Film Analysis_ Moonlight
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Film Analysis: Moonlight
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Film Analysis: Moonlight
Joshua Walerowicz
Niagara University
Film Analysis: Moonlight
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Film Analysis: Moonlight
Moonlight is a film from 2016 that explores the life of a young African American man
named Chiron. This movie explores three parts of Chiron's life: childhood, adolescence, and
adulthood. Throughout the film, Chiron struggles with his sexuality and the relationships around
him. The film explores themes of masculinity, sexuality, and race compellingly.
During the movie, we learn that Chiron's mother is addicted to drugs and neglects to look
after him. Chiron faces this constant struggle throughout the movie and seeks support from Jaun
and Theresa. As the film progresses, we learn that Juan has been supplying Chiron's mother with
drugs. This represents a vicious cycle that is directly impacting Chiron's life.
Chiron's differences from other kids his age begin to show when he is in high school. His
classmates bully him relentlessly due to his non-masculine demeanor. This leads to multiple
fights with classmates and eventually gets him arrested. As the next part begins, Chiron has
completely changed in adulthood. He has followed in the footsteps of his former parental figure,
Juan, by dealing drugs and presenting as more masculine. As the film nears an end, Chiron meets
up with Kevin, an old friend who has shown interest in him. Chiron then begins to explore his
sexuality, which he has hidden throughout his life.
Presenting Problems
Chiron's presenting problems would relate to his identity and past experiences. He has
experienced multiple traumatic events, including physical abuse and neglect, that can impact his
mental health. Chiron has also faced discrimination from his community for not fitting the
stereotypical view of a straight male. This has led him to repress his sexual orientation and have
trouble expressing who he is. Social and cultural barriers have made life for Chiron very difficult
Film Analysis: Moonlight
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Ecosystems Perspective
Chiron has a multitiered ecosystem that impacts his life. Whether that is from the people
he interacted with every day to societal “norms” and poverty. All these factors influenced and
affected Chiron in his daily life.
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Microsystem
The people listed in Chiron’s microsystem are immediate factors that influence him.
These factors include his mother (Paula), Kevin, and Theresa. Paula influenced Chiron by
neglecting to take care of him. She was addicted to drugs which made her unable to be a stable
caregiver to him. Kevin was Chiron’s first and only partner that helped him explore his identity.
Finally, Theresa was someone Chiron looked up to and could rely on when things got tough.
Exosystem
The exosystem includes factors that indirectly influence a person’s life. Chiron constantly
had to deal with discrimination from his community and peers due to him not presenting in a
hetero-normative way. Another indirect factor that affected Chiron was poverty. Throughout the
movie, you can see that Chiron grew up poor. His mother constantly asked him for money and
sold household items to get by.
Mesosystem
Mesosystem refers to the connections between a person's different microsystems. In
Chiron's case, Juan would sell Paula drugs which directly affected his life. School peers would
bully Chiron for his mother's drug use and how he acted. These systems all interact with each
other and impact Chiron's mental health.
Cultural Identity Development
Developing cultural identity is the process of forming a sense of self and identity. In the
LGBTQ+ community, the term coming out refers to the process of individuals revealing their
gender or affectional orientation to others (Lee, 2015). This process is not a single event but
Film Analysis: Moonlight
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occurs throughout a person’s life (Lee, 2015). Coming out can be a very stressful experience, but
it also offers a sense of relief.
Chiron has just begun his journey of coming out and embarrassing who he is. As stated in
an analysis by Bilodeau and Renn, “Non-heterosexuals move through a series of identity
development stages, usually during the teenage years or early twenties” (Bilodeau & Renn, 2005,
p.26). The process of coming out has no clear path and is often non-linear. Coming out is more
of a fluid experience with multiple stops, starts, and backtracking (Bilodeau & Renn, 2005). For
Chiron, his experience with coming to terms with his sexuality and beginning the process of
coming out includes these factors. He often struggled with feeling accepted and expressing who
he indeed was.
