“Moonlight” Three-Act Dramatic Structure
An Analysis
The most memorable elements of Moonlight’s dramatic structure are Barry Jenkins’ use of chapters. There are three chapters for each act of the story of Chiron’s coming of age. The first Act: Little begins with Little, Chiron as a little boy as he struggles to recognize his sexuality in a crime-ridden Miami suburb, dealing with his crack-addicted mother, and receiving influence from a role model named Juan. The Second Act: Chiron tells the story of Chiron as a teenager and his struggle with bullying as he comes into the realization of his sexuality. The Third Act: Black takes us to Chiron as an adult and the eventual closure he receives when he finally breaks out of his shell and is no longer afraid for people to accept him as a homosexual. I will be breaking down the dramatic structure of “Moonlight” as it pertains to these three acts, discussing the inciting event and point of no return in the Act 1: Set Up, the Midpoint and All-Is-Lost moments in the Act 2: Confrontation, and the plot point as it leads to the climax and final resolution in Act 3.
Unlike most films, the first image is not the main character, Little, but Juan (Mahershala Ali), a drug dealer. The setting and exposition bring the audience to a crack-ridden ghetto in Miami. Juan discusses a drug deal with one of his soldiers until he is finally interrupted by the hero, Little (Alex R. Hibbert). The characters are slowly introduced thereafter. Juan introduces Little to his girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monae), who can get this shy little boy to finally reveal his real name. Juan brings Little home to his mother, Paula (Naomie Harris). It is slowly revealed that Chiron’s mother has a crack addiction, and Little is living with his mother’s habits. For example, a TV goes missing and he catches her preparing drugs. His mother’s drug habit is especially important, as it takes away from Chiron’s own personal fight to find his identity and it gives us a B Story or side-story. The subplot revolves around struggling with his mother’s love for crack over the love she has for Little.
The protagonist, Little, wants to know whether he can be accepted in a society where homosexuality is not accepted positively. There is some hope for Little when he meets a boy his age named Kevin (Jaden Piner). Little looks at Kevin as a friend as he is the only boy who does not bully him. Throughout Act 1: Little, Little is teased and called derogatory names for homosexuals by his peers. There is also a scene that shows his curiosity when he finds Kevin and a group of young boys showing their penises to each other.
The inciting event (17:22) of Moonlight occurs when Juan, who has been a role model to Little, tells Little a story about himself growing up as a boy under the moonlight. Juan’s story is a metaphor telling Little that nobody can tell him how to live his life nor the type of person he should grow up to be. He should make that decision for himself. When Little receives this information from Juan, he takes it to heart. Little looks at his own life, propelling the story in a new direction. After the inciting event, Juan is revealed to have a relationship with Paula, as her drug dealer. Little’s point of no return (35:52) ends at Act 1 when he confronts his role model. Little asks Juan about being his mother’s drug dealer. He questions whether he is a so-called “faggot” and how he will know. The central question established at the end of Act 1 is, “Will Little be comfortable with his sexual identity in an environment that looks negatively upon homosexuality?”
In Act 2: Chiron, Little is a teenager (played by Ashton Sanders) and he no longer goes by that nickname. His questions of homosexuality are now put to the test. High school bullies can be extremely cruel. Although Chiron, has not come out with his sexual identity, there is a bully named Terrel (Patrick Decile) who constantly picks on him for being gay.
Paula has only gotten worse with her addiction to drugs. Chiron sleeps at Teresa’s home on random nights when his mother goes on drug binges. Teresa has become a mother figure for Chiron. Although Juan has died somewhere in between Acts 1 and 2, Juan and Teresa’s influence is evident in the way that Teresa accepts Chiron into her home.
Kevin (played by Jharrel Jerome) has grown up to be an eccentric teenager who has a lust for life, and Chiron still sees him as a friend. Kevin brags about a sexual encounter with a girl. Chiron eventually has a dream about Kevin and the girl. This reveals Chiron’s evident interest in Kevin. The conflict continues when Chiron heads back home and Paula immediately asks him for money, still giving drugs priority over the well-being of her son.
