Moonlight (2016 film)
Moonlight | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Barry Jenkins |
Screenplay by | Barry Jenkins |
Story by | Tarell Alvin McCraney |
Starring | |
Cinematography | James Laxton |
Edited by | |
Music by | Nicholas Britell |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | A24 |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 111 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1.5–4 million[2][3][4][5] |
Box office | $65.3 million[6] |
Moonlight is a 2016 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's unpublished semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. It stars Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris, and Mahershala Ali.
The film presents three stages in the life of the main character; his youth, adolescence, and early adult life. It explores the difficulties he faces with his sexuality and identity, including the physical and emotional abuse he endures growing up.[8] Filmed in Miami, Florida, beginning in 2015, Moonlight premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016. Distributed by A24, the film was released in the United States on October 21, 2016, and grossed over $65 million worldwide.
At the 74th Golden Globe Awards Moonlight won Best Motion Picture – Drama and was nominated in five other categories. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, along with Best Supporting Actor for Ali and Best Adapted Screenplay for Jenkins and McCraney, from a total of eight nominations. In 2017, The New York Times considered it the 20th "Best Film of the 21st Century So Far".[9]
Moonlight became the first film with an all-black cast, the first LGBTQ film, and the second lowest-grossing film domestically (behind The Hurt Locker) to win the Oscar for Best Picture.[10][11][12] The film's editor, Joi McMillon, became the first black woman to be nominated for an editing Oscar (alongside co-editor Nat Sanders), and Ali became the first Muslim to win an acting Oscar.[13][14]
Plot
i. Little
In Liberty City, Miami, Cuban drug dealer Juan (Mahershala Ali) finds Chiron (Alex Hibbert), a withdrawn child who goes by the nickname "Little," hiding from a pack of bullies in a crackhouse. Juan allows Chiron to spend the night with him and his younger girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monáe) before returning Chiron to his mother Paula (Naomie Harris).
Chiron continues to spend time with Juan, who teaches him how to swim and advises him to make his own path in life. One night, Juan encounters Paula smoking crack with one of his customers. Juan berates her for her addiction and she rebukes him for selling crack to her in the first place. She implies that she knows why Chiron gets beaten up by his peers, alluding to "the way he walks," before going home and taking out her frustrations on Chiron.
The next day, Chiron admits to Juan and Teresa that he hates his mother and asks what "faggot" means. Juan describes it as "a word used to make gay people feel bad." He tells Chiron it is okay to be gay and that he should not allow others to mock him. After asking Juan whether he sold drugs to Paula, Chiron leaves as Juan hangs his head in shame.
ii. Chiron
Now a teenager, Chiron (Ashton Sanders) juggles avoiding school bully Terrel (Patrick Decile) and spending time with Teresa, who has lived alone since Juan's death. Paula supports her crack addiction with prostitution and coerces Chiron into giving her the money Teresa loans him.
One night, Chiron has a dream in which his friend Kevin (Jharrel Jerome) has sex with a woman in Teresa's backyard. On another night, Kevin visits Chiron at the beach near his house. While smoking a blunt, the two discuss their ambitions and the nickname Kevin gave Chiron when they were children. They proceed to kiss and Kevin masturbates Chiron.
The next morning, Terrel manipulates Kevin into participating in a hazing ritual. Kevin reluctantly punches Chiron until he is unable to stand before watching as Terrel and several of his friends stomp on him. When a social worker urges him to reveal his attackers' identities, Chiron refuses, stating that reporting them will not solve anything. The following day, an enraged Chiron storms into class and violently assaults Terrel with a chair. The police arrive and arrest Chiron for assault. As the police escort Chiron out of school, he glares at Kevin.
iii. Black
Now going by the nickname "Black", an adult Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) deals drugs in Atlanta and receives frequent calls from Paula, who asks him to visit her at the drug treatment center where she now lives. One day, he receives a call from Kevin (André Holland), who invites him to visit him should he decide to come to Miami. The next day, he wakes up and realizes he has had a wet dream.
While visiting Paula, Chiron admits that he feels remorse for his lack of empathy towards her. She proceeds to apologize for not loving him when he needed it and tells him she loves him even if he does not love her back.
Chiron then travels to Miami and reunites with Kevin, who now works at a diner. When his attempts to probe Chiron about his life result in silence, Kevin tells him that he's had a child with an ex-girlfriend and, although the relationship ended, he is fulfilled by his role as a father. Chiron proceeds to ask Kevin why he called him, to which Kevin plays a song on the jukebox that made him think of Chiron.
