Moonlight reviewed by Mark Kermode 

Why exactly? I saw nothing special about this film at all. Act 2 was the only interesting bit that I could see.

dooovde I never in a million years could have guessed where the character was going. In a typical movie, Chiron would have been the same as an adult as he was in his teenage years and childhood. Then suddenly you see 'black' and it's this completely different persona. He looks different and talks different to the point I thought it wasn't the same character. But as you keep watching, it is just Chiron, everything about his choices and personality in the third act make perfect sense to the story that was told before and it's consistent to the character. The bit at the end where you see that he still has vulnerable 'little' inside him was so incredible for me. I think the movie is about trying to understand this character and relating to him, and to me he always felt so interesting and real.

dooovde It is really a great character study. Some people are frustrated by how passive Chiron is, but it is his way of protecting himself from the world. The mood and how Chiron views the world is expressed in the lighting, editing, and music choices.

I didn't care for the third act as much as the first two.

chaosmos24 really? what made you like the other two more? i also really liked them but the ending was my favorite part.

Tommy Wiseau that sux. you gotta watch it where ever you find a cinema playing it.

They had an unlimited screening at Cineworld like last month!

So annoying. You're tearing me apart Lisa!

Oh hiii Jason

***** ?

Dr Matt Phillips have you seen "Paterson"?

Dr Matt Phillips in 10 years nobody will be talking about Moonlight it's nothing that special

Noremac98 Sure they Will, and probably Will say it was Very important to a new style of filmaking

Ricardo Correia Before this becomes a silly debate I actually like Moonlight, but I disagree that it will spawn a new style of filmmaking, and if it does I won't care for it particularly

... It is hard to say because it is too soon But it think is gonna be that influential

IMO, a good movie should do exactly that, connect and help people empathize for the characters when they're completely disconnected with you irl. Like if I'm the exact kind of people the film is portraying, then it wouldn't take much for me to get invested in the first place.

Had me crying. Wish my mom had that kind of clarity about her drug addiction.

why hold them back? :)

All are great but Manchester is my favourite. The most moved I have been by a film for a long time - Casey Affleck will be the most deserving best actor winner for a long time assuming he wins.

Pm?

I see you out here in the comments Talia. The Price is definitely right

Me too. It is an interesting idea for a film but it wasn't told in an interesting or insightful way. The actor who played the adult version of the main character was brilliant and in places the music was wonderful and you could see very brief glimpses of this being a masterpiece (as this is being called) but overall it was not very interesting.

neil adlington Well the best has that that it doesn't need to come with a guide. Like, you don't need a guide to feel something deep when listening to Chopin, The Beatles or Nirvana, watching (some) Shakespeare play or a Spielberg movie or reading a Virginia Woolf novel. It might require a little effort or attention, but the minute you cannot enjoy a work of art if you don't have the right reference, it becomes a lesser work of art...

Andy G how can you say Little does very little

that blows, hope u get a chance to see it.

Adrian Mendoza Yeah, if all goes to plan the Arts Cinema near me will be showing it on May 10th-ish so hopefully I can see it then.

Amaury De Jesus People living in the U.K. (Like myself) only get to see these films at later dates.

I am very ungrateful. They have been showing it in the states since October(?). I only just saw it 2 week ago, after they started showing it AGAIN in theaters smh. Anazing movie.

Amaury De Jesus I managed to see this early at a special event my cinema (or theatre) had but it still was not early I saw this about a month ago and I wanted to see it again straight away but then to only find out it now has a limited release!

I know what you mean, right after I saw it I needed more. I wish I could've seen it twice. If you get the chance watch Nocturnal Animals too, that was another movie I took for granted.

ian lee I really don't think you should cut it, it'd rather have to be longer, especially in the first and the second acts...

I need more Moonlight, not less!

same for me, I was expecting it to be more visceral with better pathos and more cathartic ending, think I'll have to see it in a few years again to fully SEE IT for what it is, because right now it's not even close to being the film of the year for me

joris de boris same here. I wish I'd not heard how good it was. tried to ignore the praise but it's hard to when it's won 'best pic' ,oscar

You mean like 4:28?

+Chris Devine haha good catch

I totally agree. The middle part was the most thrilling. I kind of felt let down at the end, like I was missing something.

Moonlight sucked donkey dicks......really lousy movie.

UlrichUlrich Art is subjective; to some people it is the "second coming". Saying anything is overrated in and of itself is kind of pretentious.

