Moonlight

Moonlight (2016) is Barry Jenkins’s coming-of-age drama, adapted from Tarell Alvin McCraney’s unpublished semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. Set in Miami and structured in three chapters, the film follows Chiron at different ages as he confronts poverty, bullying, sexuality, and his relationship with his mother. In “Little,” the young Chiron, played by Alex R. Hibbert, is chased by boys and finds refuge with Juan, a Cuban-born drug dealer played by Mahershala Ali. Juan and his partner Teresa, portrayed by Janelle Monáe, offer the withdrawn child food and a place to stay. In a pivotal scene, Chiron asks Juan what a homophobic slur means; Juan answers directly and tells him that he can be gay without letting anyone call him that word. Chiron’s mother Paula, played by Naomie Harris, struggles with crack addiction and depends on Juan’s drug trade, a contradiction the film does not soften. The second chapter, “Chiron,” casts Ashton Sanders as the adolescent version. He is isolated at school, where Kevin, played by Jharrel Jerome, is his only friend. At the beach, Kevin kisses Chiron and gives him a moment of intimacy. The next day, bully Terrel pressures Kevin into beating Chiron before classmates. Chiron later retaliates by striking Terrel with a chair, leading to his arrest and incarceration. In “Black,” Trevante Rhodes plays the adult Chiron, now a muscular Atlanta drug dealer using Juan’s former trade and style. A call from Kevin, now working as a cook at a Miami diner, brings him back home. Kevin, portrayed in adulthood by André Holland, plays “Hello Stranger” on the jukebox after calling Chiron, recalling their school years. Chiron visits Paula in a treatment facility, where she apologizes and tells him she loves him. At Kevin’s apartment, Chiron admits that Kevin is the only man who has ever touched him. Jenkins directed and wrote the screenplay. The film was photographed by James Laxton, edited by Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders, and scored by Nicholas Britell. McMillon became the first Black woman nominated for the Academy Award for Film Editing. At the 89th Academy Awards, Moonlight won Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay for Jenkins and McCraney, and Best Supporting Actor for Ali. Its Best Picture announcement was initially obscured when La La Land was named in error; producer Jordan Horowitz corrected the mistake onstage. The film was distributed by A24 and made with a reported budget of about $1.5 million.