美国国家公共电台 NPR In 'Moonlight,' Growing Up Black, Gay And Poor In 1980s Miami

In 'Moonlight,' Growing Up Black, Gay And Poor In 1980s Miami 

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A new film called "Moonlight" shines a light on a tough neighborhood in Miami in the 1980s at the height of the war on drugs. There we meet a young black gay man whose mother is addicted⁴ to crack. It is a world well known to both the director of "Moonlight" and the playwright⁵, whose work the movie - opening Friday - is based on. NPR's Mandalit del Barco has the story.

MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE⁶: We first meet Chiron as a 10-year-old boy getting chased by bullies⁷ through the streets of Miami's impoverished⁸ Liberty City neighborhood. Chiron ends up cowering⁹ inside a boarded up crack house. Alex Hibbert plays the shy Chiron.

ALEX HIBBERT: Chiron, he's a not understood boy, like, he's been bullied¹⁰ a lot, abused. And he's trying to find his way. And he's judged a lot about his sexuality and who he likes and what he likes.

DEL BARCO: The 12-year-old actor makes his debut¹¹ here. He grew up in another Miami neighborhood.

HIBBERT: It's not as bad as Liberty City was, but it's like bad-ish (ph).

DEL BARCO: Hibbert says the movie offers a very authentic¹² view of the hood².

HIBBERT: Yeah. In my community, like, there's people that they care for you even though they do bad stuff like they sell drugs and stuff. But like inside they care and they have a heart.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "MOONLIGHT")

MAHERSHALA ALI: (As Juan) I got to get you home, little man. Can't have you just running around these dope holes.

DEL BARCO: In the movie, a local drug dealer¹³ named Juan becomes Chiron's mentor¹⁴. He even teaches him to swim in the ocean. Actor Mahershala Ali says his character, a black Cuban man, relates to Chiron as an outsider.

ALI: The way they connect and the way he guides him is in the manner in which a father does. And he's able to impart a certain degree of knowledge or at least try to unlock Chiron in some of the things that he's dealing¹⁵ with.

DEL BARCO: Juan is also responsible for supplying the very drugs that Chiron's mother uses. Chiron witnesses her descent from a responsible nurse to a crack addict³ begging for money.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "MOONLIGHT")

NAOMIE HARRIS: (As Paula) I'm your blood, remember? Now, I ain't feeling good. I need something to help me out. Come on, baby.

HARRIS: It's left to drug-dealing Juan and his girlfriend Teresa to help Chiron navigate¹⁶ growing up. Singer Janelle Monae plays Teresa, who becomes Chiron's surrogate mother.

JANELLE MONAE: With the world constantly chattering¹⁷ in his head about who he should be and who he should not be, I'm the one person who is mentoring¹⁸ him and listening to him alongside Mahershala's character as well. I don't judge him and I'm there for him and I'm allowing him the space to just be.

DEL BARCO: The film is told in three acts, with different actors playing Chiron at different stages of his life. In the first act, he's a child. In act two, in high school. Act three, he's an adult. And as an adult, Chiron reconnects with Kevin, his first love.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "MOONLIGHT")

ANDRE HOLLAND: (As Kevin) Who is you, Chiron?

TREVONTE RHODES: (As Chiron) I'm me, man. I ain't trying to be nothing else.

HOLLAND: (As Kevin) Oh, OK. So you hard now?

RHODES: (As Chiron) No, I ain't say that.

HOLLAND: (As Kevin) Well, then what?

DEL BARCO: The adult Kevin is played by actor Andre Holland.

HOLLAND: There's often this idea of boys don't cry and, you know, toughen up, man up. And at the same time, well, don't be too angry or too aggressive because that has serious ramifications¹⁹ as we continue to see.

DEL BARCO: It's a fine line that Holland says black men in particular have had to negotiate. He says the characters in "Moonlight" are learning what it means to be men.

HOLLAND: They also are trying to figure out what their sexuality is. And I think it's really remarkable²⁰ that these two men have found a way to be open and vulnerable and intimate with one another, not just sexual but truly intimate.

HOLLAND: Playwright Tarell McCraney and director Barry Jenkins say they also wanted the story to be an intimate portrayal²¹ of the place where they both grew up in the 1980s - Liberty City.

TARELL MCCRANEY: I mean, the sun would be setting and there would be this gorgeous blush in the air. You could smell mango down the street, down 62nd Street, I mean, it...

BARRY JENKINS: All the time.

MCCRANEY: ...All the time.

DEL BARCO: They went to the same elementary school, but they didn't meet up until a few years ago when Jenkins first read McCraney's play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue." It's based on the playwright's childhood.

MCCRANEY: I remember some of the worst days of my life were also some of the most beautiful naturally. The poinsettia would be in full bloom and falling on your head, so you'd see these yellow flowers everywhere. But, you know, I had just gotten either beaten up on a corner or saw somebody get shot.