After dinner, the two drive to Kevin's apartment. Kevin tells Chiron that he is happy despite the fact that his life didn't turn out as he had hoped, resulting in Chiron breaking down and admitting that he has not been intimate with anybody since their encounter on the beach. Kevin comforts him and they embrace. In a flashback, Little stands on a beach in the moonlight.
Cast
- Chiron Harris (/ʃaɪˈroʊn/ shy-ROHN), the film's protagonist
- Trevante Rhodes as Adult Chiron / "Black"
- Ashton Sanders as Teen Chiron / "Black" (nickname given by Kevin)
- Alex Hibbert as Child Chiron / "Little"
- Kevin Jones, Chiron's closest friend
- André Holland as Adult Kevin
- Jharrel Jerome as Teen Kevin
- Jaden Piner as Child Kevin
- Naomie Harris as Paula, Chiron's mother
- Janelle Monáe as Teresa, Juan's girlfriend
- Mahershala Ali as Juan, a drug dealer who becomes a father figure to Chiron
- Patrick Decile as Terrel, a school bully
Production
Development
![Tarell Alvin McCraney at the Toronto Film Festival](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Tarell_McCraney_%2832303406504%29.jpg/197px-Tarell_McCraney_%2832303406504%29.jpg)
In 2003, Tarell Alvin McCraney wrote the semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue to cope with his mother's death from AIDS. The theater piece was shelved for about a decade before it served as the basis for Moonlight.[15]
After the release of his debut feature film Medicine for Melancholy in 2008, Barry Jenkins wrote various screenplays, none of which entered production.[16] In January 2013, producer Adele Romanski urged Jenkins to make a second film.[17] The two brainstormed a few times a month through video-chat, with the goal of producing a low-budget "cinematic and personal" film.[16] Jenkins was introduced to McCraney's play through the Borscht arts collective in Miami.[18] After discussions with McCraney, Jenkins wrote the first draft of the film in a month-long visit to Brussels.[16][18]
Although the original play contained three parts, they ran simultaneously so that the audience would experience a day in the life of Little, Chiron and Black concurrently.[19] In fact, it is not made clear that the characters are the same person until halfway through the play.[20] Jenkins instead chose to split the three parts of the original piece into distinct chapters and to focus on Chiron's story from the perspective of an ally.[18][21]
The result was a screenplay that reflected the similar upbringings of Jenkins and McCraney. The character Juan was based on the father of McCraney's brother, who was also a childhood "defender" of McCraney, as Juan was for Chiron.[22] Likewise, Paula was a depiction of Jenkins' and McCraney's mothers, who both struggled with drug addictions. McCraney and Jenkins also both grew up in Miami's Liberty Square, a primary location of the film.[17]
Jenkins looked for financing for the film during 2013, finding success after sharing the script with the executives of Plan B Entertainment at the year's Telluride Film Festival. Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner of Plan B Entertainment became producers of the film,[16] while A24 undertook to finance it and handle worldwide distribution, which marked the company's first production.[23]
Casting
![A black and white photo of the director Barry Jenkins](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Barry_Jenkins_%28cropped%29.jpg/196px-Barry_Jenkins_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Different actors portrayed Chiron and Kevin in each chapter of the film. Ashton Sanders was cast in the role of teen Chiron.[24] Alex Hibbert and Jaden Piner were cast for the roles of child Chiron and child Kevin, respectively, in an open casting call in Miami.[25][26] Trevante Rhodes originally auditioned for the role of Kevin, before he was cast as adult Chiron.[27]
André Holland had previously acted in McCraney's plays, and had read In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue a decade before the release of the film.[28] Holland was attracted to the role of adult Kevin when later reading the script of the film, stating, "[The script] was the best thing I've ever read".[29]
Naomie Harris was initially reluctant to portray Paula, stating that she did not want to play a stereotypical depiction of a black woman.[30] When addressing her concerns, Jenkins emphasized the character’s representation of both his and McCraney's mothers.[28] Harris later commented that although she had previously vowed not to portray a crack addict, the film's script and director's tolerance appealed to her.[17] In preparation for her role, Harris watched interviews of those with addiction to crack cocaine, and met with addicted women. She related her experiences of bullying to the addicts' attempts of escaping trauma.[30][31]
Romanski proposed Juan be played by Mahershala Ali, who had a role in one of her previously produced films, Kicks. Jenkins was hesitant when casting Ali due to his role as Remy Danton in House of Cards; however, he was convinced after witnessing Ali's acting range and understanding of his character.[32] Ali considered the role an important opportunity to portray an African-American male mentor,[33] and drew on his experiences of "[growing] up with a Juan".[32] Janelle Monáe was sent the script and immediately connected to her role as Teresa, commenting that she too had family members with similar struggles relating to drugs and sexual identity.[16]
Filming
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Liberty_Square_Housing_Projects.jpg/220px-Liberty_Square_Housing_Projects.jpg)
Filming began on October 14, 2015, in Miami, Florida.[25][34] After scouting for locations in Miami with Romanski,[21] Jenkins made an effort to film in locations where he previously lived. Liberty Square, a housing project located in the neighborhood of Liberty City, was chosen as one of the primary locations as both McCraney and Jenkins grew up in the area.[35][36] The film was shot undisturbed since Jenkins had relatives living in the area,[21] though the cast and crew had police escorts.[31] Naomie Harris later reflected:
