Moonlight (2016)

Based on a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney, this film looks at the life of a young, gay, black man, growing up in the suburbs of Miami.

The story is told in three parts, and each part is set in a different time of young Chiron Black's life. The first, titled 'Little', is when he is nine years old. The second, titled 'Chiron' is when he is sixteen, and the third, titled 'Black', is when he is an adult. Naturally, the role of Chiron is played by three different actors, one for each part: Alex Hibbert as a child, Ashton Sanders as a teenager, and Trevante Rhodes as an adult.

In all three parts, his mother Paula - a crack addict at various stages of addiction and later recovery - is played by Naomie Harris, with some minor changes in both wardrobe and makeup.

Chiron (Alex Hibbert) and Kevin (Jaden Piner).

In the first part, Chiron finds a mentor in his mother's drug dealer, Juan (Mahershala Ali), and his partner, Teresa (Janelle Monáe), as his own mother isn't able to give him the support he desperately needs. He is almost totally silent in this first section, barely speaking at all, but there is a lot going on behind his eyes, much more than a child his age should have going on in his life.

He has a close friend at school, Kevin (Jaden Piner), who seems to understand him much more than any of his other classmates.

In the second part, he and Kevin (now played by Jharrel Jerome) become even closer, as Chiron begins to wrestle even more with his sexuality.

However, it is in the third and final part where he and Kevin (played as an adult by André Holland) establish their closest connection. It is in this section also that his relationship with his mother is finally brought to a reasonably satisfying conclusion, with her now living in a rehab facility.

Juan (Mahershala Ali).

The script, by director Barry Jenkins, is - in a word - interesting. There are a lot of very confronting issues dealt with in the film, and these are all handled with subtlety and integrity. Writing the script in three separate parts like this seems to have been the most effective method of telling the story of this struggling character, as audiences are able to hone in on only the most significant events of Chiron's life.

James Laxton's cinematography is truly a sight to behold. There are many scenes that are shot in near-total darkness, and a great deal of contrast between light and dark moments. The camera is predominantly close to the action throughout, bringing the viewer right into the middle of every confrontation and struggle; even seemingly innocent and uneventful interactions take on a much greater emotional intensity in this way.

The score, by Nicholas Britell, is sublime, and suits the on-screen action - or more importantly, the emotional rise-and-fall of each moment - perfectly. The instrumentation is fairly traditional, consisting largely of orchestral sounds, and works very well for the film as a whole.

Chiron (Ashton Sanders).

It is in the performances of the cast, however, where this film truly shines. Mahershala Ali is definitely one of the clear standouts of the film and, despite being on screen for only about twenty minutes in total, was awarded an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The other standout performance of the film is that of young Alex Hibbert, who plays Chiron at age nine. As I have already mentioned, there is so much going on behind his eyes that, even when he may not be saying anything, there is a depth to his character that is just heart-breaking.

Director Barry Jenkins, who won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, also walked away with the Academy Award for Best Picture. This may not - in my opinion - have been the best film of the year, but it is certainly one of the best. I would recommend it to anyone who is yet to watch it, and will probably watch it several more times myself; I think this film is one of those in which you find more each time you watch it.

8 out of 10.