Could someone explain the ending of "Moonlight" to me?

So Chiron/Little/Black have been roughousing since they were eight, and kissed and masturbated together when they were 16. They've had a thing for each other their entire lives, so much that Kevin contacts Chiron out of the blue when they're adults, and Chiron dirves all the way from Atlanta to Miami mostly to see him.

In the meantime, Kevin has grown up into a handsome, well built man, and Chiron has transformed himself into a walking gay porn fantasy. He has developed a better and more muscular body than Diesel Washington, and is a sexy drug dealer to boot.

And yet when they see each other, instead of just fucking the shit out of one another (as any real gay or bi man would do), they want to talk about their life's heart aches, and then when they finally get together physically... they cuddle.

What straight woman wrote this???

To see me is to want only to snuggle!

Kevin, who is bisexual, has lived a relatively normal life with sex and love.

Chiron is the one who is so damaged after what happened with Kevin that he completely cuts himself off from ever allowing himself to get close to another person.

It's meant to be a touching and sentimental ending of Kevin realizing just how damaged and starved Chiron is for affection from another person embraces him, trying to show him it is okay. He can relax and quit with this ridiculous armor he has put on.

Presumably they then fucked like rabbits after that.

Movie of the Week story.

Bottom cooks top some soul food.

The End

[quote] And yet when they see each other, instead of just fucking the shit out of one another (as any real gay or bi man would do)

Obviously it went over your head.

^^Movie of the Weak

I burst out laughing when I saw how muscular the actor was whom they had chosen to play Chiron as an adult. Thatw as really someone's fantasy.

R2 You might at least learn how to spell your own name.

"LA LA LAND"

Manchester was robbed.

It was a sweet, romantic ending but, as most posters said, would never happen on gay planet Earth.

I know some were hoping for more sex, but at least the ending left open the possibility that they had sex afterwards.

Sorry but I do not know why it won the Oscar for best picture.

Who cares at this point? Do you actually think Moonlight is the first questionable Best Picture award winner? You realize "best" in this context is a subjective prize.

Do you think his breath smelled from wearing that 'grill' over his teeth?

Fuck the ending. Rim the middle and blow the beginning. Fuck Moonlight and the hype it rode in on.

It's Remains of the Day with hot Black dudes.

[quote]Presumably they then fucked like rabbits after that.

Yes. The movie didn't show anything but that ending did not feel chaste to me at all.

Seems some of you skip down the street with bluebirds circling your heads. News Flash, there are gay guys who don't spend their entire lives prowling for cock, even if they are amazing looking..

Nicholas Cage and Cher profess their love for each other.

[quote]there are gay guys who don't spend their entire lives prowling for cock

There's significant middle ground between this and not being touched by another human being since the guy who beat the shit out of you in junior high beat the shit out of you in junior high. Or did I miss a significant plot point? Those darned "teeth."

A heart felt, gay-themed movie is actually voted best picture of the year, and the haters are still complaining.

R22 you missed how the trauma of the guy you first kissed beating the shit out of would want to make him disconnect with the world for a bit. His whole self loathing was associated with acting gay, it was impossible for him to act on his attraction until someone told him it's ok.

Moonlight was art. True art.

However if you are just looking at it as prosaic plot points without any appreciation of beauty, then yes I can see how you would think it is overrated.

The ending was perfect. So subdued and gentle for a man who has rarely known affection

Cybill Shepherd bitchslaps Bruce Willis.

Oh stop with the gentle nonsense. In real life that godlike Mandingo would have have been pounding the annoying cook's ass bare and mercilessly and then probably beat him up for payback. That was the ending I would have believed.

I thought it was obvious they were going to fuck - or at least snuggle - the moment Ciron drives over to see Kevin.

First, it's not coincidental that Kevin is a cook and decided to serve Ciron his Special because early scenes in the movie involving the surrogate parents, Juan & Teresa, also revolved around food, suggesting that food is nourishment on more than one level. And it's as if food is part of what being a family is, with the implication at he diner that Kevin is now family.

Also, it's not coincidental that Kevin lives near the beach since a pivotal moment in their lives also happened on the beach.

I know people like things spelled out for them, but after you see a ton of movies (more the case with domestic films than with foreign ones BTW), it's profoundly refreshing to see a movie where characters don't talk each other to death.

FWIW I wouldn't have minded if Manchester won best picture either, especially because of that grim ending.

Andre Holland is an acting god!

[quote]In real life that godlike Mandingo would have have been pounding the annoying cook's ass bare and mercilessly and then probably beat him up for payback.

It's a pity that you can only see Chiron as some racist stereotype and not a real human being.

You wouldn't understand.

You CAN'T understand.

It is APPROPRIATION to try to understand.

What I hated about the ending is that it showed just them snuggling. I think they should have showed the entire sequence of them just embracing. Either that or it seems that part was cut out

[quote]There's significant middle ground between this and not being touched by another human being since the guy who beat the shit out of you in junior high beat the shit out of you in junior high.

Yeah that's called being a Priest. Some hide behind religion.

Andre Holland was much too old to play Trevante Rhodes's contemporary.

The story I heard is that Andre Holland is an old friend of Tarell Alvin McCraney and saw the original script over ten years ago. Had the movie been made ten years ago Andre Holland would likely have had a part back then.

r27 wins. Love you.

R36, André Holland did have a part in "Moonlight"; he played Kevin in the third act.

I was shocked HIDDEN FIGURES didn't take the statue

It won the SAG award.

I know.

To me it felt like two straight actors who weren't completely comfortable getting physical with each other.

The playwright who wrote this is gay gay gay gay gay, so I'd blame the director for the weirdly chaste ending.

It would have made more sense if they hadn't cut the tent scene.

