---
title: "Moonlight"
year: 2016
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/moonlight"
fi1m_id: "moonlight"
imdb_id: "tt4975722"
tmdb_id: 376867
wikidata_id: "Q21527875"
fi1m_score: 89
critics_score: 90
critics_reviews: 17
published: "2026-09-16"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:56.868955+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Moonlight (2016)

Directed by Barry Jenkins · 1h 52m · MPA R · Drama

## Identity

Moonlight

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/moonlight
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** moonlight
- **IMDb ID:** tt4975722
- **TMDB ID:** 376867
- **Wikidata ID:** Q21527875
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4975722/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/376867, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21527875

**Fi1m score: 89** · Critics 90 from 17 reviews

*In a sentence:* Three actors play one man, and not one of them needs a speech

> Barry Jenkins’s *Moonlight* is a deeply moving drama about a boy learning how little of himself he can safely show. Its three-part structure sometimes hurries us past important years, but the performances make the gaps worth accepting.

## Synopsis

In Miami, a boy known as Little (Alex R. Hibbert) grows up with his mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), whose drug addiction makes home uncertain. The adults around him include Juan (Mahershala Ali) and Teresa (Janelle Monáe). Little wants to find out who he can be, but the expectations placed on boys make it difficult to admit what he feels. As he begins to understand his sexuality, he must work out whom to trust. His mother’s difficulties and the pressure to appear tough complicate his search for affection and somewhere to feel safe.

## Review

*Moonlight* is a moving, closely observed drama, and we recommend it despite a few awkward gaps in the telling. Barry Jenkins follows Chiron through three stages of life, concentrating on how difficult it is for a Black gay boy to discover what he wants when other people have already decided what he should be. Jenkins’s screenplay, from a story by Tarell Alvin McCraney, leaves much of that struggle unspoken. The actors have to make us understand it.

Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes make the casting across those stages feel remarkably natural. Their performances share a watchfulness that persuades us we are spending time with the same person, even when much else has changed. None treats silence as permission to stop acting; there is apprehension in the way each lets another person look at him. We were moved by that persistent caution. Their guarded expressions made us want someone to be patient with Chiron, without demanding an explanation.

Mahershala Ali gives Juan a gentleness that does not make him simple or automatically trustworthy. Ali is so easy to listen to that Juan’s reassurance reaches us before we have decided what to make of him. Naomie Harris’s Paula is harder company, and Harris makes her volatility painful without reducing her to an obstacle in her son’s story. Janelle Monáe gives Teresa a welcome steadiness. The supporting cast gives Chiron people worth studying even when he cannot comfortably speak to them.

James Laxton’s fluid camerawork and rich colour make looking at a face an event worth staying with. The camera’s closeness lets a small change of expression carry weight, and the beauty never made us forget how uneasy the person being watched might feel. Nicholas Britell’s music gives these private anxieties considerable scale. The classical scoring takes the feelings seriously, which seems appropriate to a boy for whom an ordinary encounter can be difficult.

Hannah Beachler’s production design helps establish a Miami where money is short, without turning the setting into a catalogue of deprivation. The sense of a place being lived in holds the film steady through its more dreamlike passages. Editors Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon are especially good at preserving the uncertain rhythm of an exchange. They let a conversation stay awkward long enough for us to feel why speaking costs Chiron so much.

The larger leaps are less satisfying. Moving between three life stages leaves us wanting some of the ordinary days that might explain a change, and occasionally Jenkins asks a look to account for too much. A coming-of-age film need not provide a complete case history, but there are stretches here where we feel the compression. Now and then, the music and images also insist on the importance of something the actors have already made clear, and we wish Jenkins would leave them alone.

Those reservations matter, but they never made us indifferent to Chiron. Jenkins gives his characters time to be difficult, uncertain and occasionally hard to like, without making their pain a lesson for the audience. That is a substantial achievement in a genre often eager to explain exactly what growing up has taught its hero. Set aside an evening when you can give it your full attention, and do not expect every silence to be explained.