It was the first time someone had come to their community and wanted to represent it onscreen, and since Barry Jenkins had grown up in that area, there was this sense of pride and this desire to support him. You felt this love from the community that I've never felt in any other location, anywhere in the world, and it was so strange that it happened in a place where people were expecting the complete opposite.[31]
During filming, Jenkins made sure that the three actors for Chiron did not meet each other until after filming to avoid any imitations of one another.[37] Consequently, Rhodes, Sanders, and Hibbert filmed in separate two-week periods.[36] Mahershala Ali frequently flew to Miami on consecutive weekends to film during the production of other projects.[38][39][40] Naomie Harris shot all of her scenes in three days without rehearsals,[30][31][40] while André Holland filmed the totality of his scenes in five.[40] The film was shot in a period of twenty five days.[15]
Jenkins worked with cinematographer and longtime friend James Laxton, who previously shot Medicine for Melancholy.[41] The two chose to avoid the "documentary look" and thus shot the film using widescreen CinemaScope on an Arri Alexa digital camera, which better rendered skin tone.[38][41] With colorist Alex Bickel, they further achieved this by creating a color grade that increased the contrast and saturation while preserving the detail and color. As a result, the three chapters of the film were designed to imitate different film stocks. The first chapter emulated the Fuji film stock to intensify the cast's skin tones. The second chapter imitated the Agfa film stock, which added cyan to the images, while the third chapter used a modified Kodak film stock.[42]
Editing
![]() | This section needs expansion with: a further discussion on technique and process. You can help by adding to it. (July 2017) |
The film was edited in Los Angeles[38] by Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders, former university schoolmates of Jenkins.[41] Sanders was responsible for editing the first and second chapters.[43] McMillon was responsible for the third act which included the "diner scene", a favorite of the cinematographer Laxton.[44][45]
Music
The score of Moonlight was composed by Nicholas Britell. Britell applied the chopped and screwed technique from hip hop remixes to orchestral music, producing a "fluid, bass-heavy score". The soundtrack, released on October 21, 2016, consists of eighteen original songs by Britell along with others by Goodie Mob, Boris Gardiner, and Barbara Lewis.[46] A chopped and screwed version was released by OG Ron C and DJ Candlestick of The Chopstars.[47]
Moonlight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
---|---|
Soundtrack album by | |
Released | October 21, 2016 |
Length | 38:04 |
Producer | Nicholas Britell |
Track listing
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Every N****r Is a Star" | Boris Gardiner | 3:19 |
2. | "Little's Theme" | Nicholas Britell | 0:59 |
3. | "Ride Home" | Britell | 0:47 |
4. | "Vesperae Solennes de Confessore – Laudate Dominum, K. 339 (Excerpt)" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) | Britell | 1:42 |
5. | "The Middle of the World" | Britell | 2:02 |
6. | "The Spot" | Britell | 1:23 |
7. | "Interlude" | Britell | 0:25 |
8. | "Chiron's Theme" | Britell | 0:56 |
9. | "Metrorail Closing" | Britell | 1:42 |
10. | "Chiron's Theme Chopped & Screwed (Knock Down Stay Down)" | Britell | 2:08 |
11. | "You Don't Even Know" | Britell | 2:20 |
12. | "Don't Look at Me" | Britell | 0:36 |
13. | "Cell Therapy" | Goodie Mob | 4:37 |
14. | "Atlanta Ain't but so Big" | Britell | 0:55 |
15. | "Sweet Dreams" | Britell | 0:58 |
16. | "Chef's Special" | Britell | 1:10 |
17. | "Hello Stranger" | Barbara Lewis | 2:43 |
18. | "Black's Theme" | Britell | 0:56 |
19. | "Who Is You?" | Britell | 0:53 |
20. | "End Credits Suite" | Britell | 5:13 |
21. | "Bonus Track: The Culmination" | Britell | 1:55 |
Themes
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, lists "love, sex, survival, mothers and father figures" among its themes, particularly the lack of a nurturing father.[50] However, A. O. Scott of The New York Times cites the character Juan as an example of how the film "evokes clichés of African-American masculinity in order to shatter them."[51] In his review in Variety, Peter Debruge suggests that the film demonstrates that the African American identity is more complex than has been portrayed in films of the past.[52] For example, while Juan plays the role of Little's defender and protector, he is also part of the root cause of at least some of the hardship the young boy endures.[53]
A major theme of Moonlight is the black male identity and its interactions with sexual identity. The film takes a form similar to a triptych in order to explore the path of a man from a neglected childhood, through an angry adolescence, to self-realization and fulfillment in adulthood.[50] According to Deborah Orr, it shines a light on the "negative aspects of masculinity."[54]
This particular story of Chiron's sexuality is also seen as a story of race in a 'post-Obama' era. The film amalgamates art film with hood film in its portrayal of African-American characters on-screen. Many technical film techniques are employed to juxtapose the characters and action on scene, including the use of an orchestral score done in the melody of popular R&B and hip-hop motifs. This specifically deals with theme of recuperating identity, especially in terms of blackness. The characters operate in an urban working-class city in Florida but are portrayed through art house conventions to create a new space for black characters in cinema. This mirrors Chiron's own odyssey to learning who he is, as he constantly struggles with trying to find some essentialism to his identity, yet consistently fails in doing so. The triptych structure helps to reiterate the fragmented personality to the film and Chiron.[55]
