A Large Role off Setting and Staging Play in the Movie Moonlight

In the movie, Moonlight, setting and staging play a large role in the development of the film, and help tell certain aspects of the story. Three areas of setting which are important in the film are at the school Little attends, the neighborhood he lives in, and the beach. The staging of the film shows that Little gives in when he is under pressure or feels uncomfortable in certain situations he is in.The school Little attends ties in with the neighborhood he lives in, which appears to be a low income African American community. In the community boys are expected to act tough, be interested in masculine activities like sports or fighting, and to be heterosexual. Little is exactly the opposite of that in this part of the film.

Little is shy and does not fit in with other boys his age. He is easily picked on because he shows he is not tough enough, and will not stand up to defend himself until much later in the film. Lastly, with setting the beach offers a place of freedom and a place where Little opens up. At the beach, Little has an intimate conversation and opens himself up to his friend Kevin, where they then kiss. Little tells Kevin about various struggles he has, and things he would never say or do back in the neighborhood they live in. Later in the film when Little and Kevin reconnect, they go to a hotel by the beach where Little opens up about his lack of sexual experiences. This further demonstrates the intimacy of the setting of the beach.

All of this conveys the films message about living a fake life and being afraid to be different When Little can finally be himself at the beach with Kevin, he seems happier than at any other point in the movie because he can finally put away the fake live he lives momentarily. If they were seen kissing in the neighborhood they live in they would likely be made fun of and beaten up.Staging also plays an interesting role in how the film plays out. There are various examples of this which include, Littleâ??s mom reaction when she asks for money, and Littles retaliation after getting beaten up by Kevin after school. Little and his mother do not appear to have much of a relationship in the movie due to Littlemothers drug problem. She appears to be a nurse at the beginning of the movie appearing in scrubs, however she is then always shown at home in normal clothing. At one point her drug addiction gets so bad she has to ask Little for money to buy her drugs.

The conversation starts out normal, but quickly turns into her knocking down the door, and frantically searching Little for money. She gets very aggressive in her manner with him until he gives her money. This expresses Little passive personality and giving in when pressured. He appears very sad and has to conceal these feelings himself. Lastly, Little finally retaliates and lets his built up anger and frustration get the best of him after getting beaten up at school. Little is often picked on in elementary school and does nothing to retaliate. However, as he got older and after having an intimate moment with Kevin at the beach, Kevin is pressured to beat Little up by a group of bullies. After Little is beaten up, he retaliates by hitting one of the bullies who organized his beating in the back of the head with a chair. This scene shows the tolls frustration and anger have on people. 

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