*Fi1m score 89, published 16 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews are overwhelmingly enthusiastic about Barry Jenkins’s intimate account of Chiron’s life, praising its emotional honesty and sensitive treatment of Black masculinity, sexuality and vulnerability. Praise centres on the three actors playing Chiron, whose performances make the shifts between life stages convincing, with Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris also drawing attention. Critics repeatedly highlight the fluid camerawork, rich colour and music, finding that these choices bring them close to feelings the characters struggle to express.

Disagreement is limited and chiefly concerns the three-part storytelling. Slant Magazine finds the narrative broad and sometimes over-directed, arguing that the performances and intimate later passages compensate for the montage-like treatment of three eras; Collider also notes structural limitations after the first act. These are reservations within positive assessments, rather than a split over the film’s merits: most critics regard its quietness, specificity and tenderness as the reasons it moves them.

## Straight answers

**Is Moonlight worth watching?**

*Moonlight* is worth watching for anyone who can sit patiently with a drama that keeps most of its feeling unspoken, and we scored it 89. Three actors play Chiron across three stages of life, and their shared watchfulness carries the film through gaps where Jenkins hurries past years we would have liked to see. Give it an evening of full attention.

**How long is Moonlight, and what is it rated?**

*Moonlight* runs 1h 52m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch Moonlight in the US?**

*Moonlight* is streaming on The Roku Channel and Disney+ in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $2.99. It leaves The Roku Channel on 1 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Moonlight, and is it suitable for children?**

*Moonlight* carries a UK 15 certificate, and it is a drama about a boy growing up with an addicted mother and the pressure to appear tough, not a film built on violence or scares. Its difficulty is emotional rather than graphic: painful family scenes, a hard home life and a boy learning to hide what he feels. It suits older teenagers and adults, not children.

**How does Moonlight compare to Happy Together?**

*Moonlight* and [*Happy Together*](https://film.one/film/happy-together) both concern men who struggle to say what they feel, but they are different kinds of film. Jenkins follows one boy across three stages of life and lets his actors carry the story in silence; Wong Kar-Wai stays with one couple who keep breaking up and trying again, in a fractured style that begins to repeat itself. *Moonlight* is the steadier, more disciplined film; *Happy Together* is the more openly romantic.

**What should I watch after Moonlight?**

After *Moonlight*, try [*Happy Together*](https://film.one/film/happy-together) (1997, Fi1m 86): For the tenderness and damage men struggle to put into words. Then [*Beau Travail*](https://film.one/film/beau-travail) (1999, Fi1m 86): Male bodies and unspoken desire, watched with an exacting eye for movement; and [*The Quiet Girl*](https://film.one/film/the-quiet-girl) (2022, Fi1m 84): A watchful child makes the smallest acts of care feel almost unbearable.

