Moonlight (2016) ft. Peterson W. Hill
Guest:
Peterson W. Hill (15x Club Member)
Co-Host of the War Starts at Midnight podcast
@petersonwhill on IG, Letterboxd, and Twitter
18x Previous Guest
Cast:
Barry Jenkins, Writer/Director
James Laxton, Cinematography
Nicholas Britell, Music
Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon, Editing
Chiron Harris
Trevante Rhodes as Adult Chiron / "Black"
Ashton Sanders as Teen Chiron
Alex Hibbert as Child Chiron / "Little"
Kevin
André Holland as Adult Kevin
Jharrel Jerome as Teen Kevin
Jaden Piner as Child Kevin
Janelle Monáe as Teresa
Naomie Harris as Paula
Mahershala Ali as Juan
Patrick Decile as Terrel
Background:
Moonlight wide released on October 21, 2016.
On a rough budget between $1.5-4 million, the film would gross $67 million to finish #107 at the worldwide box office.
Nevertheless, critics were effusive in their praise for the film, and it was listed on over 180 critics' top-ten lists for 2016, including 65 first-place rankings and 33 second-place rankings.
Moonlight would go on to receive 8 Oscar nominations including Best Director (Jenkins), Supporting Actress (Harris), Cinematography (Laxton), Film Editing (Sanders and McMillon), and Original Score (Britell); winning 3 Oscars for Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Ali), and Adapted Screenplay (Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney).
It was released as the first LGBTQ-themed mass-marketed feature film with an all-black cast and was, at the time of its release, the second-lowest-grossing film domestically (behind The Hurt Locker) to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
Joi McMillon became the first black woman to be nominated for an Editing Oscar, and Mahershala Ali became the first Muslim to win an acting Oscar.
Moonlight has been cited as one of the best films of the 2010s and 21st century.
In 2021, members of Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) ranked its screenplay 6th in WGA's 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (so far).
In 2025, the film ranked number 5 on The New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" and number 18 on the "Readers' Choice" edition of the list.
In July 2025, it ranked number 3 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century."
Moonlight currently holds a 98% among critics on RT, a 99 score on Metacritic, and a 4.2/5 on Letterboxd.
Plot Summary: Moonlight follows Chiron, a Black boy growing up in Miami, through three stages of his life. As a child (Alex Hibbert), he is bullied at school. He finds kindness from Juan (Mahershala Ali) and Juan's girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monáe). Meanwhile, his mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), struggles with addiction. As a teenager, Chiron (Ashton Sanders) shares a close moment with his friend Kevin, who later betrays him. As an adult, Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) meets grown Kevin (André Holland) and finally opens up about who he is.
Did You Know:
The film is based on the unproduced play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" by 2013 MacArthur Fellows Program honoree Tarell Alvin McCraney.
Naomie Harris had to shoot her entire role in three days, in between her promotional tour of Spectre (2015), due to a visa problem (Harris is British). The scenes spanned 15 years in the character's life and were filmed out of sequence.
When Juan teaches Little how to swim, Mahershala Ali is really teaching Alex R. Hibbert how to swim. When production started, Hibbert did not know how to swim.
In an interview, Barry Jenkins said that the three actors who play Chiron never met during production. He wanted each of them to build their own persona of Chiron during their respective segments, with no influence from the other portrayals. The same technique was used with the actors who play Kevin.
Such were the budgetary constraints on this production, the cast had to share one trailer for costume, hair and makeup and one rest room stall had to be shared by cast and crew.
Best Performance: Mahershala Ali (Juan)/Barry Jenkins (Director/Writer)
Best Secondary Performance: Naomie Harris (Paula)/Mahershala Ali (Juan)/Barry Jenkins (Director/Writer)
Most Charismatic Award: Mahershala Ali (Juan)/Naomie Harris (Paula)/Nicholas Britell (Music)
Best Scene:
Beach
Little Confronts Juan
First Time
Stay Down
Classroom Assault
Grandma Rules
Kitchen Confession
Favorite Scene: Little Confronts Juan/Beach
Most Indelible Moment: Beach/Kitchen Confession
In Memorium:
RJ Mitte, 34, American actor (Breaking Bad, Switched at Birth, The Guardians of Justice)
Mike Ditka, 86, American Hall of Fame football player and coach (Chicago Bears), Super Bowl champion (1986), actor (Kicking and Screaming)
Best Lines/Funniest Lines:
Juan: [to Little] At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be. Can't let nobody make that decision for you.
Kevin: I wasn't never worth shit. Never did anything I actually wanted to do, was all I could do to do what other folks thought I should do. I wasn't never myself.
Kevin: Hey, these grandma rules, man. You know the deal. Your ass eat, your ass speak.
Paula: I messed up. I fucked it all the way up. I know that. But your heart ain't gotta be black like mine, baby. I love you, Chiron. I do. I love you, baby. I mean, you ain't gotta love me. Lord knows I did not have love for you when you needed it, I know that. So you ain't gotta love me; but you gon' know that I love you. You hear? You hear me, Chiron?
Black: [quietly] I hear you, Mama.
Kevin: Who is you, Chiron?
Chiron: I'm me man. I ain't trying to be nothing else.
The Stanley Rubric:
Legacy: 7.5
Impact/Significance: 7.83
Novelty: 9
Classic-ness: 7.83
Rewatchability: 4.83
Audience Score: 7.65 (7.4 IMDB, 79% RT)
Total: 44.64
Remaining Questions:
Do Kevin and Chiron end up together?
What type of identity does Chiron choose going forward?
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