Release
![Jenkins, Holland and Sanders exiting a limousine van](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Barry_Jenkins_with_Andre_Holland_and_Ashton_Sanders_%2832333936873%29.jpg/250px-Barry_Jenkins_with_Andre_Holland_and_Ashton_Sanders_%2832333936873%29.jpg)
The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016.[56] It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2016,[57][58] the New York Film Festival on October 2, 2016,[59][60] the BFI London Film Festival on October 6, 2016[61] and the Vancouver International Film Festival on October 7, 2016.[62] The film was released to select theaters on October 21, 2016,[63] before beginning a wide release on November 18, 2016.[64][65] The full UK cinema release was on February 17, 2017.[66]
Marketing
The film's poster reflects its triptych structure, combining the three actors portraying Chiron into a single face.[67] The producers employed no extra marketing for the film; interest in the film grew naturally up until the Academy Awards, induced by the critical reviews.[68] The trailer for the film was released on August 11 in time for festival season. Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times referred to it "as one of the most anticipated films for fall".[69]
On February 27, the day after the Academy Awards, Calvin Klein released an underwear advertising campaign featuring four of the male actors in the film.[70] On March 7, Beijing-based streaming video service iQiyi announced that it has acquired the rights to stream the film in China.[71] The film is also available in home media format through iTunes and DVD.[68]
Reception
Box office
Moonlight grossed $27.8 million in the United States and Canada and $37.5 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $65.3 million, against a production budget of $4 million.[6]
The film originally played in four theaters in its limited October 21, 2016 release, grossing $402,072 (a per-theater average $100,519).[72] The film's theater count peaked at 650 in its wide opening on November 18, 2016, before expanding to 1,014 theaters in February. After the Oscars ceremony, A24 announced that the film would be played at 1,564 theaters.[68] In the weekend following its Oscar wins the film grossed $2.5 million, up 260% from its previous week and marking the highest-grossing weekend of its entire theatrical release. It was also a higher gross than the previous two Best Picture winners, Spotlight ($1.8 million) and Birdman ($1.9 million), had in their first weekend following the Academy Awards.[73]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 98% based on 322 reviews, with an average rating of 9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Moonlight uses one man's story to offer a remarkable and brilliantly crafted look at lives too rarely seen in cinema."[74] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 99 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."[75] On both websites, it was the highest scoring film released in 2016.[76][77]
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote a positive review after Moonlight premiered at the 2016 Telluride Film Festival. He praised the actors' performances and described the cinematography of James Laxton as "fluid and seductive, deceptively mellow, and shot through with searing compassion." Rooney concluded that the film "will strike plangent chords for anyone who has ever struggled with identity, or to find connections in a lonely world."[78] In a uniformly positive review for Time Out New York, Joshua Rothkopf gave Moonlight five stars out of five, praised Barry Jenkins' direction and wrote that the film was "without a doubt, the reason we go to the movies: to understand, to come closer, to ache, hopefully with another."[79]
Brian Formo of Collider gave Moonlight an 'A−' grade rating, applauding the performances and direction but contending that the film "is more personal and important than it is great."[80] Similarly, Jake Cole of Slant Magazine praised the acting, but criticized the screenplay, and argued that "so much of the film feels old-hat."[81] In a review for The Verge, Tasha Robinson lamented the plot details omitted between the film's three acts, but wrote that "what does make it to the screen is unforgettable."[82]
While discussing the film after its screening at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times described Moonlight as "achingly romantic and uncommonly wise," opining the film to be an early Oscar contender. Chang further wrote: "[Barry Jenkins] made a film that urges the viewer to look past Chiron’s outward appearance and his superficial signifiers of identity, climbing inside familiar stereotypes in order to quietly dismantle them from within ... [Moonlight] doesn't say much. It says everything."[83]
Writing for The London Review of Books in February 2017, Michael Wood characterized the film as a study of an inherited intergenerational tragedy. He wrote: "[By the end of the film] there are still ten minutes of late Ingmar Bergman to go. The film keeps showing us Chiron's handsome, inscrutable face. The silence doesn't tell us anything, it just asks us to feel sorry for him... All is not lost, though, because as we gaze at Chiron, we can think of something else: his resemblance to Juan (his father figure). Does it mean that Juan was once a Chiron ... Not quite that perhaps, but the last shot of the film is of the young Chiron sitting on the beach ... looking out at the ocean ... His wide eyes suggest all the desolation and promise that Juan saw in him at the beginning. If we started again, would things be different?"[84]
Melanie McDonagh of The Spectator called the film "boring" and "utterly pointless."[85] Camilla Long of The Times wrote that the film's "story has been told countless times, against countless backdrops", and that the film is not "relevant" to a predominantly "straight, white, middle class" audience.[86] Long was criticized by users on Twitter for the review, and was accused of being homophobic and racist in her writing.[87][88] Catherine Shoard defended her by pointing out that "critics' opinions are subjective, and are supposed to be."[89] However, David McAlmont referred to Long's review as "not a review... [but] a waspish response to other reviews."[90]