### Reviews we read (25)

- **Little White Lies**, Charles Bramesco (3/5/5): Barry Jenkins delivers a disarming and tender triptych fluent in wordless emotion, examining Black life, masculinity and queer sexuality in Miami with aching romance and keen perspectives. The film pries open the viewer’s eyes while curbstomping the heart through its intimate, historically underserved cultural milieu. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/moonlight)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (5/5): The critic calls Moonlight a heartbreaking, uplifting minor-key masterpiece and a breathtaking, sensuous work that turns conflict and hardship into a symphony of love. They single out its fluid, visually rich portrait of a soul in flux and the way it captures intimate, tactile details of identity and desire. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/19/moonlight-review-five-star)
- **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (5/5): Barry Jenkins’s exquisite coming-of-age drama is a powerful, moving and poetic portrait of African-American life in a barely-getting-by Miami rarely seen on screen. Filled with miracles and an uncommonly poetic voice, it is without a doubt the reason we go to the movies. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/moonlight-1)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as magic, intimate, transcendent, and visual-emotional poetry from painful experience. He singles out its exceptional emotional honesty that universalizes a specific coming-of-age story of a gay black man in 1980s Miami. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-moonlight-review-20161017-snap-story.html)
- **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as one of the most emotionally ample and comprehensively created movies, realizing the director's ambitions in an uninhibitedly emotional experience. He singles out its sense of architecture balancing story elements and responses to the characters' pain and drive. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-unbearable-intimacy-of-moonlight)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it a beautifully intimate character study and socially conscious work of art that challenges stereotypes of black identity. He singles out its nuanced, dream-like evocation of time and place through Steadicam lensing and classical music. [Read](https://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/moonlight-review-1201850255/)
- **The i Paper**, Matthew Turner (★★★★): This is a powerful coming-of-age drama that challenges and confronts black stereotypes with an intimate character study of a young black man across three life stages. The extraordinary performances from the three actors playing Chiron, Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris, plus the consistently surprising script and stunning cinematography, are praised. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/moonlight-review-47603)
- **Slant Magazine**, Sam C. Mac (★★★): The critic notes that strong performances, especially by the actors playing Chiron, help compensate for the film's broad narrative and occasional over-direction. It excels in its intimate final sections but struggles with montage-like storytelling across three eras. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/moonlight/)
- **Empire**, Dan Jolin: A genre-defying film whose visual splendour belies its tough subject matter while the performances pull the viewer deep below the surface with soulful naturalism. The convincing three-actor portrayal of Chiron and the preternatural glow suffusing every scene are singled out. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/moonlight-review/)
- **Evening Standard**, David Sexton: The film is described as pure, exquisite cinema and a form of poetry at once utterly specific and universal, deserving to sweep the Oscars. The radical casting of three different actors for Chiron across life stages and the sensually shot, lush cinematography are highlighted. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/moonlight-film-review-a-form-of-poetry-at-once-utterly-specific-and-universal-a3680041.html)
- **Sight and Sound**, Adam Nayman: Jenkins’s intimate three-part portrait of a young Black man’s life in Miami stands out for its rare beauty, tenderness and nuanced performances across the cast. The film’s agile formalism and commitment to emotional proximity elevate its personal story into something of lasting significance. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-moonlight-prism-repression-desire-awash-poetry)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The critic praises the film as a haunting, poignant character study tracing a Black gay man's life with uncommon emotional perceptiveness and specificity. Strong performances, particularly the three actors portraying Chiron, elevate its exploration of identity and masculinity. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/moonlight-telluride-review-923754/)
- **The Independent**, Geoffrey Macnab: The critic calls it a sensitively rendered, evocative and surprising coming-of-age film that gives complexity and humanity to stock characters such as the drug dealer and junkie mother. The director's lithe and lyrical approach and offbeat quality that wrong-foots the viewer are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/moonlight-review-barry-jenkins-oscars-2017-chiron-mahershala-ali-a7581116.html)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (Critic’s Pick): The critic calls the film breathtaking and a poem in light, music, and faces, both personal and a social document. He singles out the beauty of its colors, music, and vivid human performances across Chiron's three life stages. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/movies/moonlight-review.html)
- **Total Film**: Sensitive, subtle and heartfelt, Jenkins’ genre-buster is a significant work that will knock you out. The superbly crafted piece that takes a sledgehammer to stereotypes, along with the terrific sound design and dreamy cinematography, are highlighted. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/moonlight-2017-review/)
- **Vulture**: The review calls Moonlight a wonderful, delicate, and suggestive film that immerses viewers in the protagonist's inner world across three acts. It highlights the moody rhythms, strong performances, and deeper themes of identity beyond simple labels. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/moonlight-movie-review-barry-jenkins.html)
- **HeyUGuys**, Scott Davis (5/5): An astonishing, spellbinding film from Barry Jenkins that is one of the best of recent years, elevated by astounding performances across the three actors portraying Chiron and its quiet intimacy. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/moonlight-review/)
- **NME**, Olly Richards (5/5): The critic calls it a majestic film of gentle moments and pregnant silences that conveys universal pain through a very specific story. They single out the majestic performances by the three actors playing Chiron across his life stages for praise. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/moonlight-film-review-1976595)
- **The Playlist**, Gregory Ellwood (A): A magnificent, historic achievement and piece of art that will transform lives, shattering stereotypes with its triptych structure, stunning Malick-esque imagery, and stellar ensemble performances especially from the actors playing Chiron and Kevin. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/barry-jenkins-magnificent-moonlight-will-transform-lives-review-20161018/)
- **Collider**, Brian Formo (A-): The critic calls Moonlight a small but special and delicate film that is entirely necessary, with strong performances across the cast that convey complex emotions through subtle gestures and expressions in a hardened world. They single out the intimate observations and handsome construction with magnificent musical cues, while noting some structural limitations after the first act. [Read](https://collider.com/moonlight-review/)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (4.5/5): Jenkins bathes viewers in the protagonist's experience through a fluid triptych exploring identity, masculinity, and socio-economics, with the camera plunging into moments of fear, friendship, and revelation while strong performances across the cast bring nuance. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/moonlight-2016-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **The Ringer**, K. Austin Collins (90/100, inferred): The critic hails Moonlight as the year’s most sensual film and a powerful exploration of Black male intimacy and vulnerability that feels radical and essential. They single out the film’s focus on spiritual and emotional closeness between characters typically denied such portrayals in media. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2016/10/18/movies/moonlight-barry-jenkins-tarell-mccraney-a51d0f21f425)
- **The Wrap**, Sam Fragoso (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Jenkins for skillfully examining the pain of being raised by a drug addict in a homophobic community through an impressionistic, humanist portrayal of Chiron’s life. They single out the nuanced performances, especially Naomie Harris as the mother, and the film's avoidance of clichés or easy moral lessons. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/moonlight-review-2016/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it a moving and pertinent coming-of-age story of self-discovery that is universal in its humanity. They highlight the strong ensemble performances and honest handling of themes like sexuality and masculinity, singling out the genius casting of the three actors playing Chiron. [Read](https://deadline.com/2016/10/moonlight-review-barry-jenkins-mahershala-ali-naomie-harris-video-1201842671/)
- **Den of Geek**, Simon Brew (4/5): The critic finds Moonlight a superb character piece from a major talent whose quiet ambition lingers long after viewing. They single out the conflicted, three-dimensional performances, especially Naomie Harris as the damaged mother Paula, for praise. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/moonlight-review-2/)