DEL BARCO: Director Barry Jenkins had a very different experience in that same neighborhood. He was not gay and he played football. But he and McCraney have a shared history - both of their mothers were addicted to crack.

MCCRANEY: I remember being my mom's buddy²².

JENKINS: Like partners. Like we are a team.

MCCRANEY: Yeah. We were homies, you know what I mean?

JENKINS: We were in it together. And then at some point we weren't.

DEL BARCO: The playwright's mother died of AIDS, while the director's mother is in recovery. Neither knew their fathers. Barry Jenkins says he was struck by the way in which the men in the story interact.

JENKINS: Just the gentleness and the kindness of the character Juan and knowing that he was based on something in reality.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "MOONLIGHT")

ALI: (As Juan) Let me tell you something, man. There are black people everywhere. Remember that, OK? No place you can go in the world ain't got no black people. We was the first on this planet.

MCCRANEY: And when I jogged my memory and I thought back on growing up in the village, there were these men who would every now and then just go out of their way to be, like, no, no, no, don't do that, you know, leave that guy alone or this or that. You know, the men give each other dap, you know. And it's something very, very common in the black community. And I hadn't really seen it, you know, sort of done in a movie or in a TV show - carrying the warmth that I think it carries for these characters in this film.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "MOONLIGHT")

ALI: (As Juan) At some point you've got to decide for yourself who you're going to be. Can't let nobody make that decision for you.

DEL BARCO: Director Barry Jenkins says he also wanted to give a realistic feel and language to his film. As a result, it looks and sounds like Liberty City in the 1980s.

JENKINS: That's because, mama, it is real people talking. You know, there is no code switching in this film. Miami English is different than Georgia English, different than New York English. And I remember the first time we showed - I showed the film to my agent. He was like, you might need subtitles²³ for that opening scene.

MCCRANEY: (Laughter).

JENKINS: And I was like, no, bro, that's just Miami. That accent is thick and musical. Instantly your ear - like if you're watching Shakespeare - it takes you a minute to attune²⁴ to it, to get involved. And that's good. It's like, wouldn't you like to come visit these wonderful people?

MCCRANEY: (Laughter).

JENKINS: But you go, I want to talk to these people for a second. Yes, this guy's a drug dealer. I know what he does. But let me into his world for a moment.

DEL BARCO: McCraney and Jenkins are hoping that even after the credits roll, the moonlight lingers on these characters.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "MOONLIGHT")

RHODES: (As Chiron) What did you expect?

DEL BARCO: Mandalit del Barco, NPR News.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

3 addict   

v.使沉溺；使上瘾；n.沉溺于不良嗜好的人

参考例句：

• He became gambling addict,and lost all his possessions.他习染上了赌博，最终输掉了全部家产。
• He assisted a drug addict to escape from drug but failed firstly.一开始他帮助一个吸毒者戒毒但失败了。

4 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

5 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 bullies   

n.欺凌弱小者, 开球 vt.恐吓, 威胁, 欺负

参考例句：

• Standing up to bullies takes plenty of backbone. 勇敢地对付暴徒需有大无畏精神。
• Bullies can make your life hell. 恃强欺弱者能让你的日子像活地狱。

8 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 cowering   

v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He turned his baleful glare on the cowering suspect. 他恶毒地盯着那个蜷缩成一团的嫌疑犯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He stood over the cowering Herb with fists of fury. 他紧握着两个拳头怒气冲天地站在惊魂未定的赫伯面前。 来自辞典例句

10 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

12 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

13 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

14 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

15 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

16 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

17 chattering   

n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
• I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

18 mentoring   

n.mentoring是一种工作关系。mentor通常是处在比mentee更高工作职位上的有影响力的人。他/她有比‘mentee’更丰富的工作经验和知识，并用心支持mentee的职业（发展）。v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• One of the most effective instruments for coaching and mentoring is the "role rehearsal" . 辅导和教学的最有效的手段之一是“角色排练。” 来自辞典例句
• Bell Canada called their mentoring system a buddy-buddy system. 加拿大贝尔公司称他们的训导系统是伙伴—伙伴系统。 来自互联网

19 ramifications   

n.结果，后果( ramification的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These changes are bound to have widespread social ramifications. 这些变化注定会造成许多难以预料的社会后果。
• What are the ramifications of our decision to join the union? 我们决定加入工会会引起哪些后果呢？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

21 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

22 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

23 subtitles   

n.说明字幕，印在外国影片上的对白翻译字幕，译文对白字幕；小标题，副标题( subtitle的名词复数 )；（电影的）字幕

参考例句：

• subtitles for the deaf and the hard of hearing 为耳聋和听力不佳者打出的字幕
• a Polish film with English subtitles 附有英语字幕的波兰影片

24 attune   

v.使调和

参考例句：

• His ear is still attune to the sound of the London suburb.他的耳朵对伦敦郊区的语音仍然一听就能辨别。
• Our ears are becoming attuned to the noise of the new factory nearby.我们的耳朵逐渐适应了附近新工厂的噪声。