Top ten lists
Moonlight was listed on numerous critics' top ten lists for 2016.[91]
- 1st – A.O. Scott and Stephen Holden, The New York Times
- 1st – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times (tied with Manchester by the Sea)
- 1st – Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times
- 1st – Stephanie Zacharek, Time
- 1st – Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
- 1st – Alonso Duralde, TheWrap
- 1st – Bob Mondello, NPR
- 1st – Katie Rife, The A.V. Club
- 1st – Jake Coyle, Associated Press
- 1st – Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail
- 1st – Keith Phipps, Uproxx
- 1st – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
- 1st – Jen Yamato, The Daily Beast
- 1st – Ty Burr, The Boston Globe
- 1st – Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
- 1st – Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
- 1st – Peter Howell, Toronto Star
- 1st – David Ehrlich & Eric Kohn, IndieWire
- 2nd – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
- 2nd – Alison Willmore, BuzzFeed
- 2nd – Richard Brody, The New Yorker
- 2nd – A.A. Dowd, The A.V. Club
- 2nd – Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
- 2nd – Peter Debruge, Variety
- 2nd – Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com
- 3rd – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
- 3rd – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
- 3rd – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
- 3rd – Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
- 3rd – Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
- 3rd – Mike Ryan, Uproxx
- 3rd – John Powers, Vogue
- 3rd – Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
- 4th – Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic
- 4th – Matt Singer, ScreenCrush
- 4th – Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly
- 4th – Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press
- 4th – Noel Murray, The A.V. Club
- 4th – Anne Thompson, IndieWire
- 5th – Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, The A.V. Club
- 6th – David Edelstein, New York Magazine
- 6th – Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com
- 6th – Christopher Orr, The Atlantic
- 7th – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
- 7th – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
- 7th – Bilge Ebiri, L.A. Weekly
- 8th – Amy Nicholson, MTV
- 9th – Tasha Robinson, The Verge
- 9th – Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- 9th – James Berardinelli, Reelviews
- Top 10 (listed alphabetically) – Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
- Top 10 (listed alphabetically) – Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
- Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times
- Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Stephen Whitty, The Star-Ledger
- Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Brian Truitt, USA Today
Accolades
At the 74th Golden Globe Awards, Moonlight received six nominations, the second highest of all film nominees.[92] The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, with additional nominations for five more: Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (for Ali), Best Supporting Actress (for Harris), Best Screenplay (for Jenkins) and Best Original Score (for Britell).[93]
Moonlight received four nominations at the 70th British Academy Film Awards: Best Film, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Original Screenplay.[94]
Moonlight received eight nominations at the 89th Academy Awards, the second highest of all nominees, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (for Ali), Best Supporting Actress (for Harris) and Best Adapted Screenplay.[95] The film won three awards: for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.[96] At the ceremony, presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty read La La Land as the winner of Best Picture. Beatty later stated that he had mistakenly been given the duplicate Best Actress envelope, for which Emma Stone had won for her role in La La Land several minutes prior.[97] When the mistake was realized, La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz came forward to announce Moonlight as the correct winner.[98]
Because the film's screenplay was based on a play that had not previously been produced or published, different awards have had different rules about whether it qualified in the original or adapted screenplay categories.[99] It was classified as an original screenplay by both the Writers Guild of America Awards and the BAFTAs, but was ruled as an adapted screenplay according to Academy Award rules.[99]
Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon were nominated for Best Film Editing, making McMillon the first black woman to earn an Academy Award nomination in film editing.[100] It is also the first LGBTQ film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.[101]
Cultural impact
The film is referenced in "Moonlight", a song from Jay-Z‘s studio album 4:44.[102]
See also
References
- ^ "Moonlight". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
- ^ @BarryJenkins (January 23, 2018). "Barry Jenkins on Twitter" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ O'Falt, Chris (February 9, 2017). "The Craft of 'Moonlight': How a $1.5 Million Indie Landed Eight Oscar Nominations". Indiewire. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
- ^ FilmL.A. (May 2017). "2016 Feature Film Study" (PDF). FilmL.A. Feature Film Study. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ "Moonlight (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ a b "Moonlight (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
- ^ Moonlight Interview Barry Jenkins, accessed December 13, 2016.
