MOONLIGHT (15)

WHO’S IN IT?

Trevante Rhodes (The Night Is Young), Ashton Sanders (The Retrieval), Alex Hibbert (film debut), André Holland (Selma), Jharrel Jerome (film debut), Jaden Piner (film debut), Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures), Naomie Harris (Skyfall), Mahershala Ali (The Place Beyond The Pines), Patrick Decile (film debut)

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Barry Jenkins (Medicine for Melancholy), director, writer; Dede Gardner (12 Years A Slave), Jeremy Kleiner (Selma) and Adele Romanski (Black Rock), producers; Nicholas Britell (The Big Short), composer; James Laxton (Bad Milo), cinematographer; Joi McMillon (The Other Side of Silence) and Nat Sanders (Short Term 12), editors

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A young African-American man named Chiron – whom we see at several points as a child (Hibbert), a teenager (Sanders), and a grown man (Rhodes) – grows up in a rough Miami neighbourhood as he comes to terms with his sexuality and his own place in the world, interacting with several figures including his abusive drug-addict mother (Harris), a kindly drug dealer (Ali), and another young man named Kevin (Piner as a child; Jerome as a teenager; Holland as an adult), who may end up being the love of his life…

IN ONE SENTENCE, WHY SHOULD YOU BE EXCITED?

A true original (despite being based on a play), Moonlight is gaining more and more attention from awards pundits as a serious film to look out for, and with the hype that it has been receiving thus far, it could well be one to seriously not underestimate.

WHEN’S IT OUT?

FRIDAY 17TH FEBRUARY 2017

Search from over ten years of movies here:

Other recent reviews:

Mothers’ Instinct (2024, dir. Benoît Delhomme)

In 60s suburbia, a pair of mothers find their friendship pushed to the brink…

Silver Haze (2023, dir. Sacha Polak)

A nurse embarks on a rocky relationship with her patient…

The Sweet East (2023, dir. Sean Price Williams)

A young teen goes on a bizarre odyssey after separating from her school trip…

Shirley (2024, dir. John Ridley)

In 1972, trailblazing Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm runs for President…

Road House (2024, dir. Doug Liman)

A former UFC fighter takes a new job as a bouncer at a Florida roadhouse…

Late Night with the Devil (2024, dirs. Cameron & Colin Cairnes)

A Halloween-themed episode of a late-night talk show goes devilishly wrong…

Baltimore (2024, dirs. Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy)

A wealthy heiress turned IRA activist leads a daring art heist…

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024, dir. Gil Kenan)

A team of old and new Ghostbusters combat an icy new supernatural threat…

Brightwood (2023, dir. Dane Elcar)

A couple find themselves trapped in a time warp during a morning jog…

Robot Dreams (2024, dir. Pablo Berger)

A lonely dog builds himself a robot companion…