the image of Black people’ s bodies and water dissolved completely.
This was until 2016 when the release of Barry Jenkins film Moonlight reclaimed the image of Black people’ s bodies in and with water and overturned the stereotype that Black people cannot swim. In brief, the film is set in Miami, Florida and follows a gay Black man Chiron, from childhood to adulthood and depicts the struggle and prejudices he faces because of his sexuality. Chiron finds solace through water throughout his life and can connect to his inner self- his true self when he is in and near it. Water is one of the most natural substances on Earth. According to the Bible, it was the first thing ever to exist. By associating Chiron with water, Jenkins demonstrates how homosexuality is also something that naturally occurs.
The film is split into three chapters, ' Little ', ' Chiron ' and ' Black '. The title of each chapter reflects how Chiron identifies during that particular time of his life. Chiron is taught how to swim during the films first chapter, ' Little '(‘ Little’ being Chiron’ s childhood nickname). This moment, depicted by a series of long takes, highlights Chiron’ s connection to the water as Juan, his surrogate father figure, holds him afloat in the water and allows Chiron ' s body to move naturally with the waves. Jenkins demonstrates his natural place with the water, as this scene is one of the only moments when Chiron is entirely at ease with himself. In this scene, the camera is handheld, allowing it to move with the motion of the water, meaning waves lap over the camera’ s lens from time to time. This technique makes the spectator feel as if they are included in the scene, which enhances the feeling that what we are observing( a Black child learning to swim) is entirely natural.
Throughout the scene, classical music is played and is used throughout the film to represent Chiron’ s inner self. Much like swimming, classical music is associated with whiteness as‘ classical music is a world in which Black people have seldom been allowed to play a leading role’( Ross, 2020). This deliberate choice made by Jenkins subverts the audience ' s expectation of what music would be used in a film depicting life in the ' hood '. Music used in films set in the
' hood ' is typically hip-hop and rap, meaning classical music contrasts with the film ' s setting, representing how Chiron feels out of place within his surroundings( the Take, 2017). The classical piece The Middle of the Worldplays uninterrupted as Chiron learns how to swim, and the dialogue is not cut from its source, meaning the scene’ s flow feels natural and puts the spectator at ease. The classical music reaffirms how Chiron feels himself while in the water, and the unmanipulated dialogue shows how he feels at ease with Juan and in the water. Jenkins uses the swimming scene to demonstrate the bond Juan and Chiron have formed and how Juan has taken on a paternal role in Chiron’ s childhood as in America, the responsibility for teaching the child how to swim lies with the parent.
As the scene progresses, Chiron becomes comfortable enough to navigate the water alone. He turns away from the camera and moves out towards the open sea. The sea was seen as a means for slaves to escape by Slave Traders, and swimming was a way of achieving such an escape. Chiron independently moving out to sea represents a desire for freedom and, in particular, freedom from assumptions about his sexuality, from his mother and bullies and the abuse he faces because of it.
Jenkins uses the editing technique of separating characters from their dialogue to solidify the idea that Chiron is at odds with his surroundings, especially when he is separated from both Juan and the water. Jenkins detaches characters dialogue from its original shot when Chiron feels pressured or uncomfortable, creating a surreal and awkward feeling for the viewer. Most notably, this technique is used when Chiron interacts with his mother Paula, demonstrating their disconnect from each other. For example, when a teenage Chiron runs into Paula when she is high, her dialogue and movements do not match. Through this technique, Jenkins communicates Chiron’ s disconnect from his mother, a relationship that should be natural. No music plays over the top of this exchange, signalling how Chiron cannot express himself when around Paula.
The second scene in which water represents freedom is in Part II: Chiron, when Chiron’ s
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