- ^ Lee, Benjamin (September 3, 2016). "Moonlight review – devastating drama is vital portrait of black gay masculinity in America". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla; Scott, A.O. "The 25 Best Films of the 21st Century...So Far". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ France, Lisa Respers (February 28, 2017). "Oscar mistake overshadows historic moment for 'Moonlight'". CNN. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- ^ Rose, Steve. "Don't let that Oscars blunder overshadow Moonlight's monumental achievement". The Guardian. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ^ Lincoln, Kevin. "Don't Let the Best Picture Debacle Overshadow Moonlight's Great Win". Vulture. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ Zak, Dan (February 26, 2017). "Joi McMillon, the first African American woman to be nominated for best editing". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- ^ Yan, Holly (February 27, 2017). "Mahershala Ali becomes first Muslim actor to win an Oscar". CNN. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- ^ a b Rodriguez, Rene (October 21, 2016). "Miami plays a starring role in the glorious 'Moonlight'". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e Kohn, Eric. "Barry Jenkins' Moonlight Interview: Journey To Making a Classic". IndieWire. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- ^ a b c Keegan, Rebecca. "To give birth to 'Moonlight,' writer-director Barry Jenkins dug deep into his past". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- ^ a b c Fear, David. "'Moonlight': How an Indie Filmmaker Made the Best Movie of 2016". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- ^ Davidson, Aaron (October 15, 2016). "Tarell Alvin McCraney: The man who lived 'Moonlight'". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Halperin, Moze (October 21, 2016). "Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney Discusses the Piece That Inspired 'Moonlight'". Flavorwire. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Stephenson, Will. "Barry Jenkins Slow-Cooks His Masterpiece". The Fader. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
A mutual friend in Miami passed along a copy of McCraney's play a few years ago, knowing Jenkins would be interested. When he read it, he thought its tripartite structure offered "a new way of looking at the dynamics of a relationship, of fate and possibility." He'd wanted to make a film in three parts.
