Moonlight

Moonlight is a film like no other in its ability to break down the walls of minority America through its open controversy.

Chronicling the life of Chiron, a black man reared in 1980s Miami, this film questions the most innate insecurities of American culture, from racial prejudice to homophobia. 

Spanning three generations, the film follows Chiron as he combats childhood to adolescence, and through to adulthood. 

Though difficult to watch at times, the film is an important documentation of a society that is often forgotten and disregarded. It not only condemns the victimisation of Black America, but also its validity.

The way in which the camera captures each aspect of this story is exceptional in that it is inclusive of audience perception and enables emotional connection on a level that can only be considered thought-provoking.

With a story as socially important as this one, it is a welcome surprise that comic relief is sought in moments of despair, as we, the audience, watch this young and disadvantaged boy turn into a loving and somewhat misunderstood man. 

Hidden Figures

Three remarkable women struggle to get their voices and more importantly, their minds, heard in an era where everything is against them, including the colour of their skin.

In 1962 John Glenn was the first man to orbit the earth, but that wasn’t the only first for NASA or indeed the USA that year. Three African-American women, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson also made history by achieving the impossible; they were allowed to use their brains to accelerate the space race and break the stigma surrounding the civil rights movement in America.

True stories are often the hardest to depict on the big screen, for the simple reason that you must do the story the justice it deserves. Hidden Figures is not only a fitting immortalization of an awe-inspiring story, it is quite possibly one of the most powerful cinematic experiences one can behold, it is just a shame it was not in existence at the time it was needed.

No film can be a success without the triumph of its actors, and this film is no exception. It is rare that you find an actor that can fill a room with their presence alone, it is near impossible to find three in the same film. But Taraji P. Henson (Katherine), Octavia Spencer (Dorothy) and Janelle Monae (Mary) all perform with such ease that they send shivers down the spine.

1960s America is not the easiest of sets to compose and yet the production team have managed to create authenticity throughout. From intricately detailed costumes to cars that cast the mind back, every detail of this film has been thought of and executed to perfection.