Moonlight is
a drama that grows on you as you watch. The movie is deeper than deep—if such a
phrase exists—and it delivers groundbreaking performances. Now the movie takes it’s time to get into the plot, but when it does it
is a captivating drama.
This is a movie
that caused quite a stir at the Oscars, earning eight nominations and taking
home three awards. Two of those were for Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali)
and Best Adapted Screenplay. When it came time for Best Picture, the announcers
made a mistake and initially called La La Land (2016) as the winner.
However, the award was supposed to go to Moonlight. On stage, the La
La Land crew graciously announced the error, and the award was handed over
to Moonlight.
There’s been
talk that the mistake might steal some of the movie’s shine, and in a way, it
did. But regardless, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture was the reason
I decided to watch this movie. Moonlight is the first all-black cast
and the first LGBTQ+ film to win Best Picture, and the question I had before
seeing it was: Was it worth it?
To answer that,
I have to say yes.
Beyond the
Academy Award, Mahershala Ali also won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best
Supporting Actor, and the movie took home the Golden Globe Award for Best
Motion Picture – Drama.
The movie
explores the life of a young boy as he grows up, discovering himself and his
sexuality. It delves into his struggles to come to terms with who he is while
dealing with a mother who abuses drugs.
As he grows, he faces bullying, betrayal, and a lack of the love he needs to feel welcome in the world.
The movie begins
with the introduction of the lead, Chiron, as a child. We see him being bullied
by other kids, running and hiding in an abandoned home. He’s rescued by a man
named Juan (Mahershala Ali), who takes Chiron under his wing. Chiron’s mother, however,
is disgusted by the relationship between Chiron and Juan.
As Chiron grows
into a teenager, he continues to struggle with expressing himself and is
bullied by his peers. One day, the bullies pressure his friend Kevin to fight
him. After the fight, Chiron reacts violently, leading to his arrest.
The movie touches a lot of themes, and while the performances are strong, especially Mahershala Ali, the film doesn't dive deep enough into its characters, leaving some of their development feeling incomplete, and then they are gone from the entire movie. While the emotional moments hit hard, they sometimes feel a bit overdone.
The movie is
awesome and absolutely worth seeing.
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