- ^ Hannah-Jones, Nikole (January 4, 2017). "From Bittersweet Childhoods to 'Moonlight'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ Jaafar, Ali (August 24, 2015). "A24 Teams With Plan B & Adele Romanski To Produce And Finance Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- ^ Coyle, Jake. "The 3 stars of 'Moonlight' share a role and a breakthrough". The Big Story: Associated Press. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- ^ a b McNary, Dave (October 21, 2015). "Naomie Harris, Andre Holland, Mahershala Ali to Star in 'Moonlight'". variety.com. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- ^ Obenson, Tambay A. "Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight' Draws Naomie Harris, Andre Holland, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monae + Others". IndieWire. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- ^ Osenlund, R. Kurt (October 24, 2016). "Trevante Rhodes Shines in 'Moonlight,' This Fall's Essential Queer Black Film". Out. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- ^ a b Formo, Brian (October 21, 2016). "'Moonlight': Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris and Andre Holland on Masculinity, Addiction". Collider. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- ^ Atad, Corey (October 24, 2016). "Why André Holland Knew He Couldn't Turn Down a Movie Like 'Moonlight'". Esquire. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- ^ a b c Tapley, Kristopher (October 3, 2016). "Naomie Harris Had to Overcome Her Own Judgment to Play 'Moonlight' Role". Variety. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Buchanan, Kyle (October 18, 2016). "How Naomie Harris Filmed Her Stunning Moonlight Role in Just 3 Days". Vulture.com. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- ^ a b Grady, Pam. "With 'Moonlight' and more, Mahershala Ali hits stratosphere". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- ^ Hill, Logan (October 20, 2016). "Mahershala Ali? You've Surely Seen His Face". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- ^ Lesnick, Silas (October 21, 2015). "Moonlight Cast Announced as Production Begins". comingsoon.net. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- ^ Keegan, Rebecca. "Telluride Film Festival audiences take a shine to Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ a b Cusumano, Katherine. "Meet Ashton Sanders, the Breakout Star of "Moonlight"". W Magazine. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- ^ Jacobs, Matthew (October 19, 2016). "Janelle Monáe Brings The Good Fight To Hollywood In Two Standout Roles". The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- ^ a b c Kilday, Gregg. "How 'Moonlight' Became a "Personal Memoir" for Director Barry Jenkins: "I Knew the Story Like the Back of My Hand"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- ^ Shepherd, Jack (September 30, 2016). "Mahershala Ali interview: 'I grew up not seeing myself on screen... It feels like you don't exist'". The Independent. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- ^ a b c Ellwood, Gregory. "The cast of 'Moonlight' found reassurance and freedom under shooting pressures". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- ^ a b c Aguirre, Abby. "Moonlight's Cinematographer on Filming the Most Exquisite Movie of the Year". Vogue. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- ^ O'Falt, Chris. "Moonlight Cinematography: Bold Color, Rich Skin Tone, High Contrast". IndieWire. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
- ^ Galas, Marj (January 26, 2017). "Florida State Classmates Helped Make Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight' Shine". Variety. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
- ^ Harris, Aisha (February 21, 2017). "Moonlight Editor Joi McMillon on That Pivotal Diner Scene and Showcasing the Love of Cooking". Slate. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
- ^ Moakley, Paul (February 22, 2017). "Behind the Making of the Oscar-Nominated Film 'Moonlight'". TIME.com. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
- ^ Dandridge-Lemco, Ben. "Hear The Moonlight Original Soundtrack, Composed By Nicholas Britell". The Fader. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "Listen To A Chopped and Screwed mix of the Moonlight Soundtrack". The Fader. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
- ^ "'Moonlight' Soundtrack Announced". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
- ^ "Moonlight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Nicholas Britell". iTunes. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
- ^ a b Bradshaw, Peter (February 2, 2017). "Moonlight review – a visually ravishing portrait of masculinity". The Guardian. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ Scott, A. O. (October 20, 2016). "'Moonlight': Is This the Year's Best Movie?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (September 3, 2016). "Film Review: 'Moonlight'". Variety. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ Hornaday, Ann; Hornaday, Ann (October 27, 2016). "'Moonlight' is both a tough coming-of-age tale and a tender testament to love". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Orr, Deborah (February 18, 2017). "It's painful watching the male crisis onscreen – more painful in real life". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ Kannan, Menaka (August 1, 2017). "Watching Moonlight in the Twilight of Obama". Humanity&Society. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
- ^ Hammond, Pete (September 1, 2016). "Telluride Film Festival Lineup: 'Sully', 'La La Land', 'Arrival', 'Bleed For This' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (August 11, 2016). "Toronto: Natalie Portman's 'Jackie' Biopic, 'Moonlight' From Brad Pitt's Plan B Join Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
- ^ "Moonlight". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ Cox, Gordon (August 9, 2016). "New York Film Festival Loads 2016 Main Slate With Festival-Circuit Favorites". Variety. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
- ^ "Moonlight". New York Film Festival. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ^ "Moonlight". BFI London Film Festival. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ "Day 9: Today's Highlights". Vancouver International Film Festival. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 28, 2016). "A24 Sets Dates For 'Moonlight' & Cannes Jury Prize Winner 'American Honey'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
- ^ Hime, Nelly (October 24, 2016). "'Moonlight' & 'Michael Moore In TrumpLand' Top 2016 Theater Averages – Specialty B.O." Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Hime, Nelly (October 24, 2016). "Moonlight 2016 Dominates Speciality Box Office, Gets Wide Release Date". NagameDigital. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ "Moonlight review: a graceful, compassionate coming-of-age heartbreaker". The Telegraph. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ West, Amy (December 22, 2016). "Best film posters of 2016 from Jackie and Moonlight to Star Trek Beyond". International Business Times UK. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
- ^ a b c Jacobs, Matthew (March 1, 2017). "'Moonlight' Will Expand To A Lot More Theaters After Oscar Win". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Olsen, Mark (August 11, 2016). "Watch: Barry Jenkins' anticipated indie drama 'Moonlight' starring Mahershala Ali and Janelle Monáe". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Harwood, Erika (February 27, 2017). "Mahershala Ali and the Cast of Moonlight Are the Latest Calvin Klein Underwear Models". Vanity Fair: Vanities. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Patrick, Brzeski (March 7, 2017). "China's iQiyi Acquires Streaming Rights to 'Moonlight,' 'La La Land'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
- ^ Brooks, Brian (November 13, 2016). "Ang Lee's 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' 2016's 3rd Best Average; Paul Verhoeven's 'Elle' Bows Strong – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ^ "'Logan's $85.3M Debut Breaks Records For Wolverine Series & Rated R Fare; Beats 'Fifty Shades' & 'Passion Of The Christ'", Deadline Hollywood, retrieved March 5, 2017
- ^ "Moonlight (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
- ^ "Moonlight Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ "The Best Movies of 2016". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
- ^ "Top 100 Movies of 2016". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media.
