Moonlight

People can inadvertently be on the right side.
People can knowingly be on the right side an misbehave quite horribly.
I suggest that the opposite of these statements can also be true.

Moonlight is a film in three parts, following Chiron from boyhood to manhood, as he struggles to survive on the streets.  Chiron catches the attention of a drug dealer named Juan, played by Mahershala Ali, who cares for the young boy as an adoptive father.  Juan is the central character in Chiron's life, being his teacher, confidant, and ultimately his role model.  At its heart, this is a film about the importance of fatherhood, and a cautionary tale to those of us who are fathers:  What we do and say will have a serious impact on who our children become.

From a young age Chiron is teased for being "different" and eventually comes to the conclusion that he is romantically attracted to one of his male classmates.  The film presents this as Chiron's natural path, portraying those who mistreat him as cruel and primitive... and cruel they most certainly are.  In a fallen world it is often impossible to distinguish the righteous from the wicked; everyone's in the wrong.  I found this film to be extremely sad, partly because I felt such compassion for Chiron, but mostly because such an effective film can be subversive.

Moonlight is an effective film, beautifully shot, with precise editing, an excellent score, and great acting.  I believe that the director, Barry Jenkins set out to portray someone knowingly on the wrong side (Juan the drug dealer) behaving quite honorably (in the way he cares for Chiron).  Now if only we could get people knowingly on the right side to behave accordingly.