Moonlight (2016 film)

In Liberty City, Miami at the height of the crack epidemic, Afro-Cuban drug dealer Juan finds Chiron, a withdrawn child who goes by the nickname "Little", hiding from bullies in a crackhouse. Juan lets Chiron spend the night with him and his girlfriend Teresa before returning Chiron to his mother Paula. Chiron continues to spend time with Juan, who begins to teach him the basics of life, from which he believes Chiron can benefit.

One night, Juan encounters Paula smoking crack with one of his customers. Juan berates her for neglecting her son, but she rebukes him for selling crack to her in the first place. They argue over Chiron's upbringing; Paula asks if Juan is prepared to explain to Chiron why he gets tormented by his peers, alluding signs that he is gay. She goes home and takes out her frustration on Chiron.

The next day, Chiron admits to Juan and Teresa that he hates his mother and asks what a "faggot" is. Juan tells him it is "a word used to make gay people feel bad." He tells Chiron there is nothing wrong with being gay and that he should not allow others to mock him. Chiron then asks Juan whether he sells drugs and whether his mother does drugs. After Juan remorsefully answers yes to both questions, Chiron leaves as Juan hangs his head in shame.

Now a teenager, Chiron balances avoiding school bully Terrel and spending time with Teresa, who lives alone after Juan's death. Paula, who has turned to prostitution due to her worsening addiction, forces Chiron to give her the money he receives from Teresa. Chiron's childhood friend Kevin tells him about a detention he received for having sex with a girl in a school stairwell. Chiron later dreams about Kevin and the girl having sex in Teresa's backyard, waking with a start. One night, Kevin visits Chiron at the beach near his house. While smoking a blunt together, the two discuss their ambitions and Kevin's nickname for Chiron: "Black." They kiss, and Kevin gives Chiron a handjob.

The next day, Terrel manipulates Kevin into participating in a hazing ritual. Kevin reluctantly punches Chiron until he cannot stand, watching as Terrel and other boys savagely attack him. When the principal urges him to reveal his attackers' identities, Chiron refuses, saying that reporting them will not solve anything. The next day, an enraged Chiron walks into class and smashes a chair over Terrel's head before being restrained. Chiron is arrested and taken from school in a police cruiser while Kevin watches.

A decade later, now going by "Black", an adult Chiron deals drugs in Atlanta and is an imposing figure in his community. He receives frequent calls from Paula, who asks him to visit her at the drug treatment center where she lives. One morning, Kevin unexpectedly calls and invites Chiron to see him should he ever come to Miami. Chiron visits Paula; though he is withdrawn, she apologizes for not loving him when he needed it most and says she loves him even if he does not love her back. The two tearfully reconcile.

Chiron drives to Miami to visit Kevin at the diner where he works as a cook. Kevin makes a meal for Chiron, who does not respond to questions about his life and how he has seemingly changed. Kevin shares that he had a son with an ex-girlfriend and, after getting out of prison, is fulfilled by his role as a father. Chiron reveals his unexpected drug dealing, which disappoints Kevin, and asks Kevin why he called. Kevin plays "Hello Stranger" by Barbara Lewis on the jukebox, the song that made him think of Chiron.

The two go to Kevin's apartment. Kevin tells Chiron that although his life did not turn out as he had hoped, he is happy, resulting in Chiron admitting that he has not been intimate with anybody since their encounter years ago. As Kevin comforts him, Chiron remembers himself as Little, standing on a beach in the moonlight.

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• Chiron ({{IPAc-en|ʃ|aɪ|ˈ|r|oʊ|n}} {{respell|shy|ROHN}}), the film's protagonist
• Trevante Rhodes as Adult Chiron / "Black"
• Ashton Sanders as Teen Chiron
• Alex Hibbert as Child Chiron / "Little"
• Kevin, Chiron's romantic interest
• André Holland as Adult Kevin
• Jharrel Jerome as Teen Kevin
• Jaden Piner as Child Kevin
• Janelle Monáe as Teresa, Juan's girlfriend
• Naomie Harris as Paula, Chiron's drug addict mother
• Mahershala Ali as Juan, a drug dealer who becomes a father figure to Chiron
• Patrick Decile as Terrel, a school bully

File:Tarell McCraney (32303406504).jpg at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival|alt=Tarell Alvin McCraney at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival]]

In 2003, Tarell Alvin McCraney wrote the semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue to cope with his mother's death from AIDS. The theater piece was shelved for about a decade before it served as the basis for Moonlight.

After the release of his debut feature film Medicine for Melancholy in 2008, Barry Jenkins wrote various screenplays, none of which entered production. In January 2013, producer Adele Romanski urged Jenkins to make a second film.{{cite web|last1=Keegan|first1=Rebecca|title=To give birth to 'Moonlight,' writer-director Barry Jenkins dug deep into his past|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-moonlight-barry-jenkins-feature-20161006-snap-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|date=October 21, 2016|access-date=October 30, 2016}} The two brainstormed a few times a month through video-chat, with the goal of producing a low-budget "cinematic and personal" film.{{cite web|last1=Kohn|first1=Eric|title=Barry Jenkins' Moonlight Interview: Journey To Making a Classic|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/10/barry-jenkins-moonlight-interview-1201737807/|website=IndieWire|access-date=October 30, 2016|date=October 19, 2016}} Jenkins was introduced to McCraney's play through the Borscht arts collective in Miami.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/moonlight-the-best-movie-of-2016-w445621|title='Moonlight': How an Indie Filmmaker Made the Best Movie of 2016|magazine=Rolling Stone|last1=Fear|first1=David|access-date=October 30, 2016|date=October 21, 2016}} After discussions with McCraney, Jenkins wrote the first draft of the film in a month-long visit to Brussels.

