Moonlight Movie Review

    Moonlight is the tender and heartbreaking story of a young man's struggle to find himself told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the pains of life and the beauty of falling in love while grappling with his own sexuality. The film uses this one man's story to offer a remarkable and brilliantly crafted look at lives that are very rarely seen in cinema.

    Little (Alex R. Hibbert), Chiron (Ashton Sanders), and Black (Trevante Rhodes) are three names for the lead character throughout the different times of his life and are played by three separate actors who all give masterful performances. The supporting cast of Mahershala Ali, who should win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, Naomie Harris, Janelle Monae, and Andre Holand make this one of the best ensemble casts from any movie in 2016.

    The film is written and directed by Barry Jenkins in arguably the best performance by a director of the year. His movie touches on the themes of race, isolation, and sexuality in a way I haven't ever seen in a film before. The only problem I have with the movie is that the way the film is shot in three separate acts that are exceptional in each way but don't come together well enough in a single movie form. The movie has scenes that are difficult to watch and earns its "R" rating due to language, violence, and some sexual scenes so I definitely would recommend this film to anyone under the age of 17.

    While this may be considered one of the most important films of 2016 I do believe there were other movies made that were made better. However, this is an excellent film that has earned a score of 8/10 for me.