Parents' Guide to Moon Students

This film is an indie through and through. Feeling a lot like a self-made budget film, Moon Students has an admirable message, but overall it doesn't work. A lot of the dialogue feels stilted and unrealistic, scene sequencing and timing issues get confusing, and there's a general sense that there really isn't a story here. Unrealistic representations also plague the film, like the professor's behavior, a professor closing his door for a meeting with a student (not common practice), and a college student dropping out of college after failing just one class. While the students spend a lot of time talking about social justice, the film isn't really about that, despite its best efforts to shoehorn in commentary about George Floyd, White entitlement, and the voices of POCs being unheard. It means well, but lots of the writing feels like it is from a White person who has just recently learned about how unfair it is not to be White and wants to talk about it (the writer and director is a White man).

Perhaps that is unfair, but some elements of the film reinforce the naivete of the writing. For instance, the film begins with one of its main characters, Ethan Cole, a professor and a White man, mistreating a POC student, Antonio, in Cole's office. This event sets off Antonio's downward spiral, but it never becomes clear why Cole needs to be in this film at all. Cole finds redemption at the end by apologizing and admitting his racist behavior earlier, but his role remains unnecessary. This film could've been solely about Lita and Antonio losing a friend during the pandemic, navigating racist professors, and learning how to find their social justice voice. Also, the film tries to avoid the "White savior" narrative by mentioning it but still succeeds in committing the error. And the college-age men, who are all POCs, are primarily shown partying, almost starting fights, and drinking a lot and to excess. Lastly, the moon metaphor that is supposed to ground the story ultimately doesn't make any sense and isn't thought through or executed well.