Moonlight

MOONLIGHT
2016 | Dir. Barry Jenkins | 111 Minutes

"You could be gay, but you don't got to let nobody call you no faggot."

Chiron, a shy African-American child nicknamed "Little" growing up in an impoverished South Miami neighborhood is antagonized by bullies and his emotionally abusive drug addict mother. A local pusher forms a positive bond with Little and quickly becomes a father figure to the boy but he soon realizes his business directly harms Little. As a teenager, Chiron becomes aware that he is sexually attracted to his childhood friend Kevin, but a violent incident involving Kevin drives him to retaliate against a tormentor. Several years later, now going a drug dealer going by the moniker "Black," Chiron reconnects with Kevin.

Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, based on MacArthur Fellow Tarell Alvin McCraney's semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, Moonlight is a work of true cinematic art. Jenkins' screenplay elegantly tells a deeply personal story of emotional conflict and personal discovery, chronicling Chiron’s journey into manhood, exploring what it means to be a man without providing a limiting definition. Admirably, Jenkins' direction never crosses over into heavy-handedness, a common pitfall countless great film directors still fail to avoid. Cinematographer James Laxton, and film editors Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon, have done commendable work in creating the three-act story, every frame a striking painting, each expertly timed sequence seamlessly flowing to the next. Also notable are composer Nicholas Britell's moving film score, Jenkins' expert use of diegetic music, and a recurring beach and ocean motif signifying Chiron's contentment.

Three talented actors playing Chiron for each of the narrative's three acts, each delivering their own unique take on the character. Child actor Alex Hibbert portrays Little with a moving quality of youthful innocence. Ashton Sanders is convincing as the teenage Chiron, a confused young man on the cusp of adulthood seething with anger just under the surface. As Black, Trevante Rhodes successfully demonstrates Chiron's transformation to what is virtually the inverse of Sanders' Chiron, a gentle soul encased in a rough abrasive exterior.

Though less dramatically notable than his counterpart, the part of Kevin is also played by three actors for each act of the story with Jaden Piner as Kevin as a child, Jharrel Jerome as teenage Kevin, and André Holland as the adult Kevin. Breaking type for the first time in her film career, the typically affable Naomie Harris is convincingly frightening and heartbreaking as Chiron's drug-addled mother Paula. Though he only appears during the first act of the film, Mahershala Ali leaves a lasting impression as Juan, bringing real pathos to the atypical role of a drug dealer who contains multitudes. Singer Janelle Monáe makes her film acting debut and delivers a likeable natural performance as Juan's attractive and emotionally supportive girlfriend Teresa. The film also features young actor Patrick Decile as archetypal school bully Terrel.

Visually stunning, featuring an extraordinary cast of young and veteran performers, Barry Jenkins' Moonlight is a remarkable motion picture. Though its narrative focuses on the life of one individual without straying far from one specific geographical region, the film's emotional scope is astonishingly grand, exploring numerous facets of personal identity discovered and transformed by time and pressure - both personal and societal.


FRAGMENTS
-  Roughly 80% of the film was shot on location in the real-life poverty-stricken Liberty City neighborhood of Miami, Florida

- Janelle Monáe and Mahershala Ali also appear in Hidden Figures, also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2017


007 CONNECTIONS
- Naomie Harris (Moneypenny in Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die)

MCU CONNECTIONS

- Mahershala Ali (Eric Brooks in Blade)