Moonlight

— This is a film to see for its unexpectedness and its intimate tone as well as some fine acting and directing. It is a coming-of-age (and beyond) film, sampling the main character's life at three stages, first at about age 9, then as a teen, and finally as a 30-ish adult. Along the way, it touches on lots of issues since the main character, Chiron, is black and gay, growing up in Miami without a father but with a mother who’s high much of the time. The actors all leave much unsaid but they have the talent to extend the story line even in the wordless moments and the director has the sense to let a scene play out even if it’s a little uncomfortable. Little is as it seems or as we think it should be—A father figure whose tenderness helps save Chiron is a drug dealer and, as it turns out, is his mother’s supplier. His one high school friend ultimately betrays him. Somehow the film doesn’t let any one attribute dominate, so it isn’t a film about being Black in America or about being gay, about growing up poor or about living in a drug culture. It’s lyrical and personal and it’s about the human experience and moving forward. And it really is very good.

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[2015. 111 min. Directed by Barry Jenkins. Starring Alex Hibbert, Jaden Piner, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monae, Naomie Harris, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Revante Rhodes, and Andre Holland.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/moonlight-2016