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Moonlight

  • 20162016
  • 14A14A
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
299K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
644
193
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
Trailer for Moonlight
Play trailer2:00
13 Videos
99+ Photos
Drama

A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.

IMDb RATING
7.4/10
299K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
644
193
  • Director
    • Barry Jenkins
  • Writers
    • Barry Jenkins
    • Tarell Alvin McCraney
  • Stars
    • Mahershala Ali
    • Naomie Harris
    • Trevante Rhodes
Top credits
  • Director
    • Barry Jenkins
  • Writers
    • Barry Jenkins
    • Tarell Alvin McCraney
  • Stars
    • Mahershala Ali
    • Naomie Harris
    • Trevante Rhodes
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 980User reviews
    • 511Critic reviews
    • 99Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 3 Oscars
      • 228 wins & 296 nominations total

    Videos13

    Moonlight
    Trailer 2:00
    Moonlight
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:56
    Official Trailer
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    Clip 1:48
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    Clip 2:25
    What to Watch When You Need a Good Cry
    Middle Of The World
    Clip 1:38
    Middle Of The World
    All Love All Pride
    Clip 1:04
    All Love All Pride
    Car Black And Kevin
    Clip 1:00
    Car Black And Kevin
    Juan Brings Little Home
    Clip 0:58
    Juan Brings Little Home
    Mahershala Ali of 'Green Book': "No Small Parts"
    Clip 3:58
    Mahershala Ali of 'Green Book': "No Small Parts"
    When You Need a Good Cry
    Video 1:51
    When You Need a Good Cry
    "Counterpart" Executive Producer Jordan Horowitz on the Art of Espionage
    Video 1:56
    "Counterpart" Executive Producer Jordan Horowitz on the Art of Espionage
    Academy Awards Anarchy With Jordan Horowitz
    Video 2:46
    Academy Awards Anarchy With Jordan Horowitz

    Photos224

    Naomie Harris in Moonlight (2016)
    André Holland and Trevante Rhodes in Moonlight (2016)
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Alex R. Hibbert and Jaden Piner in Moonlight (2016)
    Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome in Moonlight (2016)
    Ashton Sanders in Moonlight (2016)
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Janelle Monáe in Moonlight (2016)
    Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    André Holland and Trevante Rhodes in Moonlight (2016)
    Trevante Rhodes in Moonlight (2016)
    Ashton Sanders in Moonlight (2016)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mahershala Ali
    Mahershala Ali
    • Juanas Juan
    Naomie Harris
    Naomie Harris
    • Paulaas Paula
    Trevante Rhodes
    Trevante Rhodes
    • Blackas Black
    Alex R. Hibbert
    Alex R. Hibbert
    • Littleas Little
    Shariff Earp
    Shariff Earp
    • Terrenceas Terrence
    Duan Sanderson
    Duan Sanderson
    • Azuas Azu
    • (as Duan 'Sandy' Sanderson)
    Janelle Monáe
    Janelle Monáe
    • Teresaas Teresa
    Jaden Piner
    Jaden Piner
    • Kevin age 9as Kevin age 9
    Herman 'Caheei McGloun
    Herman 'Caheei McGloun
    • Longshoremanas Longshoreman
    • (as Herman 'Caheej' McGloun)
    Kamal Ani-Bellow
    Kamal Ani-Bellow
    • Portable Boy 1as Portable Boy 1
    Keomi Givens
    • Portable Boy 2as Portable Boy 2
    Eddie Blanchard
    • Portable Boy 3as Portable Boy 3
    Rudi Goblen
    Rudi Goblen
    • Geeas Gee
    • (as Rudi Goblin)
    Ashton Sanders
    Ashton Sanders
    • Chironas Chiron
    Edson Jean
    Edson Jean
    • Mr. Pierceas Mr. Pierce
    Patrick Decile
    • Terrelas Terrel
    Herveline Moncion
    • Samanthaas Samantha
    Jharrel Jerome
    Jharrel Jerome
    • Kevin age 16as Kevin age 16
    • Director
      • Barry Jenkins
    • Writers
      • Barry Jenkins(screenplay by)
      • Tarell Alvin McCraney(story by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    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 of its problems when he reaches his difficult teen years when peer pressure affects what he and many of his peers do, unless he follows Juan's advice of truly making his own decisions for himself. —Huggo
    bullyingforgivenessmother son relationshipreunionchild neglect132 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • This is the story of a lifetime.
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • 14A
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Naomie Harris had to shoot her entire role in three days, in between her promotional tour of Spectre (2015), due to a visa problem (Harris is British). The scenes spanned 15 years in the character's life and were filmed out of sequence.
    • Goofs
      When Chiron and his mother are in their house and she asks him for money, his backpack is placed at his front, strapped over both shoulders. However, in several shots where he is seen from the back, there is no strap over his left shoulder. At one point he switches the backpack from his front to his back, but right after that, when his mother starts struggling with him, the backpack is at his front again.
    • Quotes

