When I first finished watching Moonlight, my immediate thought was - "that was it?"
It was clear that Chiron was sad throughout the film and had a difficult life, but I unfortunately wasn't able to connect with the film the way others were; at least at first. After several days of reflection and conversations with friends, as well as soaking in the sorrow of the movie, it finally hit how profoundly sad the film was - with regards to how effective the film is at conveying that sadness (in other words, making me feel that sadness).
That said, I think I finally realized what one of my main "gripes" with the movie is, in which is caused me to have the initial reaction - we never actually see Chiron do anything. We see how he reacts based on how others are acting (or reacting) towards him, but he doesn't really do anything. He's not really a driving force in his own life, save for the third act. He's just depressingly, profoundly sad.
And that's the beauty of Moonlight. It's an almost documentary-like capture of a person who's experienced so little love in his life (and damn the people who caused him to retreat). It's a fantastic story reflecting on the importance of friends and family (or lack thereof), as well as how homosexuality is handled in certain cultures.
Highly recommended, and allow the film to gestate and ruminate with you afterwards. Discuss with friends, read think pieces like this article from Variety on Chiron's name.
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