Obviously, "Moonlight" was released back in November of last year, but since it is an independent film, and my neck of the woods doesn't cater to a lot of indie films, this film has trickled down (time wise) to finally making it to this area. If I had to akin it to any recent film, it would be "A Boy's Life" whereas it covers the span of a boy's life into young adulthood.
Three time periods-- young adolescence, mid-teen and young adult-- in the life black American Chiron (Alex Hibbert) is presented. As a child, Chiron or Little as he's called lives with his single, crack addicted mother Paula (Naomie Harris) in a crime ridden neighborhood in Miami. Chiron is a shy, withdrawn child largely due to his small size and being neglected by his mother, who is more concerned about getting her fixes and satisfying her carnal needs than taking care of him. Because of these issues, Chiron is bullied, the slurs hurled at him which he doesn't understand beyond knowing that they are meant to be hurtful. Besides his same aged Cuban-American friend, Kevin (Jaden Piner), Chiron is given little guidance he has in life from a neighborhood drug dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali), who can see he is neglected, and Juan's caring girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monae), whose home acts as a sanctuary away from the bullies and away from Paula's abuse. With this childhood as a foundation, Chiron may have a predetermined path in life, one that will only be magnified in terms of its problems when he reaches his difficult teen years, (Ashton Sanders) when peer pressure affects what he and many of his peers do, unless he follow's Juan's advise of truly making his own decisions for himself.
Others to round out the cast are Trevante Rhodes as Chiron or Black as he's called (adult), Jharrell Jerome as Kevin (16), Andre Holland as Kevin (adult), Stephen Bron as Travis, Tanisha Cidel as Principal Williams and Edson Jean as Mr. Pierce.
Before viewing this film, I suspected that the director, Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy '08) plus TV and shorts, had quite the resume of feature film work. But, as you can see, his theatrical experience is incredibly limited. The emotions he was able to exude from his actors, as diverse as they were, was near perfection. It will be interesting to see how he handles his next project, "A Contract with God" which has been announced. It was also written by Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy" '08) plus TV and shorts. With his limited writing experience, this script was amazingly executed well. Of course, there were some discrepancies, such as what happens to Juan when Chiron embarks into teenage years? And a couple other aspects of his life weren't sufficiently explained. What is remarkable about this film is the commentary it is definitely screaming: how one starts in life is, many times in life, is how one ends up being. This was conveyed so poignantly in the screenplay that it is a springboard for teaching society in how they need to protect our children on many levels. I now can see why this has been graced with eight Academy Award nominations, if for no other reason than the societal impact this causes. As with the directing, I'm curious to see what he does with "A Contract with God", his next project. The cast in this was solid, talented and extremely credible in their respective roles, and this speaks volumes for Jenkins writing and directing.
More than for an entertainment package, this should be seen for the commentary it speaks of. Surely, this is rated R for a reason: violent and some sexual scenes, but considering the subject, this is not a 'pretty' part of society and life.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: R 111mins.
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