Moonlight (2016)
I saw Moonlight in the theatres when it was first released. Despite the slow pacing, I liked it a lot, but it had a far greater impact on me this time around. In 2016, I went into the cineplex cold, without knowing the plot or any actors with the exception of Naomie Harris, whose performance as Paula was such a far cry from her role as Moneypenny in the recent James Bond films that I didn’t recognize her. Based on the general buzz and word of mouth, I decided to check it out. I was respectfully impressed, but nothing more. The prolonged scenes featuring an unresponsive main character left me restless and irritable, wondering what was going on. Today, however, it feels like a different film.
Several cast members have established high-profile careers in the handful of years since its release, and Mahershala Ali now has two Oscars to his credit, including one for Moonlight. This familiarity, along with knowing the basic premise and three-part structure in advance, allows me to hone in on the brilliant subtleties of the direction, writing, acting, score, editing, and cinematography instead of scratching my head and checking my watch while the kid stares out a window or down at a table for minutes at a time. Yeah, it’s too long if we can’t tell what he’s thinking. Should we have to read up on a film or see it first to have it engage us? That’s my one complaint, but it’s worth noting.
The kid in question is called “Little” in Part One, but his name is Chiron (Alex Hibbert). The story opens with an Afro-Cuban drug dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali) standing on a neighborhood street in Liberty City, Miami, at the height of the crack epidemic. He observes the boy being chased by a group of bullies into an abandoned building. Juan follows him inside and invites him to get something to eat, then takes him home to his girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monáe), who coaxes only a few words out of him. Chiron spends the night with them, and the next morning Juan learns the boy’s address and drives him to his apartment, where he meets Chiron’s mother Paula (Oscar-nominee Naomie Harris in an astonishing performance).
As time goes on, we see Juan mentoring Chiron as a “big brother” or father figure, trying to get him to open up. We also see Chiron developing a special relationship with his classmate Kevin (Jaden Piner). Unlike Chiron, Kevin is popular, so their friendship is kept on the quiet, but it’s clear they have a fundamental bond. Chiron’s mother Paula, on the other hand, begins a downward spiral into crack addiction. She turns tricks to pay for her habit, and Chiron spends more time at Juan and Teresa’s place as a result. Then Juan catches Paula with someone in a parked car, out in the open, doing drugs that he supplied. Paula confronts Juan with, “You gonna raise my son now?”
Frankly, I didn’t know where Juan and Chiron’s relationship was going at first. Juan brings the boy to the ocean and strips half naked to teach him how to swim. I must admit I felt uncomfortable during my initial viewing. We don’t know enough about Juan to understand why he’s taken Chiron under his wing like this. Why him? What does he want, if anything? What is he thinking? Regardless, I understand now that his intentions are respectful, and he just wants to help. I see a lost boy who is “drowning” in life being taught by an older mentor how to swim and survive. The symbolism is simple, powerful, and beautiful.
This first segment ends with Chiron at Juan and Teresa’s doorstep, silent and withdrawn once more. Eventually, he asks three direct questions that devastate Juan. “What does ‘faggot’ mean?” Juan tells him it’s a word used to make gay people feel bad, then he adds that it’s okay to be gay. Chiron’s second question is “Do you sell drugs?” Teresa waits for Juan’s answer as well, which doesn’t come easy. Juan tells him yes, followed by the final nail: “Does my mother do drugs?” We watch Juan crumble as he nods to confirm it. The boy has made this connection on his own; the one person who is helping Chiron the most is the same person enabling his mother to destroy herself. The agonized reaction on Juan’s face at that moment of exposure is tragic.
Part Two is called “Chiron,” and the boy is now an adolescent (played by Ashton Sanders). This segment is a slow burn and an awakening, with a shocking payoff. Chiron continues to visit Teresa even though we learn that Juan has died. We see Chiron targeted at school by a group of bullies, headed by the evil Terrel (Patrick Decile). Chiron fantasizes at night about Kevin and his girlfriend having sex in Teresa’s backyard. Chiron then escapes one evening on a transit train to the beach near Kevin’s place. Kevin (now played by Jharrel Jerome) finds him outside, and the two light up a joint and talk. Kevin calls Chiron “Black” as a pet name, which puzzles Chiron. Their conversation soon leads to a kiss … and more.
