Moonlight
Director: Barry Jenkins
Stars: Mahershala Ali, Shariff Earp, Duan Sanderson
Duration: 111 mins
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

Oh what a kerfuffle that was! At least as the #wrongbestpicture drama headed towards its unbelievable conclusion at the Dolby Theatre a couple of Sundays ago, the filmmaking team behind Moonlight deservedly got to shine in the spotlight.

I was, until I watched Moonlight, completely on Team La La Land, hoping that Damien Chazelle’s delightful musical would make a clean sweep at the Oscars this year, yet I found that as this little independent film began to gain momentum I hoped it would not be ignored… though I certainly never expected it would be the protagonist of those hugely cringeworthy few minutes on the stage.

Moonlight is a beautifully crafted, brilliantly told and sublimely acted, straightforward but remarkably deep and complex intimate portrait of man as he grows from boyhood to young adulthood.

The film is split into three chapters charting the three vital stages of Chiron’s life.

Chiron (played at different stages by Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes) is a quiet introspective boy who lives in a tough Miami neighbourhood with his drug-addicted single mother Paula (Naomie Harris).

As a young boy he searches for the guidance he can’t have at home and finds it in the sympathetic Juan (Mahershala Ali) and Juan’s girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monáe), and as Chiron grows up, he tries to negotiate his way in a world that seems to make less sense daily.

At first glance, Moonlight may look like a typical African-American ‘gangsta’ film featuring tough-talking drug dealers, pathetic junkies and other stereotypes. Even its generic description in some circles as a ‘black, gay, movie’ does it a disservice. For beneath the surface is a film that touches on themes that are universal – the search for friendship, love, identity, and breaking out of the boxes society puts you in.

Its generic description in some circles as a ‘black, gay, movie’ does it a disservice. For beneath the surface is a film that touches on themes that are universal – the search for friendship, love, identity, and breaking out of the boxes society puts you in

The film is directed by Barry Jenkins from a screenplay he co-wrote with Tarell Alvin McCraney, based on the latter’s semi-autobiographical play. And for a film that cost around $1.5 million to make it looks and feels much larger in scope while maintaining the intimacy of a character study.

Jenkins brings a superb team on board. His cinematographer James Laxton creates some warm and intimate atmospheres in contrast with the garishly bright Miami sunshine that serves as a background. And his editors Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders’ cutting flawlessly and flowingly takes the story through the years. Meanwhile, the whole is complemented by a pulsating soundtrack.

Topping the whole, however, is the solid ensemble of actors who pour their heart and soul into their characters. Ali’s sympathetic performance as Juan, who takes Chiron under his wing, was nominated and ultimately rewarded with the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on February 26.

And he deserved it. The actor injected the character with gravitas, empathy and depth, earning quiet admiration despite the incontrovertible fact that he is a drug dealer. Harris cuts a vulnerable and poignant figure as Paula, while singer Monáe certainly chose her entry into film wisely.

Last, but certainly not least, kudos to each of the three actors who portrayed Chiron in the various stages of his life across the film. There is little obvious physical resemblance between the three. They reportedly never met one another during filming, yet the power of their individual performances effortlessly melds into one dynamic character.

The young Hibbert projected the young Chiron, nicknamed ‘Little’, with wide-eyed intensity, capturing all his insecurities and fears while at the same time displaying an extraordinary amount of independence in one so young.

As the teen Chiron, I would argue that Ashton Sanders had the hardest job – yet he comes through, effortlessly essaying the introverted, bullied, confused teen, struggling with his sexuality and desperate to get away from his needy mother, culminating in a horrific betrayal.

While Rhodes in the adult incarnation, all muscles, bling and gold teeth, boasts a don’t-mess-with-me attitude that he needs to adopt given his chosen profession, yet underneath the swagger, he still channels the quiet lad that we see grow up.

Moonlight takes its time to tell its story. Yet you want to spend as much time as possible with these people.

There are too many sublime moments to mention. A meeting between the adult Chiron and best friend Kevin (Andre Holland) stands out – an ordinary catch-up between two men that eloquently sums up the whole. An encounter that brings out the ugly side of their relationship with brutally honesty. At the same time it is an ode to friendship and love… celebrating humanity’s ability to find beauty in even the most compromised of situations.