Moonlight

2016
R
1h 51m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

337K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer2:00

A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.

Director
- Barry Jenkins
Writers
- Barry Jenkins
- Tarell Alvin McCraney
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

337K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,592

287

Director
- Barry Jenkins
Writers
- Barry Jenkins
- Tarell Alvin McCraney
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 3 Oscars
- 235 wins & 310 nominations total

Little
(as Alex Hibbert)

Shariff Earp

Terrence

Duan Sanderson

Azu
(as Duan 'Sandy' Sanderson)

Janelle Monáe

Teresa

Jaden Piner

Kevin age 9

Herman Caheej McGloun

Longshoreman
(as Herman 'Caheej' McGloun)

Kamal Ani-Bellow

Portable Boy 1

Keomi Givens

Portable Boy 2

Eddie Blanchard

Portable Boy 3

Rudi Goblen

Gee
(as Rudi Goblin)

Ashton Sanders

Chiron

Edson Jean

Mr. Pierce

Patrick Decile

Terrel

Herveline Moncion

Samantha

Jharrel Jerome

Kevin age 16

Director
- Barry Jenkins
Writers
- Barry Jenkins
- Tarell Alvin McCraney
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Best Picture Winners by Year

See the complete list of Best Picture winners. For fun, use the "sort order" function to rank by IMDb rating and other criteria.

See the complete list

List

More like this

7.3

The Shape of Water

7.7

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

7.8

7.4

7.3

7.9

7.7

7.7

8.0

7.9

7.8

7.1

If Beale Street Could Talk

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
Naomie Harris had to shoot her entire role in three days, in between her promotional tour of Spectre (2015), due to a visa problem (Harris is British). The scenes spanned 15 years in the character's life and were filmed out of sequence.

Goofs
When Chiron and his mother are in their house and she asks him for money, his backpack is placed at his front, strapped over both shoulders. However, in several shots where he is seen from the back, there is no strap over his left shoulder. At one point he switches the backpack from his front to his back, but right after that, when his mother starts struggling with him, the backpack is at his front again.

Quotes
Juan: [to Little] Let me tell you something, man. There are black people everywhere. You remember that, okay? No place you can go in the world ain't got no black people, we was the first on this planet.
[Slight pause]
Juan: I've been here a long time. I'm from Cuba. Lotta black folks in Cuba. You wouldn't know that from being here, though. I was a wild little shorty, man. Just like you. Running around with no shoes on, when the moon was out. This one time, I ran by this old... this old lady. I was runnin' and hollerin', and cuttin' a fool, boy. This old lady, she stopped me. She said...
[He pauses]
Juan: [Imitating an old lady's voice] "Runnin' around, catching up all that light. In moonlight, black boys look blue. You blue, that's what I'm gon' call you. 'Blue'."
Little: So your name 'Blue'?
Juan: [Chuckles] Nah.
[Another pause]
Juan: [to Little] At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be. Can't let nobody make that decision for you.

Crazy credits
There are no opening credits.

Alternate versions
Despite the 'A' (adults only) rating, the Indian theatrical release was cut by 53 seconds by the Censor Board to mute all instances of "bitch/bitches, motherfucker, and dick", the sex scene between Kevin and Chiron, and the homosexual kiss between 2 boys. After cuts, 2 minutes was added to promote anti-smoking disclaimers.

Connections
Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Warren Beatty/Naomie Harris/Robbie Robertson/Aminé (2016)

Soundtracks
Every Nigger Is a Star
Written by Boris Gardiner and Barrington Gardiner
Performed by Boris Gardiner
Remix by Dennis "DEZO" Williams
Courtesy of Now-Again Records, LLC obo Jazzman Records LTD.

User reviews1K

Review

Featured review

10/10

Simple, Painful, Outstandingly Beautiful

Moonlight is one of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching films that I have ever seen. Many users are expressing disdain or presumed it to be dull. Yet, to see it as such misses the whole point of the film. Moonlight wasn't intended to overtly wow us or give us knowledge about something we didn't already know. Rather the film allowed us to enter and follow a life that I'm sure many have never considered living. Yes, we know some about poverty, queerness, masculinity, and Blackness individually, but to see the conflict of it all so succinctly woven together allowed the complexity of some folks lives to be seen in an unadulterated way. Moonlight wasn't supposed to give us some grandiose finale or even answers, but simply present a narrative that we often don't see. And that's what makes it so simple, painful, yet outstandingly beautiful.

It's also important to remember that just because you don't understand something, that doesn't mean it is unimportant or invalid. Just because you can't relate to the entire story doesn't mean pieces of it can't teach you something about life. Just because the narrative is one that isn't widely told, doesn't mean it should be disregarded. If you don't understand this film or find it a waste, look deep inside yourself and ask why.

10/10 would recommend.