Although the original play contained three parts, they ran simultaneously so that the audience would experience a day in the life of Little, Chiron and Black concurrently.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/tarell-alvin-mccraney-man-who-lived-moonlight-n670296 |title=Tarell Alvin McCraney: The man who lived 'Moonlight' |last=Davidson |first=Aaron |date=October 15, 2016 |work=NBC News |access-date=March 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170301163157/http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/tarell-alvin-mccraney-man-who-lived-moonlight-n670296 |archive-date=March 1, 2017 |url-status=live }} In fact, it is not made clear that the characters are the same person until halfway through the play.{{Cite news|url=http://flavorwire.com/592191/playwright-tarell-alvin-mccraney-discusses-the-piece-that-inspired-moonlight |title=Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney Discusses the Piece That Inspired 'Moonlight' |last=Halperin |first=Moze |date=October 21, 2016 |work=Flavorwire |access-date=March 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170301163554/http://flavorwire.com/592191/playwright-tarell-alvin-mccraney-discusses-the-piece-that-inspired-moonlight |archive-date=March 1, 2017 |url-status=live }} Jenkins instead chose to split the three parts of the original piece into distinct chapters and to focus on Chiron's story from the perspective of an ally.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefader.com/2016/10/04/moonlight-movie-barry-jenkins-director-interview|title=Barry Jenkins Slow-Cooks His Masterpiece|last=Stephenson|first=Will|website=The Fader|quote=A mutual friend in Miami passed along a copy of McCraney's play a few years ago, knowing Jenkins would be interested. When he read it, he thought its tripartite structure offered "a new way of looking at the dynamics of a relationship, of fate and possibility." He'd wanted to make a film in three parts.|access-date=October 22, 2016}}

The result was a screenplay that reflected the similar upbringings of Jenkins and McCraney. The character Juan was based on the father of McCraney's half-brother, who was also a childhood "defender" of McCraney, as Juan was for Chiron.{{cite news|last1=Hannah-Jones|first1=Nikole|title=From Bittersweet Childhoods to 'Moonlight'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/movies/moonlight-barry-jenkins-tarell-alvin-mccraney-interview.html?_r=1|website=The New York Times|access-date=January 29, 2017|date=January 4, 2017}} Likewise, Paula was a depiction of Jenkins' and McCraney's mothers, who both were drug addicts. McCraney and Jenkins also both grew up in Miami's Liberty Square, a primary location of the film.

Jenkins looked for financing for the film during 2013, finding success after showing the script to the executives of Plan B Entertainment at the year's Telluride Film Festival. Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner of Plan B Entertainment became producers of the film, while A24 undertook to finance it and handle worldwide distribution, which marked the company's first production.{{cite news|last1=Jaafar|first1=Ali|title=A24 Teams With Plan B & Adele Romanski To Produce And Finance Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight'|url=https://deadline.com/2015/08/barry-jenkins-moonlight-a24-plan-b-ex-machina-brad-pitt-amy-winehouse-cary-fukunaga-1201504815/|access-date=October 22, 2015|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=August 24, 2015}}

File:Barry Jenkins (cropped).jpg|284x284px]]

Different actors portrayed Chiron and Kevin in each chapter of the film. Ashton Sanders was cast in the role of teen Chiron.{{cite news|last1=Coyle|first1=Jake|title=The 3 stars of 'Moonlight' share a role and a breakthrough|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/852126f36456436a9b4e092ac573401f/3-stars-moonlight-share-role-and-breakthrough|website=The Big Story: Associated Press|access-date=November 12, 2016|archive-date=November 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112083934/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/852126f36456436a9b4e092ac573401f/3-stars-moonlight-share-role-and-breakthrough|url-status=dead}} Alex Hibbert and Jaden Piner were cast for the roles of child Chiron and child Kevin, respectively, in an open casting call in Miami.{{cite web|last1=Obenson|first1=Tambay A.|title=Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight' Draws Naomie Harris, Andre Holland, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monae + Others|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/10/barry-jenkins-moonlight-draws-naomie-harris-andre-holland-mahershala-ali-janelle-monae-others-141247/|website=IndieWire|access-date=November 12, 2016|date=October 21, 2015}} Trevante Rhodes originally auditioned for the role of Kevin, before he was cast as adult Chiron.{{cite web|last1=Osenlund|first1=R. Kurt|title=Trevante Rhodes Shines in 'Moonlight,' This Fall's Essential Queer Black Film|url=http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/2016/8/24/trevante-rhodes-shines-moonlight-falls-essential-queer-black-film|website=Out|access-date=November 12, 2016|date=October 24, 2016}}

André Holland had previously acted in McCraney's plays, and had read In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue a decade before the release of the film.{{cite web|last1=Formo|first1=Brian|title='Moonlight': Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris and Andre Holland on Masculinity, Addiction|url=https://collider.com/moonlight-movie-mahershala-ali-naomie-harris-andre-holland-interview/#barry-jenkins|website=Collider|access-date=November 12, 2016|date=October 21, 2016}} Holland was attracted to the role of adult Kevin when later reading the script of the film, stating, "[The script] was the best thing I've ever read".{{cite web|last1=Atad|first1=Corey|title=Why André Holland Knew He Couldn't Turn Down a Movie Like 'Moonlight'|url=http://esquire.com/entertainment/movies/q-and-a/a49923/andre-holland-moonlight-interview|website=Esquire|access-date=November 12, 2016|date=October 24, 2016}}

Naomie Harris was initially reluctant to portray Paula, stating that she did not want to play a stereotypical depiction of a black woman. When addressing her concerns, Jenkins emphasized the character's representation of both his and McCraney's mothers. Harris later commented that although she had previously vowed not to portray a crack addict, the film's script and director's tolerance appealed to her. In preparation for her role, Harris watched interviews of those with addiction to crack cocaine, and met with addicted women. She related her experiences of bullying to the addicts' attempts of escaping trauma.

Romanski proposed Juan be played by Mahershala Ali, who had a role in one of her previously produced films, Kicks. Jenkins was hesitant when casting Ali due to his role as Remy Danton in House of Cards; however, he was convinced after witnessing Ali's acting range and understanding of his character.{{cite web|last1=Grady|first1=Pam|title=With 'Moonlight' and more, Mahershala Ali hits stratosphere|url=http://www.sfchronicle.com/movies/article/With-Moonlight-and-more-Mahershala-Ali-9992060.php|website=San Francisco Chronicle|date=October 20, 2016|access-date=November 12, 2016}} Ali considered the role an important opportunity to portray an African-American male mentor,{{cite news|last1=Hill|first1=Logan|title=Mahershala Ali? You've Surely Seen His Face|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/arts/television/mahershala-ali-youve-surely-seen-his-face.html?_r=0|website=The New York Times|access-date=November 12, 2016|date=October 20, 2016}} and drew on his experiences of "[growing] up with a Juan". Janelle Monáe was sent the script and immediately connected to her role as Teresa, commenting that she too had family members with similar struggles relating to drugs and sexual identity.

