--- title: "Moonlight: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/moonlight/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/moonlight" critics_score: 90 critics_reviews: 17 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): what the critics said Critics' score 90 from 17 reviews: 17 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. 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. ## Little White Lies — Charles Bramesco Rating 3/5/5. 1 February 2017. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/moonlight) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating 5/5. 19 February 2017. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/19/moonlight-review-five-star) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 5/5. 8 February 2017. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/moonlight-1) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2016. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-moonlight-review-20161017-snap-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 October 2016. 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 the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-unbearable-intimacy-of-moonlight) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2016. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/moonlight-review-1201850255/) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★★. 16 February 2017. 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 the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/moonlight-review-47603) ## Slant Magazine — Sam C. Mac Rating ★★★. 23 September 2016. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/moonlight/) ## Empire — Dan Jolin 13 February 2017. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/moonlight-review/) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton 22 November 2017. 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 the review](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 16 February 2017. 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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-moonlight-prism-repression-desire-awash-poetry) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 2 September 2016. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/moonlight-telluride-review-923754/) ## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab 15 February 2017. 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 the review](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 Rating Critic’s Pick. 20 October 2016. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/movies/moonlight-review.html) ## Total Film 13 February 2017. 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 the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/moonlight-2017-review/) ## Vulture 19 October 2016. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/moonlight-movie-review-barry-jenkins.html) ## HeyUGuys — Scott Davis Rating 5/5. 5 October 2016. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/moonlight-review/) ## NME — Olly Richards Rating 5/5. 15 February 2017. 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 the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/moonlight-film-review-1976595) ## The Playlist — Gregory Ellwood Rating A. 18 October 2016. Festival review. 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 the review](https://theplaylist.net/barry-jenkins-magnificent-moonlight-will-transform-lives-review-20161018/) ## Collider — Brian Formo Rating A-. 18 November 2016. 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 the review](https://collider.com/moonlight-review/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Rating 4.5/5. 7 January 2017. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/moonlight-2016-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## The Ringer — K. Austin Collins Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 October 2016. 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 the review](https://www.theringer.com/2016/10/18/movies/moonlight-barry-jenkins-tarell-mccraney-a51d0f21f425) ## The Wrap — Sam Fragoso Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2016. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/moonlight-review-2016/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2016. 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 the review](https://deadline.com/2016/10/moonlight-review-barry-jenkins-mahershala-ali-naomie-harris-video-1201842671/) ## Den of Geek — Simon Brew Rating 4/5. 10 February 2017. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/moonlight-review-2/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/moonlight.md