Exploring the phenomenology of Black queer embodiment in Moonlight and Tangerine

In my thesis, I will be discussing how the filmic body through the theoretical understanding of phenomenology is a coded body. By coded I mean racially, sexually, and more. When viewing films, the focus has always been on the spectator’s identity to the film. But I will argue that die film itself has an identity that is seen within the film itself through camera angles, coloring, language, and content First I will be looking at the historical context of phenomenology both in terms of its origin in philosophy and its use in feminist film theory to explain what I mean when I say the film has a body. Then I will use two filmic examples both representing aspects of the Black queer experience, Tangerine and Moonlight.