Moonlight (2016)

Review

111min

Genre:       Drama

Director:    Barry Jenkins

Cast:         Mahershala Ali, Trevante Rhodes, Naomie Harris…and more

Writers:     Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney

-Synopsis-

Barry Jenkins writes and directs a chronicle of the life of a young gay black man in modern America, as he struggles to come to terms with his sexuality and a rough upbringing on the tough and unforgiving streets of Miami while establishing an identity, in this unique urban indie coming-of-age story.

After wowing the film critic community and making considerable waves at the American award circuit, Jenkins’ deeply personal and measured little gritty indie drama finally arrives on our shores to move and enlighten UK audiences, with what is a frank atmospheric character study from a distinct perspective rarely touched by the bright lights of Hollywood, and an eye-opening piece about how our childhood experiences define us and linger well beyond our formative years.

In a story spanning 20 years of his life, Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes star the childhood, adolescent and adult incarnations of ‘Chiron’; an outsider struggling with his sexuality in a culture not accepting of difference, growing up in a rough neighbourhood blighted by poverty and drugs while being barely raised by a crack-addicted single mother (Naomie Harris) and a local drug dealer/part-time father figure (Mahershala Ali).

There’s plenty to admire about this multi-faceted indie drama and only second feature film from writer/director Barry Jenkins; apart from being a gritty and honest coming-of-age story set in one of the most marginalised segments of modern American society and in the director’s hometown, ‘Moonlight’ deals not only with being young and black in America, but with being gay and therefore different in a culture that although changing, is not exactly welcoming of it.

It also differs from many an ‘urban’ or ‘ghetto’ drama in that it doesn’t treat the criminality and more troubling elements of the cultural backdrop as a focal point, instead using them as a canvas on which ‘Chiron’s’ life is painted, and which form his conflicted psyche, with Jenkins handling everything with subtlety and never getting close to glamorisation or exploitation.

The fingerprints of European and independent cinema and director’s love for them are clearly all over ‘Moonlight’, with Jenkins committing to the visual aspect of the art form often at the expense of narrative exposition, leaving the audience to read into or project their own experiences in the spaces he leaves within the story. The cinematography is vivid for the small budget involved, using natural and artificial light well while combining with innovative camera work, which ranges from frenetic handheld work to long lingering close-ups. The film also combines its visuals with a soundtrack which features some requisite hip-hop tracks, but also an excellent and unexpected classical string & piano score from Nicholas Britell, all of which gives ‘Moonlight’ a unique stylistic composition for its narrative.

A film like this lives or dies by the efforts of the cast and the naturalistic performances here are exemplary across the board, with the three principal actors playing ‘Chiron’ particularly impressing by maintaining the stoic conflicted essence of the character across three generations, a man who says very little but conveys so much though the eyes. They’re supported by a small but impressive cast who make their mark, particularly Naomie Harris as ‘Chiron’s’ deeply troubled mother and Mahershala Ali as his unlikely father-figure, whose performance has already been recognised extensively and which will surely be a contender at this year’s Oscars.

There’s no doubt that ‘Moonlight’ is a novel and important piece of socially conscious cinematic art, connecting audiences to people and experiences which they may be alien to, while providing some basic human resonance whoever you are and wherever you’re from. But this surely can’t be enough to elevate this stylish, moving and unique little human drama to the artistic stratosphere and level of modern ‘masterpiece’, which many a critic have dubbed it as, but which it falls well short of… for us anyway.

We’re all for dramas which don’t overexpose or become too on-the-nose, allowing the audience to derive and project emotional content and hypothetical character development, but there’s always a balance to be struck and Jenkins’ devotion to silences and the visual component of his art leaves moments which cry out for a little narrative exposition. Particularly when it comes to the all-important third act, which rounds up a repressive upbringing and sorry excuse for parenting into the adult ‘Chiron’ and the character he’s had to become, while bringing the story full-circle but avoiding any closure. But the minimalist nature of ‘Moonlight’ means it doesn’t quite handle all of this and ultimately leaves something that feels like a deep but unfinished piece cinematic poetry rather  than a well-rounded human drama.

Nevertheless despite its limitations and aside from  the social significance and critical hyperbole surrounding it, ‘Moonlight’ is a deeply personal project which reflects its director’s upbringing in a forgotten part of American society, while giving a subtle but powerful voice to an even further marginalised minority who struggle to find an identity and handle a bad hand dealt by life. All delivered in honest minimalist dramatic fashion and with a blend of styles which make it worthy of the recognition it has received… if not the adulation.

The Bottom Line…

A subtle and still yet powerful character study combined with a stylistically unconventional urban coming-of-age story and a human drama with contemporary social significance, Barry Jenkins’ deeply personal adaptation of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s work shines an honest light on the people and places normally hidden in society’s shade. While its impact may depend on what you take into the cinema and it may not quite merit the extraordinary praise it has garnered, ‘Moonlight’ is yet another example of the vibrancy and allure of independent cinema.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Boyhood (2014)

Writer/Director Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, School of Rock) brings us an ultra-realistic and unique coming-of-age drama, following a 6 year-old boy over a 12 year period and showing the trials and tribulations of an unconventional yet typical 21st century American family.

Directed by Richard Linklater and starring Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette among others.

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