“You boy, you’re running around stealing the light. In the moonlight, black boys look blue. That’s what I’m gonna call you, Blue.” This quote resonates throughout the entirety of the film, showcasing a black boy named Chiron going through struggles with his identity and sexuality in three chapters. The first is titled Little. In this chapter, we are met with not Little, but a man named Juan who’s a local drug dealer in the roaring crime-filled streets of Miami. The first scene showcases Juan pulling over in a driveway in a blue car, with a blue interior. On that same day, Little is found by Juan in a crack house, named “The Hole on 15th” by Juan and many others. By that point, a group of boys had planned to beat up Little and chase him down toward that same building.
Juan tries talking to Little, putting in all the effort he can to make him talk. The boy wouldn’t speak, not until he was brought to Juan’s and his girlfriend’s (Teresa’s) home. Sitting down at the table, Little is presented with food as he begins to eat. That is when he finally speaks to Juan and Teresa, telling them that his name is Little. Teresa ponders, asking about Little’s parents. When asked about his mother, he responds with “I hate her.” This hints at a possible neglectful or even abusive relationship that his mother has inflicted upon him.
When asked about his father, Little is silent. A vague, but visible sign that his father is either dead or absent. A little while after, Little asks Juan if he sells drugs. Quiet and nearly struggling to respond, Juan says that he does indeed sell drugs. After hearing this, Little is devastated. Then Juan is asked, “My mama, she does drugs right?” His response was nothing but a silent nod. That is when Little leaves. What begins to run through his head lies along the lines of “Why is my mom doing drugs?” In shame, Juan bows his head as his emotional journey has finally concluded.
What follows later revolves around Juan and Little at a beach. At this moment, Little was learning how to swim for the first time. The way this scene is filmed is pretty spectacular, utilizing unique color grading to highlight both characters’ black skin perfectly, almost giving viewers a new perspective on dark skin. It gives off a natural feeling, which makes this scene all the more aesthetically pleasing. This transitions to a scene where Little is standing across the hallway, his mother standing at the end. The pink lighting behind Paula (his mother) could signify a sense of intensity or even a feeling of care, which has viewers pondering if she’s more than just an angry crack-addict mother. Her red shirt shows her aggressive hatred from within. Little’s shirt was lily-white, showcasing his purity. Then, she yells at the boy. Though, there’s no audio as she enters her room where the pink light is shown, and slams the door shut. Little turns away and walks in the other direction.
Time passes as Little wakes up as a teenager, showcasing the start of the second chapter titled Chiron. Going by his birth name at this time, Chiron is in high school now knowing his sexuality. He’s gay, though not openly. And still, he’s very much quiet and collected.
In the first glimpse, we see Chiron wearing a patterned yellow shirt, possibly relating to something constant happening in his life such as a rollercoaster of emotions, or maybe bullying. Chiron was indeed the subject of constant bullying, which gives all the more reason as to why he could be wearing this yellow shirt. Then we’re met with Terrel, the cause of this constant bullying who’s wearing a red shirt, similar to his mother’s. Again, aggressive hatred is mainly shown with the color red throughout the film.
When school ends, Chiron is seen staring at Terrel and his crew outside behind a fence, afraid to even leave. The fence signifies how trapped he feels inside school, and even how he feels with himself. That’s where Kevin comes in, Chiron’s childhood friend. Kevin bares a white shirt, proving that he’s a person of friendly nature. He begins to bring up doing unusual things to a girl out of nowhere, and this confuses Chiron. He’s never had that kind of experience in his life, at least not yet.
The conversation ends, as they both part ways. Chiron heads home, and as he arrives he grabs a blue striped shirt, slinging it over his shoulder. This signifies that he wants to be more like Juan, but isn’t ready yet. The fact that there’s constant yellow in the background gives a sense of cowardice within Chiron. This is when Paula quickly gestures to him to leave because she’ll be having people over. Though wearing a white shirt, Paula is also wearing a multi-colored scarf on her head.
