Film review Moonlight

Moonlight

Directed by Barry Jenkins
Screenplay by Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney
Starring Mahershala Ali; Naomie Harris; and Trevante Rhodes



The film follows the life of a young adolescence; mid-teen; and young adult. We follow him living with his single crack using mom. As a young teen we see him dealing with his confusion of his sexuality and the pull of the streets in a tough section of Miami. As he becomes a young adult we him struggle with where he fits in the world.

As you know people love this film. When I started this blog I said it would be anti-movie critic. Where many Critics are sheep and feel if 5 critics love it I must love it.  Me, I really like it, not love it.
I like taking a chance on making a film  about a subject matter that is rarely touched on in Hollywood and is shown so raw on the screen.
 I also loooove the look. This film is beautiful.
The feeling of helplessness, of no hope, of this young man seeps off the screen.
Then throw in the sexuality issue. Again a much harder life for a black man living in a poverty stricken area of a big city where people are and the pressure of the streets are tough.

As you can tell from the above the film is not an easy watch. Is it as great as what people say? To me no, but it is very good and it is worth a look when it comes to home viewing.

Problems:
-People who read this movie blog know I like a clear ending. That is my preference.  Here we follow this young man for years. We grow with him, and the ending is not clear. Is he okay? His future? UGH!!
-Rhodes is really good playing Chiron at the end. However, the film really falls off when time moves on and the real star, Ali, floats away. There is a reason he is front runner for best supporting actor. He is that good. But when he drifts off the film falls a lot. His relationship with Chiron (little) cant be matched.

I give Moonlight 3 1/2 stars out of 5. Maybe my expectations were too high. I guess time will tell, after a second viewing.

From the shadows as always thanks for your time.