I agree actually. What I should've said was: "I find it overpraised". Having said that, I still think that some of the gushing comments on here are bordering on hyperbole.

waynea hoodmister I've seen it. It's a very melodramatic take on Romeo and Juliet type of story set in an island by the coast of Australia. The cinematography is good though it looks like the the kind of picture you get when you use your digital zoom on a digital camera, very pixelated. The acting is great, considering those are not professional actors. Overall, a good movie if only a bit cheesy and too intent on delivering a message...

+spaceboy2095 Cheers 👍

waynea hoodmister My pleasure! You can quite easily download it (for free or not) on the internet... ;-)

La La Land is a musical masterpiece.

okay

Linda Lam With bad songs, bad singing and bad dancing. Best thing about it is the outstanding set design and eye-popping cinematography that jumps off the screen.

Linda Lam Really? I dare anyone to sing the melody or words to ANY of the songs 10 minutes after seeing it.

@@jaysonbiggs8979 I downloaded the whole soundtrack seconds after leaving the theatre. Stop.

Personally, I think the lack of dialogue is what made the film beautiful and allowed me to connect. You were able to pick up on the subtleties in the acting which I believe was done masterfully by all three of Chiron's actors. You're entitled to your opinion, and I'm sorry that you couldn't see the movie in an environment in which people weren't hyping it up so much (that tends to ruin the experience for anyone), but honestly it was definitely my #1 pick for movies in 2016.

Moonlight was marred by the third and final act. Not only w/ the miscast of the very hardened and butch "Black," I didn't believe his celibacy for a minute. His muted sexuality is more poetic than authentic. And just when I thought the film was going somewhere, it ended. The ending was abrupt, unsatisfying, and very anticlimactic. Like its protagonist, it really has nothing much to say, which makes it not profound for a supposed important film about societal blights--and what it means to be black, poor, and gay. Moonlight, I'm afraid, was more ideologically awarded/applauded by people--vs. La La Land--for its 'important' subject matter b/c of its 'challenging' theme than say, just a fluffy musical's ode to Old Hollywood. Unlike La La Land, which is a musical masterpiece hitting all the right notes, Moonlight is quite flawed and less compelling than it tried to be. With that said, however, Moonlight was still a very good Indie film, but not great.

Can you list those 10-15 movies better than Moonlight released in 2016 please? I'd love to see them

Will Malin I absolutely agree! This movie is average at best.

Crappy movie that was gifted the award, and Hollywood truly cheapened the value of the award.

What cliche exactly? Are we drowning in movies about gay black men? No character development when it follows a character through 3 phases of childhood, adolescense and manhood?

not really bruh

Robin Drake Yes, Really!

Moonlight is way better

Absolut Veidt No, it is not!

The problem here is that Moonligth is more melodramatic than MBTS. Of course, Manchester is a very sad story but it also have a lot of humor, than moonligth doesnt have. Its hard to say which one is better, i feel like Manchester was more refreshing but the problem that i have with this movie is that it could have being even more to remember if they had exploited the feelings of sadness that transmitted the film. I cant choose one, sorry (:

Most films are self-indulgent. Doesn't make them bad.

Stop talking to me like I don't know films, you're embarrassing yourself. And "Moonlight" is bad, 'cause it's self-indulgent propaganda. The thing that's most annoyingly stupid is that it's heavily implied that the main character thinks of himself as gay because when he's chased at the beginning, the bullies refer to him as a faggot, and the kid assumes, without knowing what the word means, that because he's referred to as a faggot by these people who decide to go against him, that he probably is one, and it's so infuriating to think how dumb can someone be to believe something like that. It's like an abusive parent insulting his child over and over, and the child starts to believe what he's being told by his parent, whom the child sees as being superior. I watched this film being aware of how much it was praised, my expectations were high, and I was infuriated, bored, rolling my eyes at times, and simply growing disheartened by the fact that a film like this is considered great, even though is a self-indulgent propaganda piece for gays. And if it were a story about a guy trying to find his long lost love, it wouldn't have gotten a tenth of the attention it received, simply because of the subject matter.

Care to explain what's self indulgent about it? It deserves to win!

La La Land is going to win best picture, although I think it should go to Manchester by the Sea personally.

La La Land is definitely the odds on favorite. I'm not sure what makes you so sure this wins (although I wouldn't mind).