Moonlight - directed by Barry Jenkins
This movie was the surprise winner of Best Picture at The Golden Globes this year.
Honestly, the win marked the first time I had even heard of it.
It followed up with eight Oscar Nominations for Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Editing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score and Cinematography.
Along with the critical and awards love audiences have also planted bums in seats to the tune of $16,000,000 to date.
Not bad for a $5,000,000 movie featuring drug dealers and a gay central character.
But perfectly predictable given how good it is and the quality of each and every performance in it.
"Moonlight" is split into three parts....
i. Little
ii. Chiron
iii. Black.
These are the names that the character at the centre of the film goes by during each period of his life that we see.
In the first part the pre-teen Little is taken under wing by drug dealer Juan (Ali) after he is chased into an abandoned apartment.
Little is struggling because he is different.
His Mother (Harris) knows it but is ill equipped to help due to her drug problem and everyone at Little's school knows it hence the bullying.
In fact Little is probably the only person who has not realised that he is probably gay.
In the second part Little has adopted his real name Chiron and is still having trouble with bullies but appears to be more aware of himself and his sexuality.
In the final part Chiron goes by the name 'Black' which is the nickname that school friend Kevin gave him in part two.
I was reminded of the underrated 1994 movie "Fresh" while watching this movie.
Sure, they share some common ground - drug dealers and a young central character but also in the understated nature of it.
In "Fresh" I was constantly on edge waiting for tragedy and albeit to a lesser degree I was the same with "Moonlight".
Mainly though it was the simply excellent work of that young lead.
I am loathe to single anyone out because there is not a single actor in this movie that isn't incredible.
All three actors playing Chiron are perfect and Naomie Harris as his crackhead Mother is- to use a horribly overused review word- a revelation.
I cannot recall a movie in recent memory where the acting is of so high a quality without a single exception.
If the awards attention that "Moonlight" is getting does nothing else I hope that it boosts the recognition of Mahershala Ali who has been so good in so many things for so long and is chronically overdue for it.
Juan the crack dealer is definitely a different role from the ones that I am familiar with him playing.
He makes a character who could easily be portrayed as unsympathetic and one dimensional understandable and in many ways heroic.
The scene in which Little questions what he does and who he sells to is a gem.
It's also nice to see Janelle Monae getting another good role after her wonderful work in "Hidden Figures".
As Juan's caring girlfriend Teresa she is again terrific.
It is likely to be Harris who gets most of the praise in the actress stakes for this film and this is perfectly justified but I hope that Monae also earns some kudos.
The two characters are polar opposites in many ways with Monae's drug dealer's girl emerging as the caring motherly type while Harris's actual Mother is neglectful and cruel.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the acting and something that is immediately noticeable between sections is how good the three actors playing Little/Chiron/Black are at getting his mannerisms and speech so spot on.
As soon as the 'new' versions appeared I was instantly aware of who I was looking at and listening to.
Trevante Rhodes who plays the oldest iteration Black will be seen shortly in Shane Black's "Predator".
With all respect to the movie (which I cannot wait to see) it is unlikely that he will be afforded the same opportunity to show his acting chops as he does in "Moonlight".
I still measure much of a film's success with how speedily it zips by.
In the case of "Moonlight" the 111 minutes felt like about 90.
The minimalist score and frequently stunning cinematography play a huge part in this but mostly it is the tone and pacing that are equal parts haunting, foreboding and uplifting.
There is a moment towards the end of the second part where I almost wanted to jump out of my seat and cheer.
It isn't entirely an appropriate response but I defy anyone watching not to share the sentiment.
"Moonlight" is a damned good piece of filmmaking with acting bordering on sublime that I have no doubt will stay with me.
And hopefully it may change the viewpoint of some viewers with its no-nonsense, honest and refreshingly original presentation of subject matter that many movies all too often resort to hackneyed cliche and sentimentality when dealing with.
RATING: 82 / 100
CONCLUSION: With strong performances all round this is a fine film. It may prove too understated (read- boring) for some but I was riveted for all of its length.