R38 Yeah, that was kind of the point of my comment.

R44 R35 was being suttel.

R38, I know Andre Holland was adult Kevin. I'm just saying he probably was meant for the role 10 years ago as well, and 10 years ago he was actually the age the character was supposed to be. It doesn't bother me that he's ten years older, I think he looks great.

I had no idea Andre Holland was 11 years older than Trevante Rhodes. But they both sold me as being the same age - superb actors. You see, it's not the actors' ages that count, but how well they play the characters at the age prescribed., convincingly. Hollywood casts this way continually, with varied results, many believable, others less so. Besides, Blacks don't crack.

I thought the final scene was compelling. Chiron finally feeling loved and peaceful. (Much sex to follow was clearly implied.)

Guys who think that final scene was chaste obviously have more experience watching porn than actually having sex.

The movie was horrible - sorry folks

The movie was astounding - no apologies,.

R50 has spoken! The film critics and the academy members don't know anything. Deadpool should have taken home best picture!

I loved the ending. Seeing Chriron drop his machismo facade and cuddle up to Kevin spoke everything.

I will need to watch this again. I found the ending pathetic. The only thing that saved it was the absence of a tire iron.

If the endng had Trevante and Andre "goin' down to pound town" right on screen, the Academy voters would have nixed it. The cuddlesome resolution made it accessible to more people.

[quote] The cuddlesome resolution made it accessible to more people.

Tire Iron Lite.

I think many of you are overlooking just how damaged Chiron is, in spite of his growing into a desirable well built young adult. In fact, it was ideal to show the contradictions between a persons' facade and what's going on inside. As a kid, the character sought a 'safe place' which he rarely found, so isolation became his 'safe place'. He only allowed one person, Kevin, into his 'safe place' and while Kevin let hmm down once by beating him in front of others; Chiron must have believed in him enough to seek him out after years had passed between them. I thought it was a perfect ending for a heart-wrenching story that may seem unreal and not gay enough for some, but I'm certain is far more real than many of us want to believe. Being gay does not necessarily mean always having another guy up in you...it can mean sincere affection FIRST.

[quote].it can mean sincere affection FIRST, decades after the fact.

Fixed.

Hee Hee!

[quote] It's a pity that you can only see Chiron as some racist stereotype and not a real human being.

He's absolutely NOT "a real human being." He's a character in a movie.

If he comes across as a stereotype, that's the fault of the movie.

[quote] Chiron as some racist stereotype

You talking about those "teeth"?

r57, I love you, As a black "queer" man that is exactly how I feel. I swear it has made me bipolar, even with suicidal ideation. But thats exactly how I feel. It is my Brokeback.

I didn't think the movie was about being gay. That was a side story. The primary plot was being the child of an addict. The scenes in the diner and afterword would've been far different if he had met with his mother before seeing the cook.

R53, In the movie, Chiron DID meet with his mother Paula before meeting Kevin, the cook.

This is R63, I stand corrected.

They're called "credits," Rose!

Wiping off your hand in the sand is a waste!

It's a movie with no white sissies in it; ergo, it can't possibly hold any interest for 90% of you. It has no straight white actors in it for White queens to salivate over and say..."oooo, ith he at leasth bithexual??? How largth ith hith thcock?"

It's a film about discovery and love, not lust and Abercrombie &Fitch wannabes making out.

The only reason it holds any interest for any of DLs average, White entitled sissies is so that they can bitch about the fact that it won Oscars with barely any white people in the cast. How disappointing for you... 🤗🤗🤗

[R62] Thanks, LOL. I can't believe it when people say "the ending was a let down". It was so moving for me and I thought the actors were fantastic portraying that terribly sensitive scene. When I think of it, it still tends to make me tear-up. As Black gay men, we need to embrace our humanity and sexuality.

This is a movie that will hold up well over time. Stunnng cinematography and compelling acting. A realistic intimate view of the world as seen through the eyes of a black child growing up gay in a gritty neighborhood. An ending that promises hope and acceptance at last.

I just watched it. Its interesting to read the comments here a couple years later. I can see how it may be frustrating for some that the movie didn't include some sort of adult consummation with Kevin at the end. But honestly I couldn't imagine wanting sexual healing from someone who I fooled with at 13, it would be weird for me. They were two completely different people by the time they reunited. By that time its just more appropriate to get emotional closure, and Chiron got it.

What got me more about this movie is that Chiron lived in ATLANTA of all places, and was he trapper without a boyfriend. This just doesn't happen. IRL he would have tumultuous gay relationships and a harem of male hoes! It would have been interesting the movie explored that angle, but the story telling was way to slow for that. Chiron could still return to Kevin to get emotional healing.

I think Andre Holland should've won an award for part 3 of the movie, what an outstanding performance. He captured every feeling so perfectly. I DIED when their eyes met in the cafe for the first time in many years. Extremely powerful moment.

I just watched it. Its interesting to read the comments here a couple years later. I can see how it may be frustrating for some that the movie didn't include some sort of adult consummation with Kevin at the end. But honestly I couldn't imagine wanting sexual healing from someone who I fooled with at 13, it would be weird for me. They were two completely different people by the time they reunited. By that time its just more appropriate to get emotional closure, and Chiron got it.

What got me more about this movie is that Chiron lived in ATLANTA of all places, and was he trapper without a boyfriend. This just doesn't happen. IRL he would have tumultuous gay relationships and a harem of male hoes! It would have been interesting the movie explored that angle, but the story telling was way to slow for that. Chiron could still return to Kevin to get emotional healing.

I think Andre Holland should've won an award for part 3 of the movie, what an outstanding performance. He captured every feeling so perfectly. I DIED when their eyes met in the cafe for the first time in many years. Extremely powerful moment.