File:Liberty Square Housing Projects.jpg housing project.]]

Filming began on October 14, 2015, in Miami, Florida.{{cite news|last1=McNary|first1=Dave|title=Naomie Harris, Andre Holland, Mahershala Ali to Star in 'Moonlight'|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/naomie-harris-andre-holland-mahershala-ali-moonlight-1201623354/|access-date=October 22, 2015|work=variety.com|date=October 21, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Lesnick|first1=Silas|title=Moonlight Cast Announced as Production Begins|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/624697-moonlight-cast-announced-as-production-begins|access-date=October 22, 2015|work=comingsoon.net|date=October 21, 2015}} Despite Florida not having tax incentives for film productions, Moonlight was able to shoot in Florida at the insistence of the film's creative team and with support from its financiers. Had the production relocated to a different state with legislative incentives, the film's budget may have provided more resources by as much as up to 30%. The decision to film in Florida was made to maintain authenticity as a Florida based story.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA7VVTbf2KY&t=599s |title='Moonlight' Q&A | Barry Jenkins |publisher=YouTube |date= February 2017|accessdate=March 1, 2023}}

After scouting for locations in Miami with Romanski, Jenkins made an effort to film in locations where he previously lived. Liberty Square, a housing project located in the neighborhood of Liberty City, was chosen as one of the primary locations as both McCraney and Jenkins grew up in the area.{{cite web|last1=Keegan|first1=Rebecca|title=Telluride Film Festival audiences take a shine to Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight'|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-telluride-moonlight-feature-20160901-snap-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|date=September 4, 2016|access-date=October 24, 2016}}{{cite web|last1=Cusumano|first1=Katherine|title=Meet Ashton Sanders, the Breakout Star of "Moonlight"|url=http://www.wmagazine.com/story/meet-ashton-sanders-the-breakout-star-of-moonlight|website=W Magazine|date=October 25, 2016 |access-date=December 10, 2016}} The film was shot undisturbed since Jenkins had relatives living in the area, though the cast and crew had police escorts. Naomie Harris later reflected:{{cquote|It was the first time someone had come to their community and wanted to represent it onscreen, and since Barry Jenkins had grown up in that area, there was this sense of pride and this desire to support him. You felt this love from the community that I've never felt in any other location, anywhere in the world, and it was so strange that it happened in a place where people were expecting the complete opposite.}}

During filming, Jenkins made sure that the three actors for Chiron did not meet each other until after filming to avoid any imitations of one another.{{cite news|last1=Jacobs|first1=Matthew|title=Janelle Monáe Brings The Good Fight To Hollywood In Two Standout Roles|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/janelle-monae-moonlight_us_580545dae4b0b994d4c0f8b8|newspaper=The Huffington Post|access-date=December 10, 2016|date=October 19, 2016}} Consequently, Rhodes, Sanders, and Hibbert filmed in separate two-week periods. Mahershala Ali frequently flew to Miami on consecutive weekends to film during the production of other projects.{{cite web|last1=Kilday|first1=Gregg|title=How 'Moonlight' Became a "Personal Memoir" for Director Barry Jenkins: "I Knew the Story Like the Back of My Hand"|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/how-moonlight-became-a-personal-memoir-director-barry-jenkins-i-knew-story-like-back-my-han|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=November 11, 2016|access-date=December 10, 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Shepherd|first1=Jack|title=Mahershala Ali interview: 'I grew up not seeing myself on screen ... It feels like you don't exist'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/mahershala-ali-interview-luke-cage-cottonmouth-moonlight-diversity-house-of-cards-netflix-marvel-a7339196.html|website=The Independent|access-date=December 10, 2016|date=September 30, 2016}} Naomie Harris shot all of her scenes in three days without rehearsals,{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/in-contention/naomie-harris-moonlight-1201875695/|title=Naomie Harris Had to Overcome Her Own Judgment to Play 'Moonlight' Role|website=Variety|first=Kristopher|last=Tapley|date=October 3, 2016|access-date=October 19, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/how-naomie-harris-filmed-moonlight-in-3-days.html|title=How Naomie Harris Filmed Her Stunning Moonlight Role in Just 3 Days|website=Vulture.com|first=Kyle|last=Buchanan|date=October 18, 2016|access-date=October 19, 2016}}{{cite web|last=Ellwood|first=Gregory|title=The cast of 'Moonlight' found reassurance and freedom under shooting pressures|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-en-mn-moonlight-cast-20161106-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|date=December 15, 2016|access-date=January 7, 2017}} while André Holland filmed the totality of his scenes in five. The film was shot in a period of twenty-five days.{{cite web|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/movies-news-reviews/article109699627.html |title=Miami plays a starring role in the glorious 'Moonlight' |date=October 21, 2016 |website=Miami Herald |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170306130705/http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/movies-news-reviews/article109699627.html |archive-date=March 6, 2017 |url-status=live |last=Rodriguez |first=Rene |access-date=January 29, 2017 }}

Jenkins worked with cinematographer and longtime friend James Laxton, who previously shot Medicine for Melancholy. The two chose to avoid the "documentary look" and thus shot the film using widescreen CinemaScope on an Arri Alexa digital camera, which better rendered skin tone. With colorist Alex Bickel, they further achieved this by creating a color grade that increased the contrast and saturation while preserving the detail and color. As a result, the three chapters of the film were designed to imitate different film stocks. The first chapter emulated the Fuji film stock to intensify the cast's skin tones. The second chapter imitated the Agfa film stock, which added cyan to the images, while the third chapter used a modified Kodak film stock.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/10/moonlight-cinematography-color-barry-jenkins-james-laxton-alex-bickel-1201740402/|title=Moonlight Cinematography: Bold Color, Rich Skin Tone, High Contrast|last=O'Falt|first=Chris|date=October 26, 2016|website=IndieWire|access-date=October 29, 2016}}

