Moonlight

"This is the story of a lifetime"

2016 1h 52m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 7,715

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

“This is the story of a lifetime”

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Cast

Trevante Rhodes
Black
André Holland
Kevin
Janelle Monáe
Teresa
Ashton Sanders
Chiron
Jharrel Jerome
Kevin Age 16
Alex R. Hibbert
Little
Jaden Piner
Kevin Age 9
Naomie Harris
Paula

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Barry Jenkins
Writers: Barry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McCraney
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $65M — a 16.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 10 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Barry Jenkins, shot by James Laxton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nicholas Britell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joi McMillon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Trevante Rhodes and André Holland and Janelle Monáe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "This is the story of a lifetime".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Barry Jenkins directs. James Laxton behind the camera. Nicholas Britell scores. Joi McMillon cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $65M — a 16.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
3Released 10 years ago.
4Directed by Barry Jenkins, shot by James Laxton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Nicholas Britell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Joi McMillon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Trevante Rhodes and André Holland and Janelle Monáe carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "This is the story of a lifetime".
9IMDB entry: tt4975722 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 21 themes, including "drug dealer", "high school", "florida", "drug abuse".
11Released under 16 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: James Laxton
Original score: Nicholas Britell
Editing: Joi McMillon
Production design: Hannah Beachler
Costume design: Caroline Eselin
Makeup / hair: Doniella Davy
Sound: Onnalee Blank
Stunt coordinator: Alex Edlin
Runtime: 112 min · 1h 52m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,000,000
Box office: $65,046,687
Return: 1626% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Moonlight (2016)

Awards

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Dorian Award for LGBTQ Film of the Year
Dorian Award for Film of the Year
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Barry Jenkins

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2017-02-26
★ 6/10
Blue is the warmest colour. This is an exceptional film, but only from one perspective and that is, LGBT. I totally respect that, because I'm a big supporter. But apart from that, particularly from the filmmaking aspect I did not like it. I felt like this film took place somewhere in Africa, but the accent was American. Because I could not find a single white or any other race people, even in the background. The happy parts are, it is surprisingly a very interesting theme. I loved the storyline. The three phases of a man's life. How things around us can influence to build a personality. Sometimes in a good sense, but according to this film, there are some dramatic turns. Though the end was very simple, but I liked the first episode. It had potential to be a message film, but the later parts turned differently. Most importantly realistic narrative. More like it is about the life cycle. Feels like a short and suburban version of 'Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring'. All the actors were so good. The screenplay was adapted from a book. Looks like it's a breakthrough for the director. I hope he keeps up the momentum and gives us the best products in the future. This film is not for everyone, mainly because of the theme. Initial parts were okay, but the latter developments were unexpected. It is one of the good films of the year, not the best. 7/10
CinemaSerf2024-01-02
★ 7/10
It's the third segment of this that's the most interesting but the preceding two are essential in helping us to understand the situation in which the young "Chiron" (Alex R. Hibbert, then an effective Ashton Sanders as a troubled teenager before finally, by this latter point, Trevante Rhodes) finds himself. Initially we see a young boy living in Miami with his crack-addicted mother "Paula" (Naomie Harris). He grows up being shunned and bullied at school with his search for some sort of stability and guidance through life coming largely from his pal "Kevin", neighbourhood dealer "Juan" (Mahershala Ali) and his generously spirited girlfriend "Teresa" (Janelle Monáe). It's these people that put him on a path - a twisting and uncomfortable path - to his own self-discovery and a start in believing in himself and in his own identity. It's a coming of age drama, sure, but it carefully and delicately looks at the life of a young boy who evolves amidst an environment of indifference, confusion and intolerance. Of a lad who is coming to terms with his own sexual identity with little if any peer support to assist with this complex process of maturity. His grasp on decency and integrity is sorely challenged all through his life, but he never loses a sense of what is right and the last half hour is as poignant a tale of manhood as you're likely to see on screen. The acting across the board is pretty top drawer, as is the powerfully delivered but sparingly written dialogue. This is not a festival of endless chatter, but a presentation of scenarios that we can assess as "Chiron" grows up and we share in his life choices. It's emotional and engaging, not without a little humour to lighten it at times and we maybe even get the start of a love story? Well worth a watch a few times, i'd say.
Flameky2026-05-21
★ 10/10
so good got me crying it's one of my favourites i'm amazed and i want to log it on here, i definetly recommend watching i watched it multiple times