Chiron continues to be harassed by Terrel at school. He knows that his mother will be doing drugs at home, so he goes out on late nights to the beach. The beach is highly significant in “Moonlight” as it is the place where Juan told Little his story of the moonlight. It also reminds the audience that the beach is the place where the inciting incident occurred. As Chiron contemplates the conflict and unacceptance in his life, Kevin shows up at the beach.
Kevin and Chiron’s moment at the beach is the Midpoint (49:44) of “Moonlight”. Chiron has his first sexual experience with a man. Chiron’s experience at the Midpoint shows the light at the end of the tunnel, but Kevin brings Chiron home to a high Paula. It becomes clear that the hero’s journey has not quite reached its fulfillment.
Chiron sees Kevin sitting alone at a table in school and before he can sit down with Kevin, Terrel takes a seat. Terrel persuades Kevin to beat up Chiron. A beating ensues and Chiron realizes any hopes he had at being with Kevin are now gone.
Chiron is given the opportunity to press charges against Terrel, Chiron believes pressing charges would only make him look weak. Chiron feels that he needs to retaliate or everything they made fun of him for would be true. The big gloom or lowest point (01:05:00) for Chiron is the decision to assault Tyrell with a chair at school. Chiron is arrested and enters the police squad car. Act 2 ends with Kevin watching Chiron enter the vehicle and Chiron looks back at him.
Act 3: Black introduces Chiron as a hard drug dealer (played by Trevante Rhodes) in Atlanta. Chiron has enveloped everything that his culture has influenced upon him. Chiron is masking his sexuality/identity. He is showing his growth as a man by following the footsteps of Juan, his only role model. The final question of Chiron’s journey is whether he is being himself or contradicting Juan’s advice at the inciting incident. The plot point (01:10:35) that leads to the climax and eventual falling action/resolution are two phone calls. He receives a phone call from Paula who is now in a rehabilitation facility. He also receives a phone call from Kevin (played by Andre Holland) who apologizes for the past. Kevin offers to cook Chiron a meal at his diner.
The falling action/resolution for the subplot (1:16:37) occurs when Chiron meets Paula at the rehab center. Paula apologizes for the way that she treated Chiron. Chiron struggled throughout “Moonlight” believing that his mother was more in love with crack than himself. Paula recognizes her treatment toward Chiron. She then reveals to Chiron that she always loved him.
Chiron makes his way back to Miami to meet Kevin for his promise. The two of them catch up on their adult lives. Kevin reveals that he has a child with the girl he previously mentioned in Act 2: Chiron. Kevin learns that Chiron is a drug dealer and says Chiron is not acting like himself.
Act3: Black is at full steam. Chiron looks for any signs that Kevin is still interested in him. Chiron soon asks why Kevin called him and Kevin plays a song for Chiron. Chiron eventually gives Kevin a ride home.
The climax of “Moonlight” (01:39:06) occurs when Chiron and Kevin reach Kevin’s home, which happens to be near a beach. Still shy to explain himself, Chiron says he came down to Miami simply because he wanted to do it. Kevin questions Chiron’s identity again. Chiron confesses that he tried to forget all the hard times he had while growing up in Miami and that he has tried to make himself a different person. Chiron then admits that he is gay, and he still has feelings for Kevin.
The resolution of “Moonlight” (01:45:03) is when Kevin embraces Chiron at the end of Moonlight, leading the audience to question whether Chiron and Kevin will have a future together. In the end, Chiron as a kid, Little, looks back at the audience on the beach under the moonlight.
“Moonlight’s” three-act dramatic structure was most interesting because it told Chiron’s story through three different time periods. Although linear, we grew up with Chiron through intercuts, never seeing him in between the three acts as he went from boy, to teenager, to man. The beauty in this film is associated with the motifs of the beach and the moonlight that consistently remind us of the story that Juan told Little at the inciting event. The falling action is rather slow, but it builds up from the resolution with Paula to Chiron’s recognition of his identity as a gay man in a community that did not accept people for themselves.