Post production began in November 2015 and was completed in April 2016.Hullfish, Steve (February 2, 2017) [https://www.provideocoalition.com/art-cut-oscar-nominated-moonlight-editor-joi-mcmillon/ ART OF THE CUT with Oscar Nominated “Moonlight“ editor Joi McMillon]. Provideo Coalition. The film was edited in Los Angeles by Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders, former university schoolmates of Jenkins.{{Cite news|url=http://www.vogue.com/projects/13514953/moonlight-cinematographer-james-laxton/|title=Moonlight's Cinematographer on Filming the Most Exquisite Movie of the Year|last=Aguirre|first=Abby|newspaper=Vogue|access-date=January 7, 2017}} Sanders was responsible for editing the first and second chapters.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/artisans/production/director-barry-jenkins-moonlight-1201970061/|title=Florida State Classmates Helped Make Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight' Shine|date=January 26, 2017|website=Variety|last1=Galas|first1=Marj|access-date=February 1, 2017}} McMillon was responsible for the third act which included the "diner scene", a favorite of the cinematographer Laxton.{{Cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/02/21/an_interview_with_moonlight_s_oscar_nominated_editor_joi_mcmillon_on_putting.html|title=Moonlight Editor Joi McMillon on That Pivotal Diner Scene and Showcasing the Love of Cooking|last=Harris|first=Aisha|date=February 21, 2017|work=Slate|access-date=March 4, 2017}}{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/behind-the-visuals-of-moonlight/|title=Behind the Making of the Oscar-Nominated Film 'Moonlight'|last=Moakley|first=Paul|date=February 22, 2017|magazine=Time|access-date=March 4, 2017}}

McMillion and Sanders worked in the same room during editing sessions, and were able to exchange notes and provide feedback to one another throughout post production. Because the film did not need to be ready for any film festival or premiere deadlines, they were able to take ample time in post production. Jenkins was usually present during editing sessions. In McMillion's words, "At certain points Barry and Nat would be working on a section of the film and then say 'Hey Joi turn around and look at this" and then vice versa; when Barry was working with me he'd say, 'Hey Nat, how do you feel about this?{{'"}}.

Sanders and McMillion made several changes from the script, the most notable being the scene in the third act where Chiron visits his mother. This was meant to be one of the first scenes in the third act, but the editors convinced Jenkins to move it later in the story.{{cite web|author=Saito, Stephen |url=https://moveablefest.com/joi-mcmillon-nat-sanders-moonlight/ |title="Moonlight" Editors Joi McMillon & Nat Sanders on Shaping the Film |publisher=Moveablefest.com |date=January 11, 2017 |accessdate=March 1, 2023}}

McMillion became the first African-American woman to be nominated for an editing Oscar for her work on the film.{{cite web|author=Kohn, Eric |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2016/12/moonlight-editors-joi-mcmillon-nat-sanders-oscar-consider-this-1201761052/ |title='Moonlight' Editor Joi McMillion Could Make History at the Oscars |publisher=IndieWire |date=December 20, 2016 |accessdate=March 1, 2023}} She remains the only African-American woman to be nominated in the category.

{{Main|Moonlight (soundtrack){{!}}Moonlight (soundtrack)}}

The score of Moonlight was composed by Nicholas Britell, who applied the chopped and screwed technique from hip hop remixes to orchestral music, producing a "fluid, bass-heavy score". The soundtrack, released on October 21, 2016, consists of eighteen original cues by Britell along with others by Goodie Mob, Boris Gardiner, and Barbara Lewis.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefader.com/2016/10/21/moonlight-original-soundtrack-nicholas-britell|title=Hear The Moonlight Original Soundtrack, Composed By Nicholas Britell|website=The Fader|last=Dandridge-Lemco|first=Ben|access-date=December 9, 2016}} A chopped and screwed version was released by OG Ron C and DJ Candlestick of The Chopstars.{{cite web|url=http://www.thefader.com/2017/02/24/moonlight-chopped-screwed-purple-og-ron-c-chopstars-soundtrack|title=Listen To A Chopped and Screwed mix of the Moonlight Soundtrack|website=The Fader|access-date=February 25, 2017}}

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, lists "love, sex, survival, mothers and father figures" among its themes, particularly the lack of a nurturing father.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/16/moonlight-review-masculinity-naomie-harris|title=Moonlight review – a visually ravishing portrait of masculinity|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|date=February 2, 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=March 7, 2017}} However, A. O. Scott of The New York Times cites the character Juan as an example of how the film "evokes clichés of African-American masculinity in order to shatter them."{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/movies/moonlight-review.html|title='Moonlight': Is This the Year's Best Movie?| last=Scott|first=A. O. |date=October 20, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 6, 2017|issn=0362-4331}} In his review in Variety, Peter Debruge suggests that the film demonstrates that the African American identity is more complex than has been portrayed in films of the past.{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/moonlight-review-1201850255/|title=Film Review: 'Moonlight' |last=Debruge|first=Peter| date=September 3, 2016 |work=Variety|access-date=March 6, 2017}} For example, while Juan plays the role of Little's defender and protector, he is also part of the root cause of at least some of the hardship the young boy endures.{{Cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/moonlight-is-both-a-tough-coming-of-age-tale-and-a-tender-testament-to-love/2016/10/27/45d88eea-9b80-11e6-9980-50913d68eacb_story.html?tid=kp_google |title='Moonlight' is both a tough coming-of-age tale and a tender testament to love |last1=Hornaday |first1=Ann |date=October 27, 2016 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108144828/https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/moonlight-is-both-a-tough-coming-of-age-tale-and-a-tender-testament-to-love/2016/10/27/45d88eea-9b80-11e6-9980-50913d68eacb_story.html?tid=kp_google |archive-date=November 8, 2016 |url-status=live |last2=Hornaday |first2=Ann }}

A major theme of Moonlight is the black male identity and its interactions with sexual identity. The film takes a form similar to a triptych in order to explore the path of a man from a neglected childhood, through an angry adolescence, to self-realization and fulfillment in adulthood.

This particular story of Chiron's sexuality is also seen as a story of race in a 'post-Obama' era. The film amalgamates art film with hood film in its portrayal of African-American characters on-screen. Many technical film techniques are employed to juxtapose the characters and action on scene, including the use of an orchestral score done in the melody of popular R&B and hip-hop motifs. This specifically deals with the theme of recuperating identity, especially in terms of blackness.

The characters operate in an urban working-class city in Florida

but are portrayed through art house conventions to create a new space for black characters in cinema.

