while dealing with bullying at school. Also during this time we meet Juan, a man who meets Chiron after he is chased by his schoolmates. Juan acts as a teacher for Chiron, as well as a masculine figure in his life. However, by the time we get to Act Two, we learn that Juan has passed away. During Act Two, Chiron continues to navigate his sexuality while being bullied by his classmates. During both Act One and Act Two, Chiron is told he is “too soft.” However, after being punched by Kevin (a boy he had a sexual encounter with) and then attacked by another group of classmates, Chiron becomes “hard,” as we can see when he smashes a chair over his bully. This shift can be interpreted as Chiron falling into toxic masc...

Pariah is a 2011 indie film directed by Dees Rees. The film follows Alike, a Black lesbian, who is struggling to navigate her sexuality and her religious family. Over the course of the film, Alike explores her sexuality and expression while keeping her identity a secret from her parents. However, eventually, her parents find out, and she is kicked out of her house after her mother physically attacks her. Later, her father comes to see her and attempts to convince her to come home, but Alike chooses to stay away, instead leaving to begin college early.  In her family life, Alike is pressured by her mother to conform to heteronormativity and religious culture. In contrast, outside her family life, Alike tries to conform to the butch and club culture her friend Laura is part of. However, both scenes are not the right fit for her, and through a friendship/brief relationship with Bina, Alike is able to finally find her own sense of self. Someone mentioned in class that each character, A...

Weekend , directed by Andrew Haigh, is a 2011 UK film following a man named Russ and his short but impactful relationship with Glen, another man he meets at a gay bar. As the title of the film suggests, the relationship between Russ and Glen only lasts a weekend, with Glen leaving for Portland, Oregon, at the end of the weekend. Although the two do not "end up together" in the traditional heteronormative sense, it cannot be understated that the two had large impacts on each other's lives. I actually appreciated that the two didn't end up together; during the end train scene I was half expecting Russ to go with Glen or for Glen to stay, but I thought what happened was more realistic. Russ couldn't uproot his life for Glen, and Glen couldn't halt his trajectory for Russ, especially since the two only just met. There's something beautifully heartbreaking about the end and, as the film's ending song says, it's bittersweet.  Another thing I enjoyed abou...