Under the Spotlight: Mahershala Ali’s complex performance in ‘Moonlight’
Barry Jenkins’ 2018 drama Moonlight tells the moving tale of Chiron through his childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Exploring themes of race, poverty, homosexuality and identity, Moonlight is a beautiful film about finding acceptance and peace within oneself, although Chiron cannot do this without the help of Juan, played by Mahershala Ali.
When the movie begins, Chiron is just a child, going by the nickname ‘Little’ due to his quiet and unassuming demeanour. Juan, a drug dealer in the local neighbourhood, finds Little hiding from bullies, subsequently taking him under his wing. Little doesn’t have a father in his life, and his mother is addicted to crack, which is supplied to her by Juan.
Thus, this complicates Juan’s position – he feels great empathy for Little and feels frustrated that his mother cares more about drugs than her own son. Ali’s performance is brilliantly complex as he grapples with understanding how his actions have a direct effect on this innocent child while simultaneously acting as a well-needed parental figure to him.
As the film progresses, Chiron finds the confidence inside himself to embrace his sexuality, and it is clear that his time spent with Juan allowed him to do so. Juan listened to Little when no one else would, teaching him to define himself instead of letting the opinions of others dictate his self-perception. The scenes between Juan and Little are arguably the highlights of the movie, with Ali giving an incredibly profound and awe-inspiring performance as the protagonist’s much-needed guide.
Juan takes Little to the beach, where he holds him in the ocean, demonstrating to the small boy that he is trustworthy. Thus, Little allows Juan to share advice with him that shapes his perception of life and identity. Another key scene, arguably Ali’s greatest turn in the whole film, sees Juan and Little sitting at the kitchen table. When Little asks Juan about homophobic slurs, which his bullies often use against him, Juan calmly explains to him what they mean.
He tells Little, “You can be gay, but you ain’t gotta let nobody call you no f*ggot,” stressing the importance of rejecting the harmful words of others. Yet, Little soon quizzes Juan on whether he sells drugs, and in the short silence that follows, you can see the realisation on Juan’s face, the acceptance that his job causes harm to others, including Little’s mother, which directly affects the neglected child.
It is a highly moving scene, and Ali purposefully keeps his head down, avoiding eye contact as he forces his character to tell Little the truth. Little follows up his question by asking if Juan sells drugs to his mum, and when he is given his answer by a reflective and sombre Juan, he gets up and walks away without saying a word. Just a few words are said, but the actors’ movements and expressions say everything we need to know. Not only does Juan have a massive effect on Little, but it appears that Little has a significant impact on Juan, too.
In an interview with Deadline, Ali explained why he took on the role, which he believed subverted stereotypes. He added, “As a Black man, it’s very difficult for you to feel good about contributing in that way, and sort of already enabling and supporting certain stereotypes, but with this, it’s a project that is written from the inside out, people who have had these experiences and know these people as full human beings.” Calling Juan “so human”, Ali referred to his character’s position as a drug dealer a “character flaw, but it wasn’t what he was. Since we’re all flawed, one of his flaws is that he makes money illegally, but it doesn’t mean that he’s a bad or evil human being”.
Ali only features in the film during the first act, but his presence is felt strongly throughout the rest of Moonlight as Little becomes Chrion and eventually Black, accepting his identity and reuniting with a teenage love, Kevin, who gave him the latter nickname. Ali was awarded the Oscar for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, a testament to the intricate performance he delivered as Juan, a complex figure who is really the heart of Jenkins’ movie.