This mirrors Chiron's own odyssey to learning who he is, as he constantly struggles with trying to find some essentialism to his identity, yet consistently fails in doing so. The triptych structure helps to reiterate the fragmented personality to the film and Chiron.{{Cite news| title =Watching Moonlight in the Twilight of Obama|last=Kannan|first=Menaka|date=August 1, 2017|work=Humanity&Society|volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=287–298 | doi =10.1177/0160597617719889}}

The film's co-writer, Tarell Alvin McCraney, speaks on the topic of black masculinity in the film, explaining why Chiron went to such lengths to alter his persona. He argues that communities without privilege or power seek to gain it in other ways. He says one way males in such communities do this is by trying to enhance their masculine identity, knowing that it often provides a means to more social control in a patriarchal society.{{Citation|last=BBC Newsnight|title=Moonlight's Tarell Alvin McCraney: 'I'm still that vulnerable boy' – BBC Newsnight|date=February 16, 2017 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsmlTyQtu4U| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/UsmlTyQtu4U| archive-date=October 30, 2021|access-date=December 11, 2018}}{{cbignore}}

Masculinity is portrayed as rigid and aggressive throughout the film, apparent in the behavior displayed by the young black men in Chiron's teenage peer group.{{cite web|last=Watts|first=Stephanie|title=Moonlight And The Performativity of Masculinity|url=https://oneroomwithaview.com/2017/02/17/moonlight-performativity-masculinity/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602162229/https://oneroomwithaview.com/2017/02/17/moonlight-performativity-masculinity/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 2, 2017|website=One Room with a View|date=February 17, 2017|access-date=February 11, 2019}} The expression of hyper-masculinity among black men has been associated with peer acceptance and community.{{Cite journal|last1=Fields|first1=Errol|date=2016|title=The Intersection of Sociocultural Factors and Health-Related Behavior in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth: Experiences Among Young Black Gay Males as an Example|journal=Pediatric Clinics of North America|volume=63|issue=6|pages=1091–1106|doi=10.1016/j.pcl.2016.07.009|pmid=27865335|pmc=5127594}} Being a homosexual within the black community, on the other hand, has been associated with social alienation and homophobic judgement by peers because black gay men are seen as weak or effeminate. In the film, Chiron is placed in this divide as a black gay man and alters his presentation of masculinity as a strategy to avoid ridicule because homosexuality is viewed as incompatible with black masculine expectations. As young kids, Kevin hides his sexuality in order to avoid being singled out like Chiron is. As Chiron grows older, he recognizes the need to conform to a heteronormative ideal of black masculinity in order to avoid abuse and homophobia. As an adult, Chiron chooses to embrace the stereotypical black male gender performance by becoming muscular and a drug dealer.

Moonlight explores the effects of this felt powerlessness in black males. As McCraney explains, coping with this feeling often coincides with attempts to overstate one's masculinity, in a way that can easily become toxic. He says one unfortunate side effect of leaning into masculinity too much is that men no longer want to be "caressed, or nurtured, or gentle", which is why a character like Juan may be puzzling to some audiences.

Blackness, masculinity, and vulnerability are major focuses of this film.{{Citation|last=q on cbc|title=Moonlight director Barry Jenkins on changing the perception of manhood|date=October 28, 2016|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7_GimSKeiw| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/R7_GimSKeiw| archive-date=October 30, 2021|access-date=March 23, 2019}}{{cbignore}} In the beach scene with Chiron, Juan, his father figure in the film, emphasizes the importance of black identity. Juan says, "There are black people everywhere. Remember that, okay? No place you can go in the world ain't got no black people. We was the first on this planet." As Juan speaks about the relevance and importance of the black experience, he also thinks about a time in his youth when a stranger told him "in moonlight, black boys look blue." This is an image that the audience gets to see as the director, Barry Jenkins, supplies numerous shots of Chiron in the moonlight. It seems that Juan seems to associate this image with vulnerability, given that he tells Chiron that he eventually shed the nickname "Blue" in order to foster his own identity. The scenes depicting Chiron in the moonlight are almost always the ones in which he's vulnerable, his intimate night on the beach with Kevin included. Throughout the film, this dichotomy between black and blue stands in for that between tough and vulnerable, with the black body often hovering between the two.{{Citation|last=criticole|title=Pink & Blue in Moonlight|date=February 22, 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE7BQukIJbA| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/xE7BQukIJbA| archive-date=October 30, 2021|access-date=March 23, 2019}}{{cbignore}} In Chiron's situation, the black body, which can be seen as inherently vulnerable in American society, must be tough in order to survive, as seen by Chiron's final, very masculine and dominant identity.

File:Barry Jenkins with Andre Holland and Ashton Sanders (32333936873).jpg

The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/09/telluride-film-festival-2016-lineup-full-list-1201811906/|title=Telluride Film Festival Lineup: 'Sully', 'La La Land', 'Arrival', 'Bleed For This' & More|last=Hammond|first=Pete|date=September 1, 2016|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=September 1, 2016}} It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2016,{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tiff-2016-platform-lineup-natalie-918884|title=Toronto: Natalie Portman's 'Jackie' Biopic, 'Moonlight' From Brad Pitt's Plan B Join Lineup|last=Vlessing|first=Etan|date=August 11, 2016|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=August 11, 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tiff.net/films/moonlight/|title=Moonlight|website=Toronto International Film Festival|access-date=August 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906140124/http://www.tiff.net/films/moonlight/|archive-date=September 6, 2016|url-status=dead}} the New York Film Festival on October 2, 2016,{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/new-york-film-festival-2016-main-slate-1201833076/|title=New York Film Festival Loads 2016 Main Slate With Festival-Circuit Favorites|last=Cox|first=Gordon|date=August 9, 2016|website=Variety|access-date=August 11, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2016/films/moonlight/|title=Moonlight|website=New York Film Festival|access-date=August 19, 2016}} the BFI London Film Festival on October 6, 2016{{cite web|url=https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=moonlight|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925010031/https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=moonlight|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2016|title=Moonlight|website=BFI London Film Festival|access-date=September 1, 2016}} and the Vancouver International Film Festival on October 7, 2016.{{cite web|url=http://archive.viff.org/e-blasts/viff/2016/daily/09_VIFF2016_1007.html|title=Day 9: Today's Highlights|publisher=Vancouver International Film Festival|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-date=October 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009182206/http://archive.viff.org/e-blasts/viff/2016/daily/09_VIFF2016_1007.html|url-status=dead}} The film was released to select theaters on October 21, 2016,{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/06/american-honey-moonlight-a24-release-dates-1201780991/|title=A24 Sets Dates For 'Moonlight' & Cannes Jury Prize Winner 'American Honey'|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=June 28, 2016|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=August 11, 2016}} before beginning a wide release on November 18, 2016.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/10/moonlight-king-cobra-michael-moore-trumpland-specialty-box-office-1201841247/|title='Moonlight' & 'Michael Moore In TrumpLand' Top 2016 Theater Averages – Specialty B.O.|last=Hime|first=Nelly|date=October 24, 2016|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=October 24, 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://nagamedigital.com/2016/10/24/moonlight-2016/|title=Moonlight 2016 Dominates Speciality Box Office, Gets Wide Release Date|last=Hime|first=Nelly|date=October 24, 2016|website=NagameDigital|access-date=October 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024151925/http://nagamedigital.com/2016/10/24/moonlight-2016/|archive-date=October 24, 2016|url-status=dead}} The full UK cinema release was on February 17, 2017.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/moonlight-review-a-graceful-compassionate-coming-of-age-heartbre/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/moonlight-review-a-graceful-compassionate-coming-of-age-heartbre/ |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Moonlight review: a graceful, compassionate coming-of-age heartbreaker|newspaper=The Telegraph|access-date=January 11, 2017|date=October 6, 2016|last1=Collin|first1=Robbie}}{{cbignore}}

