– By Cate Marquis –
Haunting, heartbreaking MOONLIGHT is the tale of an African American boy growing to manhood in a Florida housing project. That brief description will likely conjure all the wrong images and expectations for this delicate and brilliant film, which taps into universal elements of growing up while telling a specific story of an individual. This beautiful piece of visual cinema seeps into one’s mind like moonlight, and you find yourself seeing the world through this child’s eyes under director Barry Jenkins’ gentle, skillful guidance. Avoiding the stereotypical imagery of the projects, the film gives us instead the lush green growth of Florida and quiet beaches as a setting for this story. The film’s mix of meditative, revealing personal tale, universal questions of growing up and finding one’s identity, and a subtle social commentary on the 1980s War on Drugs era in a story of a black child are a rare combination indeed.
A huge hit at the Toronto International Film Festival, MOONLIGHT follows the boy, Chiron, from age nine to adulthood. The film evokes BOYHOOD, although this one was not filmed with one actor in the lead role over a long period of time.
READ THE FULL REVIEW AT WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS:
http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2016/11/moonlight-review/
