Moonlight

 

Moonlight 2016

• Director: Barry Jenkins
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Trevante Rhodes, Alex R Hibbert, Janelle Monáe, Duan Sanderson, Jaden Piner, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Mahershala Ali – Alita Battle Angel, Green Book, Hidden Figures. The Hunger Games, The Place beyond the Pines, The Predator, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Naomie Harris – No Time to Die, Black and Blue, Our Kind of Traitor, Spectre, Mandela, Skyfall, Small Island, Pirates of the Caribbean, After Sunset, Dinotopia, 28 Days Later, White Teeth
• Trevante Rhodes – The Predator
• Alex R Hibbert – Black Panther
• Janelle Monáe  - Hidden Figures
• Why? Rave reviews
• Seen: 7 October 2023       

       Chiron (Hibbert, Sanders and Rhodes) is bullied at school. Drug dealer Juan (Ali) takes him under his wing to keep him off the corner. Chiron’s mother Paula (Harris) is a drug addict who buys from Juan.

       Chiron in struggling with his sexuality, not wanting to accept that he’s gay. We follow him through his teen years and into adulthood. It’s essentially a coming-of-age story, not my favourite genre. The acting is good but it’s slow-going to the point of being boring at times. My expectations were, of course, sky-high from the hype so it’s no surprise that they couldn’t be met. It’s certainly not bad but it’s not the heart-wrenching masterpiece I thought it would be.            

3 * of 5