As part of a partnership between A24 and IMAX, the film will be re-released in IMAX theaters on February 26, 2025.{{cite web | url=https://www.imax.com/en/nl/news/a24-x-imax-present-the-green-knight-talk-to-me-and-moonlight | title=IMAX }}

The film's poster reflects its triptych structure, combining the three actors portraying Chiron into a single face.{{cite web|last1=West|first1=Amy|title=Best film posters of 2016 from Jackie and Moonlight to Star Trek Beyond|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/best-film-posters-2016-jackie-moonlight-star-trek-beyond-1597776|website=International Business Times UK|access-date=March 1, 2017|date=December 22, 2016}} The trailer for the film was released on August 11, 2016, in time for festival season. Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times referred to it "as one of the most anticipated films for fall".{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-moonlight-trailer-20160811-snap-story.html |title=Watch: Barry Jenkins' anticipated indie drama 'Moonlight' starring Mahershala Ali and Janelle Monáe |last=Olsen |first=Mark |date=August 11, 2016 |website=Los Angeles Times |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170301174654/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-moonlight-trailer-20160811-snap-story.html |archive-date=March 1, 2017 |url-status=live |access-date=March 1, 2017 }}

On February 27, 2017, the day after the Academy Awards, Calvin Klein released an underwear advertising campaign featuring four of the male actors in the film.{{Cite news|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/02/mahershala-ali-moonlight-cast-calvin-klein-ads |title=Mahershala Ali and the Cast of Moonlight Are the Latest Calvin Klein Underwear Models |last=Harwood |first=Erika |date=February 27, 2017 |work=Vanity Fair: Vanities |access-date=March 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170301173115/http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/02/mahershala-ali-moonlight-cast-calvin-klein-ads |archive-date=March 1, 2017 |url-status=live }} On March 7, 2017, Beijing-based streaming video service iQiyi announced that it has acquired the rights to stream the film in China.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinas-iqiyi-acquires-streaming-rights-moonlight-la-la-land-983883|title=China's iQiyi Acquires Streaming Rights to 'Moonlight,' 'La La Land'|first=Brzeski|last=Patrick|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=March 7, 2017|access-date=March 7, 2017}} The film is also available in home media format through iTunes and DVD.

Moonlight grossed $27.9 million in the United States and Canada and $37.5 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $65.3 million, against a production budget of $1.5 million.{{cite web|url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt4975722/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 |title=Moonlight (2016)|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=March 4, 2020}}

The film originally played in four theaters in its limited October 21, 2016, release, grossing $402,072 (a per-theater average $100,519).{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/11/billy-lynns-long-halftime-walk-elle-moonlight-specialty-box-office-1201853670/|title=Ang Lee's 'Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk' 2016's 3rd Best Average; Paul Verhoeven's 'Elle' Bows Strong – Specialty Box Office|first=Brian |last=Brooks|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=November 13, 2016|access-date=November 14, 2016}} The film's theater count peaked at 650 in its wide opening on November 18, 2016, before expanding to 1,014 theaters in February. After the Oscars ceremony, A24 announced that the film would be played at 1,564 theaters.{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/moonlight-expanding-best-picture-win_us_58b6cff3e4b060480e0d72e3 |title='Moonlight' Will Expand To A Lot More Theaters After Oscar Win |last=Jacobs |first=Matthew |date=March 1, 2017 |newspaper=The Huffington Post |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170301171510/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/moonlight-expanding-best-picture-win_us_58b6cff3e4b060480e0d72e3 |archive-date=March 1, 2017 |url-status=live |access-date=March 1, 2017 }} In the weekend following its Oscar wins the film grossed $2.5 million, up 260% from its previous week and marking the highest-grossing weekend of its entire theatrical release. It was also a higher gross than the previous two Best Picture winners, Spotlight ($1.8 million) and Birdman ($1.9 million), had in their first weekend following the Academy Awards.{{citation|title='Logan's $85.3M Debut Breaks Records For Wolverine Series & Rated R Fare; Beats 'Fifty Shades' & 'Passion Of The Christ'|url=https://deadline.com/2017/03/logan-box-office-opening-get-out-the-shack-1202035207/|work=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=March 5, 2017}}

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 98% based on 402 reviews, with an average rating of 9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Moonlight uses one man's story to offer a remarkable and brilliantly crafted look at lives too rarely seen in cinema."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/moonlight_2016/|title=Moonlight (2016)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango Media|access-date=May 7, 2020}} On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 99 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/moonlight-2016|title=Moonlight|website=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=August 24, 2019}} On both websites, it was the highest-scoring film released in 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-movies-of-2016|title=The Best Movies of 2016|publisher=CBS Interactive|work=Metacritic|access-date=February 26, 2017|archive-date=July 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703215659/http://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-movies-of-2016|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/top/bestofrt/?year=2016|title=Top 100 Movies of 2016|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango Media}}

