Moonlight

While Moonlight is the kind of movie that you hope would've been made before 2016, it's also a film that fits perfectly into what the Oscars needed from an award worthy film. Here's a harrowing yet somewhat hopeful drama about the hard life of a young man coming to terms with his identity and sexuality in the midst of poverty and prejudice with an African American writer/director and an entirely black cast, based on an equally acclaimed stage play. As Screen Junkies humorously pointed out, this movie hits a ton of Oscar checkboxes. But as is the case with many universally praised movies, sometimes there's a reason certain movies get so much attention.

The movie tells the story of a young man named Chiron through three formative portions of his life. Struggling socially due to early manifestations of his sexuality and the erratic and often abusive behavior of his drug-addled mother, the audience watches as definitive experiences in Chiron's childhood, adolescence, and adulthood shape him.

Moonlight is a great example of a film that handles big issues in a very personal way. Thematically we're dealing with sexuality, masculinity, race, poverty, trust, and family. It's a lot for any movie to handle. Thankfully, Moonlight comments on all of its themes by focusing on Chiron's experience and point of view rather than preaching to the audience or shocking them with graphic content.

The entire movie is shot like an extended flashback with sound drifting in and out depending on the scene, slow motion used to great effect, and a camera that is either stoic or chaotic depending on the needs of the scene. There's at least two or three major moments that felt like they happened to me personally and credit goes to director Barry Jenkins for reeling the audience in. We feel how Chiron feels, and as such its incredibly easy to understand his reactions from scene to scene.

This emphasis on perspective also helps connect the film's episodic narrative. Unlike a film like Boyhood which seems to bring up life events just for the sake of action, each episode in this film has a clearly defined purpose and is equally important in Chiron's life.

The movie's first segment is arguably the film's best as the "Little" Chiron falls under the wing of a surrogate father named Juan (Mahershala Ali), a drug dealer that also happens to sell to Chrion's mother. Ali is amazing in this role maintaining a quiet support structure for the skittish Chiron, who as his home and social life indicates, isn't used to trusting anyone. I really like parts like this that present vilified members of society like crack dealers as complex and even supportive people. Ali is looking like a clear front-runner for Oscar gold and it's well deserved.

The second is his adolescence where Chiron's sexuality is beginning to blossom and Chiron is forced to figure things out on his own, due to his mother's darker descent into addiction.

The first two acts are so effective that by the third act, when Chiron meets up with a former friend, the friend is shocked by what Chiron has become, but the audience isn't.

Though Ali is the notable stand-out the acting is amazing across the board. Naomie Harris truly transforms as needed for each segment in a truly unglamorous role and Chiron's teen and adult portrayals by Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes are powerful.

The other thing this movie gets really right, in my mind, is helping an audience understand the experience of a young gay man (as best as it can obviously). It's clear from the beginning that Chiron has had inclinations about his sexuality since childhood but hasn't felt comfortable demonstrating them for fear of judgement or abuse from his peers. If he is going to be himself trust is absolutely key, which is why so many of the movie's biggest actions are defined by betrayals of that trust. 

Likewise, romantic interactions don't just bear the weight of "does this person like me" but also the added weight of confirming Chiron's sexual preference and the hope that the other person feels the same way about him and won't judge or abuse him. Every single moment in Chiron's life is a minefield which makes moment of comfort or acceptance a revelation. It's great stuff.

Simple, poetic, and powerful, Moonlight is a breakthrough film for Barry Jenkins and an absolute triumph. See it.