Moonlight

An exploration of contemporary cinema

Barry Jenkins was born and raised in Liberty City, Miami FL to a mother who didn’t want him and a father who passed away at an early age. Liberty City was, and still is, a tragically neglected part of Miami.

Barry’s most important film is called Moonlight, which takes place in his hometown and focuses on two black men on the brink of adulthood, falling in love.

Moonlight is a 2016 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney’s unpublished semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. It stars Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris, and Mahershala Ali.

The film presents three stages in the life of the main character; his youth, adolescence, and early adult life. It explores the difficulties he faces with his sexuality and identity, including the physical and emotional abuse he endures growing up.