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David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote a positive review after Moonlight premiered at the 2016 Telluride Film Festival. He praised the actors' performances and described the cinematography of James Laxton as "fluid and seductive, deceptively mellow, and shot through with searing compassion". Rooney concluded that the film "will strike plangent chords for anyone who has ever struggled with identity, or to find connections in a lonely world".{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/moonlight-telluride-review-923754|title='Moonlight': Telluride Review|last=Rooney|first=David|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=September 2, 2016|access-date=September 12, 2016}} In a uniformly positive review for Time Out New York, Joshua Rothkopf gave Moonlight five stars out of five and praised Barry Jenkins's direction.{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/us/film/moonlight-2016|title=Moonlight (2016), directed by Barry Jenkins|first=Joshua|last=Rothkopf|work=Time Out New York|date=September 11, 2016|access-date=September 12, 2016|archive-date=September 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917044706/http://www.timeout.com/us/film/moonlight-2016|url-status=dead}}

Brian Formo of Collider gave Moonlight an 'A−' grade rating, applauding the performances and direction but contending that the film "is more personal and important than it is great".{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/moonlight-review/|title='Moonlight' Review: Gay Triptych Features Great Performances|last=Formo|first=Brian|website=Collider|date=September 5, 2016|access-date=September 12, 2016}} Similarly, Jake Cole of Slant Magazine praised the acting, but criticized the screenplay, and argued that "so much of the film feels old-hat".{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/house/article/toronto-international-film-festival-2016-barry-jenkinss-moonlight|title=Toronto Film Review: Barry Jenkins' Moonlight|last=Cole|first=Jake|work=Slant Magazine|date=September 15, 2016|access-date=September 19, 2016}} In a review for The Verge, Tasha Robinson lamented the plot details omitted between the film's three acts, but wrote that "what does make it to the screen is unforgettable".{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/15/12928752/moonlight-movie-review-barry-jenkins-tiff-2016|title=Moonlight is a beautifully nuanced gay coming-of-age tale|last=Robinson|first=Tasha|work=The Verge|date=September 15, 2016|access-date=September 15, 2016}}

While discussing the film after its screening at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times described Moonlight as "achingly romantic and uncommonly wise", and an early Oscar contender. Chang further wrote: "[Barry Jenkins] made a film that urges the viewer to look past Chiron's outward appearance and his superficial signifiers of identity, climbing inside familiar stereotypes in order to quietly dismantle them from within ... [Moonlight] doesn't say much. It says everything".{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-toronto-2016-barry-jenkins-moonlight-makes-the-case-for-quiet-eloquence-20160911-snap-story.html|title=Toronto 2016: Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight' makes the case for quiet eloquence|last=Chang|first=Justin|work=Los Angeles Times |date=September 11, 2016|access-date=September 12, 2016}}

Writing for The London Review of Books in February 2017, Michael Wood characterized the film as a study of an inherited intergenerational tragedy:{{cquote|[By the end of the film] there are still ten minutes of late Ingmar Bergman to go. The film keeps showing us Chiron's handsome, inscrutable face. The silence doesn't tell us anything, it just asks us to feel sorry for him ... All is not lost, though, because as we gaze at Chiron, we can think of something else: his resemblance to Juan (his father figure). Does it mean that Juan was once a Chiron ... Not quite that perhaps, but the last shot of the film is of the young Chiron sitting on the beach ... looking out at the ocean ... His wide eyes suggest all the desolation and promise that Juan saw in him at the beginning. If we started again, would things be different?{{cite magazine|url=https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n04/michael-wood/at-the-movies|title=At The Movies|magazine=The London Review of Books|date=February 16, 2017|first=Michael|last=Wood|author-link=Michael Wood (academic)|page=12}}}}

Camilla Long of The Times wrote that the film's "story has been told countless times, against countless backdrops", and that the film is not "relevant" to a predominantly "straight, white, middle class" audience.{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-review-moonlight-and-hidden-figures-fxj5rf7qq|title=Film review: Moonlight and Hidden Figures|date=February 19, 2017|newspaper=The Times|access-date=February 27, 2017|author-link=Camilla Long|last=Long|first=Camilla}} Catherine Shoard, however, pointed out that "critics' opinions are subjective, and are supposed to be", but also noted her dismay for Long's "struggle to feel for those who aren't like you."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/22/moonlight-film-critics-moral-high-ground|title=Should critics of Moonlight be hounded for having an opinion?|date=February 22, 2017|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=February 27, 2017|first=Catherine |last=Shoard}} Moreover, David McAlmont of The Huffington Post referred to Long's review as "not a review ... [but] a waspish response to other reviews."{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/david-mcalmont/camilla-long_b_14881290.html|title=To Camilla Long: In Defence Of Moonlight|last=McAlmont|first=David|date=February 22, 2017|website=The Huffington Post|access-date=March 3, 2017}}

On a list of the top ten lists of the decade on Metacritic, it was tied for the second-most number ones and ranked second in overall mentions on lists of the top ten films of the decade.{{cite web |title=Best Movies of the Decade (2010–19) |url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-movies-of-the-decade-2010s |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101162640/https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-movies-of-the-decade-2010s |archive-date=January 1, 2020 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |website=Metacritic}} Moonlight was listed on over 180 critics' top-ten lists for 2016, including 65 first-place rankings and 33 second-place rankings.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critics-list-the-top-10-movies-of-2016|title=Best of 2016: Film Critic Top Ten Lists|website=Metacritic|access-date=March 6, 2017|archive-date=December 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213020719/http://www.metacritic.com/feature/film-critics-list-the-top-10-movies-of-2016|url-status=dead}} IndieWire writers ranked Moonlight as the 16th best American screenplay of the 21st century, stating that Jenkins and McCraney "dig deep into three brief moments and ask the audience to make connections [...] the bold and risky choices of the Moonlight screenplay pay off in ways that make this masterpiece only improve with time and repeat viewings."{{cite web|last1=Dry|first1=Jude|last2=O'Falt|first2=Chris|last3=Erbland|first3=Kate|last4=Kohn|first4=Eric|last5=Sharf|first5=Zack|last6=Marotta|first6=Jenna|last7=Thompson|first7=Anne|last8=Earl|first8=William|last9=Nordine|first9=Michael|date=April 20, 2018|title=The 25 Best American Screenplays of the 21st Century, From 'Eternal Sunshine' to 'Lady Bird'|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/04/best-screenplays-scripts-american-1201952200/|access-date=February 4, 2021|website=IndieWire|language=en|last10=Ehrlich|first10=David}}

{{Main|List of accolades received by Moonlight (2016 film){{!}}List of accolades received by Moonlight (2016 film)}}