## Details

- **Director:** Barry Jenkins
- **Director:** Barry Jenkins
- **Screenplay:** Barry Jenkins
- **Story:** Tarell Alvin McCraney
- **Cinematography:** James Laxton
- **Editor:** Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders
- **Music:** Nicholas Britell
- **Production design:** Hannah Beachler
- **Costume design:** Caroline Eselin
- **Producer:** Adele Romanski, Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gardner
- **Cast:** Trevante Rhodes as Black; André Holland as Kevin; Janelle Monáe as Teresa; Ashton Sanders as Chiron; Jharrel Jerome as Kevin Age 16; Alex R. Hibbert as Little; Jaden Piner as Kevin Age 9; Naomie Harris as Paula
- **Runtime:** 1h 52m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 18 November 2016
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Winner, 2016); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 2016); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Winner, 2016)
- **Budget:** $4 million
- **Box office:** $65 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NJj12tJzqc

## Where to watch in the US

- The Roku Channel: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01
- Disney+: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $2.99, sd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, sd
- Apple TV: buy $12.99, sd

*Checked 2026-09-16.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, IT, KR, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actor 2017: AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actor (nominated)
- AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actress 2017: AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actress (nominated)
- Academy Awards 2017: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Original Score (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated); Best Picture (won); Best Supporting Actor (won); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (won)
- Golden Globes 2017: Best Director (nominated); Best Original Score (nominated); Best Screenplay (nominated); Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (nominated); Best Motion Picture – Drama (won)
- Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor 2016: Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (won)
- Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film 2016: Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film (won)
- Dorian Award for Film of the Year 2016: Dorian Award for Film of the Year (won)
- Dorian Award for LGBTQ Film of the Year 2016: Dorian Award for LGBTQ Film of the Year (won)

## If you liked this

- *Pariah* (2011): Another young person measures the danger of being honest about whom she loves.
- *Happy Together* (1997), Fi1m 86: For the tenderness and damage men struggle to put into words. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/happy-together.md)
- *Beau Travail* (1999), Fi1m 86: Male bodies and unspoken desire, watched with an exacting eye for movement. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/beau-travail.md)
- *A Taste of Honey* (1961): A young woman’s search for kindness amid poverty and unreliable adult care.
- *The Quiet Girl* (2022), Fi1m 84: A watchful child makes the smallest acts of care feel almost unbearable. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-quiet-girl.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/moonlight