Moonlight (2016)

A chronicle of the childhood, adolescence and burgeoning adulthood of a young, African-American, gay man growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.

Director:

Barry Jenkins

Writers:

Barry Jenkins (screenplay by), Tarell Alvin McCraney (story by)

Stars:

Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes

Won 3 Oscars. Another 223 wins & 277 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mahershala Ali	...	Juan
Shariff Earp	...	Terrence
Duan Sanderson	...	Azu (as Duan 'Sandy' Sanderson)
Alex R. Hibbert	...	Little (as Alex Hibbert)
Janelle Monáe	...	Teresa
Naomie Harris	...	Paula
Jaden Piner	...	Kevin age 9
Herman 'Caheei McGloun	...	Longshoreman (as Herman 'Caheej' McGloun)
Kamal Ani-Bellow	...	Portable Boy 1
Keomi Givens	...	Portable Boy 2
Eddie Blanchard	...	Portable Boy 3
Rudi Goblen	...	Gee (as Rudi Goblin)
Ashton Sanders	...	Chiron
Edson Jean	...	Mr. Pierce
Patrick Decile	...	Terrel

Storyline

Three time periods - young adolescence, mid-teen and young adult - in the life of black-American Chiron is presented. When a child, Chiron lives with his single, crack addict mother Paula in a crime ridden neighborhood in Miami. Chiron is a shy, withdrawn child largely due to his small size and being neglected by his mother, who is more concerned about getting her fixes and satisfying her carnal needs than taking care of him. Because of these issues, Chiron is bullied, the slurs hurled at him which he doesn't understand beyond knowing that they are meant to be hurtful. Besides his same aged Cuban-American friend Kevin, Chiron is given what little guidance he has in life from a neighborhood drug dealer named Juan, who can see that he is neglected, and Juan's caring girlfriend Teresa, whose home acts as a sanctuary away from the bullies and away from Paula's abuse. With this childhood as a foundation, Chiron may have a predetermined path in life, one that will only be magnified in terms...

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Plot Keywords:

gay lead character | gay african american | african american | internalized homophobia | gay protagonist | 

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Taglines:

This is the story of a lifetime.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality, drug use, brief violence, and language throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 November 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Luz de luna

Filming Locations:

Miami, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$402,075, 23 October 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$27,850,912, 28 April 2017

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$55,561,162, 20 March 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

A24, PASTEL, Plan B Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39:1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The light flashes in the transitions between chapters is actually an out of focus digital time-code from a camera slate. During filming the actors were sprayed with oil so their skin would shine on camera and the crew would hold the running slate against the lens to protect it from the sprays. Barry Jenkins saw the out of focus time-code on his view monitor and decided to add it to the film as the light flashes are literally showing time moving forward.

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Goofs

When young Chiron eats as a guest he is seen holding his fork differently than the adult Chiron in the diner at the end of the movie.

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Quotes

[First Lines]
Juan: Business good?
Terrence: Business good. Everybody cleaned out, it's in the cut if you want it.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Aziz Ansari/Big Sean (2017)

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Soundtracks

You Don't Even Know
(uncredited)
Written by Nicholas Britell
Performed by Nicholas Britell

User Reviews

I wanted to like it, but no

Reading other peoples' comments makes me a minority I believe, but there was just something that didn't win me over with Moonlight. Don't get me wrong, my favorite movie genre is drama and I really appreciate deep and artistically made coming-of-age dramas too, but I could barely contain my restlessness in these two hours. There was so little dialogue (and even if it was there, it didn't bear any importance) that it was difficult for me to get to know the characters, let alone like them or care for them. Although the plot may be relatable to some people, it just wasn't original. It felt like one cliché was followed by another.

Maybe the main problem is that I couldn't wait to watch it, I read so many brilliant reviews and eight Oscar nominations built up my expectations. Well, Moonlight in my opinion was a disappointment and even though I wanted to like it, it just didn't happen. I will still give the movie a 3 because it is not a disaster, the acting is decent and I appreciate the director didn't want to show another story of a white and privileged man. Movies with this type of message are important for our society, but I would not recommend watching this particular one.