Moonlight

Name: Moonlight
Genre: Drama
Released: October 21, 2016
Duration: 111 min
Rating: 99
Cast: Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Duan Sanderson, Herman 'Caheei McGloun, Jaden Piner

2016

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 53 Critics

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 1400 Ratings

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7.2

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7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 1400 Ratings

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Moonlight

Movie Details & Credits

Not Rated

A24 | Release Date: October 21, 2016

Starring: Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Duan Sanderson, Herman 'Caheei McGloun, Jaden Piner, Janelle Monáe, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Shariff Earp

Summary: Moonlight is the tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

Director: Barry Jenkins

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 111 min

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Awards & Rankings

1	#1 Best Movie of 2016
22	#22 Most Discussed Movie of 2016
20	#20 Most Shared Movie of 2016

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Time Out - Joshua Rothkopf

Sep 11, 2016

Moonlight takes the pain of growing up and turns it into hardened scars and private caresses. This film is, without a doubt, the reason we go to the movies: to understand, to come closer, to ache, hopefully with another. Read full review

100

The Playlist - Gregory Ellwood

Sep 3, 2016

Like Brokeback Mountain a decade ago, Moonlight is a piece of art that will transform lives long after it leaves theaters. Read full review

100

CineVue - Ben Nicholson

Feb 16, 2017

Bold in ambition and delicate in execution, it will break your heart and then piece it back together. Read full review

100

The Telegraph - Robbie Collin

Oct 6, 2016

Moonlight, the new film from Barry Jenkins, is a nuclear-fission-strength heartbreaker. It’s made up of moments so slight and incidental they’re sub-molecular – but they release enough heat and light to swallow whole cities at a stroke. Read full review

100

Chicago Tribune - Michael Phillips

Oct 27, 2016

The reason it's distinctive has less to do with raw emotion, or a relentless assault on your tear ducts, and more to do with the film medium's secret weapons: restraint, quiet honesty, fluid imagery and an observant, uncompromised way of imagining one outsider's world so that it becomes our own. Read full review

100

Boston Globe - Ty Burr

Nov 3, 2016

In its quietly radical grace, it’s a cultural watershed — a work that dismantles all the ways our media view young black men and puts in their place a series of intimate truths. You walk out feeling dazed, more whole, a little cleaner. Read full review

Slant Magazine - Sam C. Mac

Sep 25, 2016

What tends to right Moonlight, even when Barry Jenkins's filmmaking drifts into indulgence, is the strength of its actors. Read full review

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User Reviews

fraterang

Jan 6, 2019

Moonlight packs an emotional and visually stunning punch to an audience that would normally expect mediocrity.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

goncalocouto

Oct 20, 2018

"Moonlight" é um filme bem produzido, emocionante e poderoso. É impossível os mais sensíveis não soltarem algumas lágrimas...
10/10

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

cwongx

Oct 22, 2016

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity. This is an epic recapturing of adolescent and early adult life similar to epics like Boyhood and Yi Yi, only it's on a different level of filmmaking, because this really exemplifies laser-focused storytelling,This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity. This is an epic recapturing of adolescent and early adult life similar to epics like Boyhood and Yi Yi, only it's on a different level of filmmaking, because this really exemplifies laser-focused storytelling, from its beautiful cinematography to its masterful dialogue. I felt so many raw emotions watching this as Chiron (the protagonist) takes each of his steps transitioning into adulthood, forming his identity with regards to race, masculinity, and sexuality. To see it all unfold the way it did made me feel lucky to be on the viewing seat instead of being in the type of environment Chiron was forced to live in. This film is definitely a heavy one, but despite its rawness I think I'm still going to see it again in theaters just to appreciate all of the poignancy and detail in it in how it addresses the tougher aspects with regard to masculinity, sexuality, race, etc. Overall, definitely a must-see.… Expand

43 of 75 users found this helpful4332

Benkoko11

Feb 23, 2017

The soft yet searing humanism Jenkins invokes through his minimalist storytelling and mesmerizingly meditative style make the occasional slips into self indulgence more than forgivable. Moonlight is as personal as it is universal, as hopeful as it is heartbreaking, consistantly genuine, andThe soft yet searing humanism Jenkins invokes through his minimalist storytelling and mesmerizingly meditative style make the occasional slips into self indulgence more than forgivable. Moonlight is as personal as it is universal, as hopeful as it is heartbreaking, consistantly genuine, and never gratuitous. It's at the same time one of the most unique, most important, and best films of the year… Expand

2 of 9 users found this helpful27

BrunoVn00

Apr 15, 2019

Moonlight is...a good movie. I'm going to talk about the best of this movie first and I'll begin with a big praise towards its WONDERFUL cinematrogtaphy and directing. All the shots in this movie are beautiful and the color palette adds to the intended mood of what the audience is watching.Moonlight is...a good movie. I'm going to talk about the best of this movie first and I'll begin with a big praise towards its WONDERFUL cinematrogtaphy and directing. All the shots in this movie are beautiful and the color palette adds to the intended mood of what the audience is watching. This is one of the most visually stunning movies I've seen in recent memory, I swear I could only rewatch it too see the beautiful shots this movie has. The performances are great and add to the realism this movie tries to give.

What this movie, for me at least, doesn't do that great, is everything else. The plot wasn't that great or interesting. The movie failed to make me care about the characters and the plot, because it wasn't too interesting. There's a huge plot hole between Chiron's adolescence and its adulthood, I don't know, maybe some more minutes of runtime to see what happened to him during that time gap, I think that could've added to his character, and most of the movie felt pretty standard and forgettable, nothing too bad, but anything great.

However the ending is so heartbreaking and perfect when you stop and think about it, the last shot of the movie is one of my favorites in recent memory, I think that the ending was what redeemed this movie.

This isn't my favorite movie of 2016 and it's not a great movie, it's good, the cinematography, acting, directing and the ending is what gives this movie a lot of points. It's a pretty bland and forgettable movie for the most part but those aspects I just mentioned are what save this movie from being bad.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JeffKnox

Feb 23, 2017

I don't understand the hype behind this movie. I felt like there was going to be a good message behind it but in the end it felt very lacking in substance. If the movie was about a straight white guy it wouldn't be getting much attention and would be seen as mediocre at best.
I think theI don't understand the hype behind this movie. I felt like there was going to be a good message behind it but in the end it felt very lacking in substance. If the movie was about a straight white guy it wouldn't be getting much attention and would be seen as mediocre at best.
I think the reason it got the attention is only because the subject matter was about a gay black guy. If we've had a few movies like this already nobody would be looking at this like it was something special. I get that people might like seeing this subject matter but that doesn't excuse the fact that there's hardly any substance to it.

By the end I was left feeling like I was supposed to be impacted somehow but any message that it had fell extremely flat. Again, I think if it wasn't for the subject matter most people would recognize this as a mediocre movie.… Expand

13 of 20 users found this helpful137

PEJOMAN1234

Oct 31, 2017

Now i see that oscars are joke if movie like this gets Oscar LOL . This is boring that hurt .
This movie qualitaty is like some episode from medicore Tvg series.

3 of 17 users found this helpful314

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