THE EDGE OF.....MOONLIGHT

We all have seen coming to age stories. So we all know they can be formulaic. Taking us through this moments that define us in life, some of them will be lessons to learn, to make us stronger or others more joyful, to enjoy what life can offer and re charge for what might come, but the only way to appreciate happiness comes from the fact of accepting sadness and fear. And no moment in life is as tough as when we are young, moving forward from childhood to adult life is just as rough and unpredictable as any roller coaster ride. But we all know that. So why if we all go through this phase and share this kind of moments, why we are not all the same? Easy and simple, just because we follow the same pattern doesn't mean will happen the same way. We all experience difference situations and the mix of the high and lows are very different from each other that can't all be at the end shaped in the same mold. We also begin from a very unique personality, that make us so special, and different from others, we share some values and ideas but at the same time create our own goals and perspectives, and all these variables start summing up, confusing us to identify who we are and what we want in life and for us, so when we are pushed to the outside world we need to learn live how to survive and how to become the man or woman we have in mind or follow our heart if it's so hard to listen to it with so many noises around.

So this month we got two very unique and refreshing stories of coming to age, that actually both of them have all critics raving as a must see experience on the big screen. The first one comes from a perspective of a man. The journey to become a man after a lonely childhood and a hard adolescence. This is "Moonlight" (2016), a story of a man that we only know by his given nicknames through three different moments in his life. That's how the movie operates: in three acts that will prove how all these moments in life influence anyone to become the one that we  are now. But this man happens to struggle not only with manhood, but being part of other minorities, such as a black gay man. So life hasn't easy for him. Raised by a single mother that is at the edge of become a junk addict and living as a lone child just walking around the neighborhood, not one of the best, that's how we meets a drug dealer but good hearted man that looking at this quite kid, can't but want to help him, as a father role or a friend, serving as someone he can talk to or figure out things as any kid tries to do, just to realize that all those moments when we cant fully comprehend things are the ones that mostly going to define us in the future, molding our personality and feelings in one direction or the other. But when words can't express what is happening, only those moments of silence will truly show what's going on inside our heads. So when we grow up and we are just teenagers trying to move around a world that tries to tell us where, how and when to go, we can't to try but to look at our options and start experimenting by ourselves what fit us best.

So by this second chapter, we witness how cruel we can be when growing up, bullying others to win our own spot,, like predators trying to make up for our mistakes and own problems into others, without noticing that this domino effect will cause in them another side effect turning them into someone they were not meant to but maybe as for their best, to make them stronger, build a thicker skin, because while start socializing and putting ourselves out so the world knows who we are, we face rejection or validation, so by the time we finally evolve into someone older but still young in age, we can feel more secure about ourselves, sadly most of the time is hard to get to that point where we fully know who we are and what we want. Fortunately are all those who met us and saw our true colors when back then, during that process, that will help us to shape the last layer in this canvas, as we see getting to the third chapter in this story. The skinny kid is no more. Now as a bigger, thicker man, he learned to play the game and use others the way he was used but not with a bad intention or trying to cause any harm, even has been trough difficult times thanks to others that made this of him, and felt abused by a mother that only saw for herself, he doesn't hold grudges but he is no transparent either. He is carrying a lot of pain and sadness until an old friend will remind him that are things worth to fight and love for. That he is not alone and that even all what happened, he deserves to be the man we always wanted to be and that is hiding behind those muscles but to accept himself and let him love and being love, to embrace who he is because he is unique, and totally worth for anyone willing to meet him, even if life is cruel there is always light after darkness.

And if still feeling doubtful, another proof of it would be "The Edge of Seventeen" (2016), another coming to age story, this time a comedy from the perspective of a girl. One that has been suffering of feeling different and pessimistic about life and all what it can offers. Only thanks to her patience dad, she could go from a kid to now a teenager trying to deal with her mom that can't find a way to connect to her and say the right thing just because she is way too involve herself, and an older brother than seems like the perfect son, and the perfect everything, moving himself around school and life glowing and charming, embracing life and life blessing him. But not her. She can't see any light and everyday is a torture. She can't tolerate any of her class mates as she feels like an old soul for them. She doesn't fit in this millennia generation. She hates to communicate by emojis  or texting all time, but mostly she just like to find an excuse to complain about something, by being sarcastic pretending to be smarter and funnier than others and hide the fact that she doesn't know how to fit in this world and if not because she has only one best friend, she would be a lonely soul. And she can't but make things even worse with her attitude like a spoil brat just trying to get away with her own to hide the reality of living in the shadows for feeling less than the rest.

Usually girls feel this way when trying to compare with others. More popular, taller, with better body, prettier, better hair, handsome boyfriend, smarter, etc, they can get very competitive but at the end is all about confidence, and this means believe in yourself even if you are not the best version of yourself yet, but when young this seems like the end of the world and young kids embrace drama as the only way to express their knowledge about everything or nothing at the same time. So how can we survive such end of the world if every day seems like the last or they feel like a torture we can't escape from? Again, sometimes through others we'll be able to see the truth in ourselves. Giving others the chance to meet us and get to know us, so they can see the good and evil inside us, so can bring the best of us, and if not, knowing will be ok, we can survive not being like by everybody but only loving ourselves will make others to love and so she will learn after losing her father, and realizing that she is not the only trapped in this tediousness, but her brother as perfect as he seems also struggles to keep things going on at school, and home, but it's not easy, never will be, is just the fact of accepting reality and stop hiding behind excuses to face life and life will take you through opportunities that can prove we are better than this and this will get better, just we need to face our worst enemy: ourselves. And that is why even we all go through this same path, at the end we are not the same, everyone's fight will be unique as the result will be, but that is the beauty of growing up and shape into a man or woman, as unique and equal as any other no matter looks, sexual preferences, ideologies, economic status, or race.