      Juan: [to Little] Let me tell you something, man. There are black people everywhere. You remember that, okay? No place you can go in the world ain't got no black people, we was the first on this planet.

      [Slight pause]

      Juan: I've been here a long time. I'm from Cuba. Lotta black folks in Cuba. You wouldn't know that from being here, though. I was a wild little shorty, man. Just like you. Running around with no shoes on, when the moon was out. This one time, I ran by this old... this old lady. I was runnin' and hollerin', and cuttin' a fool, boy. This old lady, she stopped me. She said...

      [He pauses]

      Juan: [Imitating an old lady's voice] "Runnin' around, catching up all that light. In moonlight, black boys look blue. You blue, that's what I'm gon' call you. 'Blue'."

      Little: So your name 'Blue'?

      Juan: [Chuckles] Nah.

      [Another pause]

      Juan: [to Little] At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be. Can't let nobody make that decision for you.

    • Crazy credits
      There are no opening credits.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Warren Beatty/Naomie Harris/Robbie Robertson/Aminé (2016)
    • Soundtracks
      Every Nigger Is a Star
      Written by Boris Gardiner and Barrington Gardiner

      Performed by Boris Gardiner

      Remix by Dennis "DEZO" Williams

      Courtesy of Now-Again Records, LLC obo Jazzman Records LTD.

    User reviews980

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Pulls You In From The Beginning
    This movie is a beautiful piece of art from beginning to end. I was anxious to see this film but still nervous in hopes that the result would match the hype. Some of my expectations were not met (Janelle Monae's role) but those minor kinks do not take away from what the film was made to be.

    I was curious as to how they'd tell a full story in three parts but it flowed well and each actor who portrayed the main character, Chiron, added so many nuances.. it just pulled you in. But the actors who stole the show are definitely Naomie Harris as the main character's Mother and Ashton Sanders who played the teenager version of the main character. Both commanded the screen in every scene they were in. On the surface, Naomie's character is despicable but she brought such heart that it made you feel for her. Ashton's version of Chiron was a great journey to watch. I was rooting for him the entire time. But I must point out that the entire cast was awesome.

    Well written, well paced. The visuals. The music. I was blown away and definitely recommend it.

    There were some places I wanted the story to go, as far as character interaction in certain areas. I was looking for some memorable monologues or some gritty drama between certain characters but I had to realize that this movie was more about the internal struggle. The subtlety is what made it unique.
    helpful•17
    12
    • champjohnson29
    • Oct 21, 2016

    FAQ3

    • So, is Kevin's Miami apartment the exact same apartment as Dexter Morgan in Dexter?
    • How did Chiron know where Kevin worked? Judging by Kevin's surprise to see Chiron it can only be assume that there was only one phone call between them.

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 18, 2016 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Moonlight - L'histoire d'une vie
    • Filming locations
      • Miramar High School, Miramar, Florida, USA
    • Production companies
      • A24
      • PASTEL
      • Plan B Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $4,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $27,854,932
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $402,075
      • Oct 23, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $65,336,603
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 51 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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