Moonlight ending explained

What happens

Chiron drives to Miami to see Kevin. They talk haltingly, and Chiron admits no one else has ever touched him. At Kevin's place, Kevin holds him. It reveals the man beneath the armour.

The last image

The young boy stands on the beach and turns toward us in the moonlight.

What it says

The film began with a boy hiding and ends with a man being held. Armour can be taken off, but only with someone you trust. Closing on the boy suggests the tender self was there all along.