Friday Family Film Night: MOONLIGHT review

In which the Mister and Kid 1 join me in reviewing MOONLIGHT (2016), from a script by and directed by Barry Jenkins, the story is based on the unpublished semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney.  Winner of 3 Academy Awards (Best Motion Picture of the Year/ Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role [Mahershala Ali] and Best Adapted Screenplay [Barry Jenkins]).  The film is the coming-of-age story of Chiron, a young Black man growing up in a rough Miami neighborhood, as he grapples with his identity, sexuality, and emotional isolation over three stages of his life—childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.  As he struggles with a neglectful mother, bullying, and internalized shame, Chiron finds brief moments of connection through a compassionate drug dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali) and a complex bond with his friend Kevin. The film quietly charts his journey toward self-acceptance, culminating in a tender, hard-won moment of vulnerability and intimacy.  The film is told in 3 chapters and each chapter is represented by 3 individually unique actors portraying Chiron: Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 51 m, is rated R and is currently streaming on Tubi but is also available to buy/rent on Prime Video.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.

#Moonlight  #Moonlight2016 #BarryJenkins #InMoonlightBlackBoysLookBlue #TarellAlvinMcCranwey #AlexRHibbert #Little #AshtonSanders #Chiron #TrevanteRhodes #Black #MahershalaAli #Juan #NaomieHarris #Paula #JanelleMonae #Teresa #JadenPiner #KevinAge9 #JharrelJerome #KevinAge16 #AndreHolland #Kevin #ComingOfAge #Drama #BlackStories #Juneteenth  @Tubi  @PrimeVideo⁩  #FridayFamilyFilmNight

Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library