Starring: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Shariff Earp, Trevante Rhodes, Andre Holland, Jaden Piner, Janelle Monae, Jharrel Jerome, Patrick Decile
Screenplay: Barry Jenkins
Music Score by: Nicholas Britell
Cinematography: James Laxton
Edited by: Joi McMillon & Nat Sanders
Running Time: 111 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Profanity, Drug Use and Violence (all mild)
Running Time: 111 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Profanity, Drug Use and Violence (all mild)
Honestly, the win marked the first time I had even heard of it.
It followed up with eight Oscar Nominations for Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Editing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score and Cinematography.
Along with the critical and awards love audiences have also planted bums in seats to the tune of $16,000,000 to date.
Not bad for a $5,000,000 movie featuring drug dealers and a gay central character.
But perfectly predictable given how good it is and the quality of each and every performance in it.
"Moonlight" is split into three parts....
i. Little
ii. Chiron
iii. Black.
These are the names that the character at the centre of the film goes by during each period of his life that we see.
In the first part the pre-teen Little is taken under wing by drug dealer Juan (Ali) after he is chased into an abandoned apartment.
Little is struggling because he is different.
His Mother (Harris) knows it but is ill equipped to help due to her drug problem and everyone at Little's school knows it hence the bullying.
In fact Little is probably the only person who has not realised that he is probably gay.
In the second part Little has adopted his real name Chiron and is still having trouble with bullies but appears to be more aware of himself and his sexuality.
In the final part Chiron goes by the name 'Black' which is the nickname that school friend Kevin gave him in part two.
 |
| Mahershala Ali as Juan with Little (Alex R Hibbert) and Ashton Sanders as Chiron, and Trevante Rhodes as Black |
Sure, they share some common ground - drug dealers and a young central character but also in the understated nature of it.
In "Fresh" I was constantly on edge waiting for tragedy and albeit to a lesser degree I was the same with "Moonlight".
Mainly though it was the simply excellent work of that young lead.
I am loathe to single anyone out because there is not a single actor in this movie that isn't incredible.
All three actors playing Chiron are perfect and Naomie Harris as his crackhead Mother is- to use a horribly overused review word- a revelation.
I cannot recall a movie in recent memory where the acting is of so high a quality without a single exception.
If the awards attention that "Moonlight" is getting does nothing else I hope that it boosts the recognition of Mahershala Ali who has been so good in so many things for so long and is chronically overdue for it.
Juan the crack dealer is definitely a different role from the ones that I am familiar with him playing.
He makes a character who could easily be portrayed as unsympathetic and one dimensional understandable and in many ways heroic.
The scene in which Little questions what he does and who he sells to is a gem.
It's also nice to see Janelle Monae getting another good role after her wonderful work in "Hidden Figures".
As Juan's caring girlfriend Teresa she is again terrific.
It is likely to be Harris who gets most of the praise in the actress stakes for this film and this is perfectly justified but I hope that Monae also earns some kudos.
The two characters are polar opposites in many ways with Monae's drug dealer's girl emerging as the caring motherly type while Harris's actual Mother is neglectful and cruel.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the acting and something that is immediately noticeable between sections is how good the three actors playing Little/Chiron/Black are at getting his mannerisms and speech so spot on.
As soon as the 'new' versions appeared I was instantly aware of who I was looking at and listening to.
Trevante Rhodes who plays the oldest iteration Black will be seen shortly in Shane Black's "Predator".
With all respect to the movie (which I cannot wait to see) it is unlikely that he will be afforded the same opportunity to show his acting chops as he does in "Moonlight".
 |
| Naomie Harris (left) and Janelle Monae (right) - contrasts in character |
In the case of "Moonlight" the 111 minutes felt like about 90.
The minimalist score and frequently stunning cinematography play a huge part in this but mostly it is the tone and pacing that are equal parts haunting, foreboding and uplifting.
There is a moment towards the end of the second part where I almost wanted to jump out of my seat and cheer.
It isn't entirely an appropriate response but I defy anyone watching not to share the sentiment.
"Moonlight" is a damned good piece of filmmaking with acting bordering on sublime that I have no doubt will stay with me.
And hopefully it may change the viewpoint of some viewers with its no-nonsense, honest and refreshingly original presentation of subject matter that many movies all too often resort to hackneyed cliche and sentimentality when dealing with.
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