- ^ Rooney, David (September 2, 2016). "'Moonlight': Telluride Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ Rothkopf, Joshua (September 11, 2016). "Moonlight (2016), directed by Barry Jenkins". Time Out New York. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ Formo, Brian (September 5, 2016). "'Moonlight' Review: Gay Triptych Features Great Performances". Collider. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Cole, Jake (September 15, 2016). "Toronto Film Review: Barry Jenkins' Moonlight". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ^ Robinson, Tasha (September 15, 2016). "Moonlight is a beautifully nuanced gay coming-of-age tale". The Verge. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Chang, Justin (September 11, 2016). "Toronto 2016: Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight' makes the case for quiet eloquence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ Wood, Michael (February 16, 2017). "At The Movies". The London Review of Books. p. 12.
- ^ McDonagh, Melanie (February 18, 2017). "The critics are wrong: Moonlight is boring and pointless". The Spectator. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Long, Camilla (February 19, 2017). "Film review: Moonlight and Hidden Figures". The Times. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Mendoza, Kerry-Anne (February 19, 2017). "You're not imagining it. That review by Sunday Times film critic Camilla Long isn't just stupid, it's racist [TWEETS]". The Canary. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ^ Liddle, Rod (February 22, 2017). "Camilla Long's 3* review of Moonlight doesn't make her a racist". The Spectator. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Shoard, Catherine (February 22, 2017). "Should critics of Moonlight be hounded for having an opinion?". The Guardian. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ McAlmont, David (February 22, 2017). "To Camilla Long: In Defence Of Moonlight". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- ^ "Best of 2016: Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ "Golden Globes 2017: The Complete List of Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. December 12, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- ^ Lee, Ashley (January 8, 2017). "Golden Globes: 'La La Land' Breaks Record for Most Wins by a Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (January 9, 2017). "BAFTA Awards: 'La La Land' Leads Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ^ "Oscars Nominations 2017: The Complete List of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. January 24, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ^ "The 89th Academy Awards (2017) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Retrieved February 26, 2017.
- ^ Shepherd, Jack (February 27, 2017). "Emma Stone reacts to Moonlight winning over La La Land at the Oscars". The Independent. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
- ^ Rothman, Michael (February 26, 2017). "'Moonlight' wins best picture after 'La La Land' mistakenly announced". ABC News. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ^ a b "Oscars: Moonlight ineligible for Best Original Screenplay". Entertainment Weekly, December 15, 2016.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (January 24, 2017). "Oscars: 'Moonlight' Editing Nomination Marks a First". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ^ Lang, Nico (February 27, 2017). ""Moonlight" is the first LGBT movie to win best picture. Here's why it matters". Salon. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/08/06/jay-zs-moonlight-music-video-does-more-than-simply-show-friends-with-an-all-black-cast/
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website
- Moonlight at IMDb
- Moonlight at AllMovie
- Moonlight at Box Office Mojo
- Moonlight at Metacritic
- Moonlight at Rotten Tomatoes
- 2016 films
- 2010s coming-of-age films
- 2010s drama films
- 2010s LGBT-related films
- A24 films
- African-American drama films
- African-American LGBT-related films
- American coming-of-age films
- American films
- Best Drama Picture Golden Globe winners
- Best Picture Academy Award winners
- Coming-of-age drama films
- Films about bullying
- Films about drugs
- American films based on plays
- Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award-winning performance
- Films set in Atlanta
- Films set in Miami
- Films shot in Miami
- Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award
- Gay-related films
- LGBT-related coming-of-age films
- LGBT-related drama films
- Plan B Entertainment films
- African-American films
- Films directed by Barry Jenkins