The bullying by Terrel comes to a head at school when Kevin is challenged in a dare to punch anyone chosen by Terrel and the other boys. They choose Chiron, and in front of everyone, Kevin hits his close friend several times before the others join in and beat him up. The breaking point has been reached. Chiron enters the building with school already in session, walks into a classroom and over to Terrel, picks up a heavy chair, and with all the force he can muster, smashes it over the bully’s head. Terrel lies unresponsive on the floor while Chiron is detained and taken away in a squad car.
Part Three is called “Black,” the name Chiron now uses. As an adult (played by Trevante Rhodes), Chiron deals drugs in Atlanta. In addition to a skull cap, he wears removable gold “fronts” on his teeth, and he’s packed on a lot of muscle. In many ways, he emulates his childhood mentor Juan. After repeated phone calls from his mother, Chiron finally goes to see her at the drug treatment center where she temporarily resides. The two reconcile with tears as Paula apologizes for not being there when he needed her most. She tells him she loves him even if he doesn’t love her back. Then Chiron gets a call out of the blue from Kevin, who invites him to visit if he’s ever in Miami. Chiron makes a special trip to the restaurant where Kevin (André Holland) is now working as a cook. Kevin has a son from an ex-girlfriend but is happy in his role as father. He plays a song on the jukebox that he says reminds him of Chiron, and after cooking a meal for him, they go back to Kevin’s apartment where Chiron confesses that he hasn’t been intimate with anyone since their adolescent encounter. The two comfort each other in a quiet embrace. The final shot in the film is Chiron, once again as a child, at night on the beach, as he glances over his shoulder and into the camera.
Moonlight is a coming-of-age story told with complex characters that I haven’t seen before, at least not this way. It’s based on an unproduced, semi-autobiographical play by Tarell Alvin McCraney, called In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The play’s original concept has all three segments running simultaneously, so audiences experience a day in the life of Chiron at different stages—childhood, adolescence, and adulthood—all at once. Naomie Harris was unsure about accepting the role of Paula, having stated more than once she didn’t want to play stereotypical depictions of Black women. After discussing the character with director Barry Jenkins, she agreed to do it—but there was a hitch. As a citizen of England, her American work visa was running out. She would have to shoot her entire role in just three days with no rehearsals. It’s an extraordinary accomplishment when you think about the character arc with its emotional and physical transformation as Paula ages and withers in her nightmare of addiction. My hat is off to the makeup, hair, and costumes, all of which are fully realized and convincing. Harris is the only actor who appears in all three segments, and her work is utterly brilliant. She could have easily won the Oscar for it.
Everyone in the cast is great, but it’s the trio of actors who play Chiron that anchor the film. Hibbert, Sanders, and Rhodes deliver remarkable work, and it’s a credit to them and director Jenkins that they unite so seamlessly to paint a compelling portrait of this fascinating, evolving person. My hat is off to the graphic artist(s) in marketing, as well. The faces of these three actors are blended together on the movie poster using distinct color separations, creating the perfect melded image.
Moonlight won the Oscar for Best Picture after one of the worst blunders ever during the live ceremony. The wrong film was announced from the podium, due to a mix-up in envelopes. The producers of La La Land were halfway through their acceptance speeches when the gold statues were pulled from their hands and the true winner was announced. I’ve never seen anything like it before or since. Moonlight may have been a surprise for other reasons, as well. It’s the first Best Picture with an all-Black cast and the first LGBTQ-related movie to be honored with the top award. In addition, it holds the distinction of being the second lowest-grossing Oscar-winner in history (after The Hurt Locker). I hope people will seek it out and discover it for decades to come, and I look forward to revisiting it again myself, digging deeper into this powerful and very special story.
Moonlight
Director | Barry Jenkins |
Primary Cast | Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Jaden Piner, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, Patrick Decile |
Familiar Faces | none (no repeat performers from the previous winning films) |
Firsts | First woman (producer Dede Gardner) to win the Oscar for Best Picture twice (having previously won for 12 Years a Slave), first Best Picture with an all-Black cast, first LGBTQ-related Best Picture, first Muslim (Mahershala Ali) to win an acting Oscar |
Total Wins | 3 (Picture, Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Screenplay: Adapted) |
Total Nominations | 8 (Picture, Director, Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Supporting Actress: Naomie Harris, Screenplay: Adapted, Cinematography, Editing, Score) |
Viewing Format | Blu-ray Disc |
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