Moonlight and Frank Ocean

In the film Moonlight directed by Barry Jenkins, we dissected our impressions of the film, the impact it created, and how we feel about straight males telling queer stories. But beyond those points and learning lessons was the importance of viewing Moonlight under the lens of queer philosophy and queer culture. The film didn’t just make a point of what it is to be queer under dark circumstances but it also dissected masculinity and what the black queer experience in the South is like.

This brings me to Ocean’s distant but relevant association with the film. No, he didn’t score the film, he didn’t help write it, his music isn’t even featured in the film. However, Ocean is more aligned and touched by the film than many can believe.

Ocean was raised in the South in Louisiana to be exact. Just like Chiron. Ocean is a queer black man, as is Chiron in the film. Okay maybe that’s all there is to it but that isn’t say some fans are reaching when they see the close relevance because in fact, when A24 released a published version of the script, Ocean contributed his own foreword:

So, he doesn’t go in-depth about his feelings about the film but mainly takes a poetic and abstract way of perceiving the film. However, he dissects how the film takes him back, lets him reminisce and reflect on what it was like to a young Christopher Breaux, and how “Little”, “Chiron”, and “Black” are all prevalent to him.

So here is Frank Ocean, someone who is highly regarded as being constantly sought out, and very private, coming out of the shadows to write a piece for Moonlight’s published script. A film that is widely regarded to be queer and nearly mentioned in every black queer film list. Ocean has not only made a statement by writing this foreword about the film but making his foreword in itself is testament about his feeling towards the film and the black queer experience.

Blonded Contributors. “Frank Ocean Writes Forward for ‘Moonlight’ Book.” Blonded.blog, Blonded.blog, 26 Sept. 2019, blonded.blog/news/frank-ocean-wrote-a-forward-for-moonlight-book.

Jenkins, Barry, director. Moonlight. A24, 2016.