Chiron goes over to Teresa’s house, which is clouded in yellow still showcasing Chiron’s cowardice. As usual, Teresa fixes Chiron a meal as she always does when he comes over, though there’s no Juan. Juan, at this point, had died, but Chiron’s relationship with Teresa has continued, as shown through her white shirt and white headband. That night, Chiron has a dream of Kevin with a girl. His shirt is white in the dream, but in the moonlight, it appears yellow, which alludes to Chiron not being able to muster the courage to show Kevin his romantic desire for him.
The next day, Chiron is at school again. Not much is shown during the school day but what follows after school is important. Terrel and one of his goons approached Chiron on his walk home, teasing and joking about his gayness and his mother’s heavy drug problem, which gives Chiron the feeling to stand up to Terrel. In the end, he ultimately backs down, the yellow building in the background highlighting his lack of courage. At night Chiron takes a train ride, lost and alone. He has no idea where he’s going, constant scenes of yellow coloring following him around in a sense that his cowardly tendencies could be here to stay.
Chiron winds up at the beach, where he finds Kevin sitting next to him. The night isn’t yellow, nor anything else. Everything is blue yet white at once. The boys have a meaningful conversation, they share a smoke, and have their first sexual encounter. For Chiron, this was a huge turning point in his life. A day later, Chiron is at school wearing a white shirt with blue stripes. The background is beginning to look more blue as well, signifying that Chiron is changing and becoming more like Juan.
Kevin sat at a table alone, with a blue shirt. The red doors in the background indicate that danger is lurking. Danger arrives within a short notice, as Terrel sits across from Kevin in a white shirt. Terrel in a white shirt indicates that he’s acting as if he were friendly to Kevin, ultimately convincing him to play a game from their youth in which Terrel points out a random person, and Kevin has to knock them out.
Outside, Terrel, Kevin, and some other unnamed people are standing in a circle. Terrel picks Chiron as the person that Kevin has to knock out. Usually, Chiron would cower away in fear, only this time, he stands tall, awaiting Kevin’s attack. The blue within him is beginning to grow even larger, the Juan within him. Kevin lands a few heavy punches which knocks Chiron down, blood pouring onto the floor.
The next day, Chiron returns in a fully blue shirt surrounded by a blue background. There’s an obvious change of attitude after he got beaten up by the only person that had ever seen him. When Chiron enters the classroom he enacts his revenge on Terrel, slamming a chair upon his head which would knock him out instantly. Shortly after, he’s put under arrest for doing so. Kevin watches, terrified.
Again, a nightmare of Chiron’s mother in her red shirt is displayed. Though this time, you can hear her yelling, “Don’t look at me.” Then, he wakes up in blackness as an adult. The third and final chapter is titled Black. Black has followed the path of Juan, having also become a drug dealer. He drives a black car with a crown on the dashboard, like Juan’s blue car. In every scene Black is in, he’s wearing either a black shirt or a black tank top. In effect, he’s become “Blue.” However, there are still hints of yellow in the background because he’s still hiding who he truly is.
Then he gets a call from Kevin, in which he’s invited to a restaurant that Kevin works at. He arrives, and sees the man that he’s longed for since childhood as a cook. Though, there is danger lurking through the red curtains and the constant multi-coloring on small American flags and yellow flowers. Black has built a persona of toughness for protection, and reuniting with Kevin and attempting to open himself up to him is terrifying for him. That’s when they arrive at Kevin’s apartment, and Black realizes who he truly is through Kevin’s touch. Kevin’s blue shirt and Black’s black shirt nearly contradict each other, signifying that they’re the same. Through Kevin’s touch, Black allows himself to be held in his arms with the newfound knowledge of his true self.
The final scene of the film shows Little, standing by the ocean covered by the blue moonlight. His skin has a blue tint, showcasing what the quote “black boys look blue” truly means. It means finding your true self, and carving your own path that you desire.
