Oscar Nominee # 6 : Moonlight
I don’t remember any Hollywood movie that I watched where there were no white characters. ‘Moonlight’ is probably the first movie that I am watching where all the characters are Blacks. To do a movie where the story is set in an all Black neighborhood, this level of authenticity is required and for that, a big salute to the director.
‘Moonlight’ is a movie fraught with emotions. It’s so well made with a brilliant screenplay that you could definitely feel the emotions of the lead character. At the outset, ‘Moonlight’ may sound like a simple film about a soft Black lad struggling in a shady neighborhood and struggling within himself to come to terms with his sexuality. But the screenplay brings out these emotions beautifully.
All the actors have played their part well. While Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali have deservedly earned nominations for their roles, the child actor Alex Hibbert has also put up a master performance.
Seldom do we come across movies that deal with Black characters in such detail. Though a few stereotypes exist in this film too, you got to give credit for the way this film has dealt with their emotions.
‘Moonlight’ has a certain degree of poetic appeal to it and you’ll like it if you like to soak in the verses.
My rating: 8.25/10.