Treatment Planning
Counseling Theory
According to Butler et al., cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the most researched
forms of psychotherapy and is effective in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (Butler et al.,
2006). Chiron’s past experiences of physical abuse and neglect have made him a good candidate
for CBT. Two techniques that would be used to treat his past traumatic events are exposure
therapy and cognitive restructuring. Exposure therapy involves gradually exposing an individual
to a traumatic event to help reduce anxiety and fear. Cognitive restructuring is used to change
negative thoughts and beliefs about traumatic events. Both techniques would be very beneficial
in assisting Chiron to heal from his past experiences and grow as an individual.
Chiron would benefit from using an advocacy perspective in his struggle to find his
identity. This would include helping Chiron find services, allies, and resources that support him
Film Analysis: Moonlight
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being an African American part of the LGBTQ+ community. Finding these resources would give
Chiron a safe place to be himself and assist him in developing his cultural identity.
Measuring the effectiveness of treatment is an essential aspect of creating a treatment
plan. The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) will be used for measuring progress
throughout sessions with Chiron. As stated by Jackson et al., “The Clinician-Administered PTSD
Scale (CAPS) is used to measure posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and diagnose
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” (Jackson et al., 2022, p.570). This will allow for
evaluating progress in reducing Chiron’s posttraumatic stress symptoms.
Goals and Objectives
With Chiron attending therapy, he has become more open to healing from past traumatic
experiences and finding community resources. The following goals have been discussed with
Chiron:
1.
Improve his self-acceptance.
2.
Reduce anxiety from past traumatic events.
3.
Develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Two strategies will be used to evaluate the progress made with Chiron in therapy. These two
strategies involve self-report based on scaling and using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale
(CAPS). These strategies incorporate qualitative and quantitative methods to measure Chiron's
progress.
Advocacy Competencies
Teaching your client to advocate for themselves while also advocating for your patients is
essential to being a counselor. By being a part of the LGBTQ+ community, Chiron has faced
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many challenges throughout his life. As stated by Pachankis et al., “Sexual and gender minorities
(SGMs) experience disproportionately high rates of stress-sensitive mental health conditions
resulting from stigma-related challenges across the life span” (Pachankis et al., 2021, p.669).
This requires professionals to provide a safe space for minority communities and offer support
resources. Today, many LGBQT+ centers provide various services, including support groups,
comprehensive health services, and educational services (Pachankis et al., 2021). Incorporating
these resources and techniques into therapy will help Chiron improve his self-acceptance and
find the support he needs.
Conclusion
Chiron has had past experiences that have left him traumatized and unsure of who he is.
For Chiron to improve his life, counseling, and community resources will be used to provide the
support he never had. By doing this, Chiron can heal from his past trauma and develop his
cultural identity.
Film Analysis: Moonlight
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References
Bilodeau, B. L., & Renn, K. A. (2005). Analysis of LGBT identity development models and
implications for practice.
New directions for student services
,
111
(111), 25-39.
Butler, A. C., Chapman, J. E., Forman, E. M., & Beck, A. T. (2006). The empirical status of
cognitive-behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses.
Clinical psychology review
,
26
(1),
17-31.
Jackson, C. E., Currao, A., Fonda, J. R., Kenna, A., Milberg, W. P., McGlinchey, R. E., &
Fortier, C. B. (2022). Research utility of a CAPS
‐
IV and CAPS
‐
5 hybrid interview:
Posttraumatic stress symptom and diagnostic concordance in recent
‐
era U.S. veterans.
Journal of Traumatic Stress, 35(2), 570–580.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.niagara.edu/10.1002/jts.22771
Lee, C. C. (Ed.). (2015). Multicultural issues in counseling: New approaches to diversity.
Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Pachankis, J. E., Clark, K. A., Jackson, S. D., Pereira, K., & Levine, D. (2021). Current Capacity
and Future Implementation of Mental Health Services in U.S. LGBTQ Community Centers.
Psychiatric Services, 72(6), 669–676.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.niagara.edu/10.1176/appi.ps.202000575