“I was on a KLM flight just a couple of weeks ago. It was King’s Day so they were handing out these orange cupcakes, but that is when I saw an incredible film on the flight. The movie is called Moonlight (2016) and it has gotten a lot of wonderful reviews in the United States. I think it even won an Oscar. It’s about a young boy becoming a man’s sort of journey and he grows up in a rough section of the United States. It’s about his discovery of his sexuality and his identity and the people who are most supportive of his life. The movie was just absolutely beautiful, stunning, moving and powerful and it was relatable to everybody. It was life changing and a really amazing film. This film deserves all the great reviews and awards that it has gotten. Sometimes you just watch a film for entertainment and this one was something more than that, It was deeper.” – Coco
“Could you ever make some kind of personal connection with this film?” – Feargal
“I’m married to a woman. I also come from the United States and I’m a person of color too. So, there are a lot of elements of the film that of course resonated with me personally. What made this story powerful wasn’t the main character’s sexuality it was the way the film was made. It was made in a beautiful, deep, profound, slow and methodical way. It was about relationships and the connections that this young man made with people in his life and the difficulties that he had with certain relationships. Like, with his own mother about him realizing his sexuality. It was just beautiful filmmaking and that is inspiring to me.”
“In one word I think it was an exploration of the self, of the individual and the way they see the world and the way the world sees them. And this said by a mother who watches nothing but baby cartoons all the time, because I have got kids.” – Coco
“My message would be that the great storytelling in Moonlight is more than just entertainment because sharing these lesser known narratives has the power to make visible the invisible and empower those most marginalized in society – which is strengthening for us all.” – Coco
Photo take by Feargal Agard
Story written by Feargal Agard