At the 74th Golden Globe Awards, Moonlight received six nominations, the second highest of all film nominees.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/golden-globes-nominees-2017-list-955075 |title=Golden Globes 2017: The Complete List of Nominations |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=December 12, 2016|access-date=December 12, 2016}} The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, with additional nominations for five more: Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (for Ali), Best Supporting Actress (for Harris), Best Screenplay (for Jenkins) and Best Original Score (for Britell).{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/la-la-land-breaks-golden-globe-winners-record-wins-961526|title=Golden Globes: 'La La Land' Breaks Record for Most Wins by a Film|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=January 8, 2017|last=Lee|first=Ashley|access-date=January 12, 2017}}

Moonlight received four nominations at the 70th British Academy Film Awards: Best Film, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Original Screenplay.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/bafta-2017-complete-list-nominations-962769/item/film-bafta-nominees-2017-962744 |title=BAFTA Awards: 'La La Land' Leads Nominations |first=Alex |last=Ritman |date=January 9, 2017 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=January 10, 2017}}

{{See also|89th Academy Awards#Best Picture announcement error}}

Moonlight received eight nominations at the 89th Academy Awards, the second highest of all nominees, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (for Ali), Best Supporting Actress (for Harris) and Best Adapted Screenplay.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/oscar-nominations-2017-complete-list-nominees-960044 |title=Oscars Nominations 2017: The Complete List of Nominees |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=January 24, 2017|access-date=January 24, 2017}} The film won three awards: for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.{{Cite news|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2017|title=The 89th Academy Awards (2017) Nominees and Winners |access-date=February 26, 2017|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)}} At the ceremony, presenter Faye Dunaway read La La Land as the winner of Best Picture. Co-presenter Warren Beatty subsequently stated that he had been mistakenly given the duplicate envelope for the Best Actress award, which Emma Stone had won for her role in La La Land several minutes earlier.{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/emma-la-la-land-stone-moonlight-oscars-mixup-best-picture-actress-a7601196.html|title=Emma Stone reacts to Moonlight winning over La La Land at the Oscars|last=Shepherd|first=Jack|date=February 27, 2017|work=The Independent|access-date=February 28, 2017}} When the mistake was realized, La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz came forward to announce Moonlight as the actual winner.{{cite news|last=Rothman|first=Michael|title='Moonlight' wins best picture after 'La La Land' mistakenly announced|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/moonlight-wins-best-picture-mistake-presenter-warren-beatty/story?id=45769592|publisher=ABC News|date=February 26, 2017|access-date=February 27, 2017}} The Best Picture envelope is on display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Beatty wrote a congratulatory note to Jenkins, which is also on display at the Academy Museum.{{cite web |title=Hollywood's Oscars Museum, from Ruby Slippers to R2-D2: How to Visit, What to See {{!}} Frommer's |url=https://www.frommers.com/slideshows/848489-hollywood-s-oscars-museum-from-ruby-slippers-to-r2-d2-how-to-visit-what-to-see |access-date=August 21, 2022 |website=www.frommers.com}}

During his keynote presentation at the 2018 SXSW Festival, Jenkins read the acceptance speech he had prepared in the event of Moonlight winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards. He had been unable to deliver the intended speech at the ceremony due to the confusion over La La Land being mistakenly announced as the winner.{{cite web |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/barry-jenkins-oscar-acceptance-speech-moonlight-sxsw-1201938133/ |title=SXSW: Barry Jenkins Delivers the Speech He Wanted to Read when 'Moonlight' Won Best Picture |last=Nordine |first=Michael |date=March 11, 2018 |website=IndieWire |access-date=July 16, 2021}}

Because the film's screenplay was based on a play that had not been previously produced or published, different awards had different rules as to whether Moonlight qualified in the original or adapted screenplay categories.{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/12/15/oscars-loving-moonlight-original-screenplay/ |title=Oscars: Moonlight ineligible for Best Original Screenplay |last=Nolfi |first=Joey |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=December 15, 2016 |access-date=July 16, 2021}} It was classified as an original screenplay by both the Writers Guild of America Awards and the BAFTAs, but was ruled an adapted screenplay according to Academy Award rules.

Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon were nominated for Best Film Editing, making McMillon the first black woman to earn an Academy Award nomination in film editing.{{cite web|first=Carolyn |last=Giardina |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/oscars-moonlight-editing-nomination-marks-a-first-967940 |title=Oscars: 'Moonlight' Editing Nomination Marks a First |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=January 24, 2017 |access-date=January 24, 2017}} It is also the first LGBTQ film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/2017/02/28/moonlight-is-the-first-lgbt-movie-to-win-best-picture-heres-why-it-matters/ |title="Moonlight" is the first LGBT movie to win best picture. Here's why it matters |last=Lang |first=Nico |work=Salon |date=February 27, 2017 |access-date=March 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305164908/http://www.salon.com/2017/02/28/moonlight-is-the-first-lgbt-movie-to-win-best-picture-heres-why-it-matters/ |archive-date=March 5, 2017 |url-status=live }}

The film is referenced in "Moonlight", a song from Jay-Z's 2017 studio album 4:44.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/08/06/jay-zs-moonlight-music-video-does-more-than-simply-show-friends-with-an-all-black-cast/|title=Analysis | Jay-Z's 'Moonlight' music video does more than simply show 'Friends' with an all-black cast|first=Elahe|last= Izadi|newspaper=Washington Post}} In the closing of The Simpsons episode "Haw-Haw Land" it is stated that the episode was supposed to be a parody of the film rather than La La Land (itself parodying the mistake at the 89th Academy Awards.{{Cite news |title=Jay-Z's 'Moonlight' music video does more than simply show 'Friends' with an all-black cast |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/08/06/jay-zs-moonlight-music-video-does-more-than-simply-show-friends-with-an-all-black-cast/ |access-date=2023-05-04 |newspaper=The Washington Post}})

• New queer cinema
• List of LGBT-related films
• List of hood films
• List of LGBTQ Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of black Academy Award winners and nominees

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{{Wikiquote|Moonlight (2016 film)|Moonlight}}

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• {{Official website|http://www.moonlight-movie.com/}}
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• {{Mojo title|moonlight2016}}
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• {{Rotten Tomatoes|moonlight_2016}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170201145737/http://a24awards.com/film/moonlight/images/MOONLIGHT.pdf Official screenplay]

{{Barry Jenkins}}

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{{Academy Award Best Picture}}

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{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film}}

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{{Independent Spirit Award for Best Film}}

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{{Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award}}

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