Moonlight is a 2016 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins. It is based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's unpublished semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The film features actors Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe in her first film appearance, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome in his feature film debut, Naomie Harris, and Mahershala Ali.

The movie shows three stages in the life of the main character: his childhood, adolescence, and early adult life. It highlights the challenges he faces with his identity as a Black homosexual man, including the physical and emotional abuse he experiences during his childhood. Filmed in Miami, Florida, starting in 2015, Moonlight premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016. It was released in the United States on October 21, 2016, by A24. The film received critical acclaim for its editing, cinematography, score, Jenkins's direction and screenplay, and its portrayal of themes like sexuality and masculinity. The performances of Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali were also widely praised. The movie earned over $65 million worldwide.

Moonlight has been named one of the best films of the 2010s and 21st century. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture, along with Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali) and Best Adapted Screenplay, out of eight total nominations at the 89th Academy Awards. It was the first LGBTQ-themed mass-marketed film with an all-Black cast. At the time of its release, it had the second-lowest box office earnings domestically (after The Hurt Locker) to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Joi McMillon became the first Black woman nominated for an Editing Oscar, and Mahershala Ali became the first Muslim to win an acting Oscar.

Plot

In Liberty City, Miami, during the worst part of the crack epidemic, an Afro-Cuban drug dealer named Juan finds a quiet boy named Chiron, who is called "Little," hiding from bullies in a crackhouse. Juan lets Chiron stay with him and his girlfriend, Teresa, for the night before returning him to his mother, Paula. Chiron continues to spend time with Juan, who teaches him basic life lessons that Juan believes will help him.

One night, Juan sees Paula using crack with one of his customers. Juan scolds her for not taking care of her son, but she accuses him of selling crack to her in the first place. They argue about how Chiron is being raised. Paula asks if Juan is ready to explain why Chiron is bullied, hinting that Chiron is gay. Later, Paula takes out her anger on Chiron.

The next day, Chiron tells Juan and Teresa that he hates his mother and asks what "faggot" means. Juan explains that it is a word used to hurt people who are gay. He tells Chiron that being gay is not wrong and that he should not let others mock him. Chiron then asks Juan if he sells drugs and if his mother does. After Juan says yes to both, Chiron leaves, and Juan feels ashamed.

As a teenager, Chiron avoids school bully Terrel and spends time with Teresa, who lives alone after Juan’s death. Paula, now working as a prostitute because of her addiction, forces Chiron to give her money he earns from Teresa. Chiron’s friend Kevin tells him about a detention he received for having sex with a girl in a school stairwell. Later, Chiron dreams about Kevin and the girl having sex in Teresa’s backyard and wakes up suddenly. One night, Kevin visits Chiron at the beach near his house. While smoking a blunt, they talk about their goals. Kevin calls Chiron "Black" and kisses him, then gives him a handjob.

The next day, Terrel tricks Kevin into participating in a hazing ritual. Kevin hits Chiron until he can no longer stand, watching as Terrel and others attack him. When the principal asks Chiron to name his attackers, he refuses, saying it will not help. The next day, Chiron enters class and breaks a chair over Terrel’s head before being stopped. He is arrested and taken from the school in a police car while Kevin watches.

Ten years later, now called "Black," an adult Chiron sells drugs in Atlanta and is respected in his community. He often receives calls from Paula, who lives in a drug treatment center and asks him to visit. One morning, Kevin unexpectedly calls and invites Chiron to see him if he ever goes to Miami. Chiron visits Paula, who apologizes for not loving him when he needed her most and says she loves him even if he does not love her back. They cry together and reconcile.

Chiron drives to Miami to visit Kevin at the diner where he works as a cook. Kevin prepares a meal for Chiron, who does not answer questions about his life or changes. Kevin shares that he had a son with an ex-girlfriend and is happy as a father after being released from prison. Chiron reveals that he now sells drugs, which disappoints Kevin, and asks why Kevin called. Kevin plays "Hello Stranger" by Barbara Lewis on the jukebox, the song that reminded him of Chiron.

The two go to Kevin’s apartment. Kevin tells Chiron that, even though his life did not go as planned, he is content, which makes Chiron admit he has not been close to anyone since their encounter years ago. As Kevin comforts him, Chiron remembers himself as "Little," standing on a beach under the moonlight.

Cast

• Chiron Harris, the main character of the film, is played by Trevante Rhodes as an adult, Ashton Sanders as a teenager, and Alex Hibbert as a child, also known as "Little."
• Kevin, Chiron's love interest, is portrayed by André Holland as an adult, Jharrel Jerome as a teenager, and Jaden Piner as a child.
• Janelle Monáe plays Teresa, the girlfriend of Juan.
• Naomie Harris portrays Paula, Chiron's mother, who uses drugs.
• Mahershala Ali plays Juan, a drug dealer who becomes a father figure to Chiron.
• Patrick Decile plays Terrel, a school bully.

Production

In 2003, Tarell Alvin McCraney wrote the play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, which was based on his own life, to help him deal with his mother's death from AIDS. The play was not used for a long time but later became the basis for the movie Moonlight.

After his first movie, Medicine for Melancholy, came out in 2008, Barry Jenkins wrote many screenplays, but none were made into films. In January 2013, producer Adele Romanski encouraged Jenkins to make a second movie. Jenkins and Romanski talked often through video calls to create a low-budget film that was both artistic and personal. Jenkins learned about McCraney's play through the Borscht arts group in Miami. After talking with McCraney, Jenkins wrote the first version of the movie script during a one-month visit to Brussels.

The original play had three parts that happened at the same time, showing a day in the lives of three characters—Little, Chiron, and Black—simultaneously. It was not clear until halfway through the play that the characters were the same person. Jenkins changed the story to focus on Chiron’s life, telling it through the perspective of a friend.

The movie’s story reflected the similar childhoods of Jenkins and McCraney. The character Juan was inspired by the father of McCraney’s half-brother, who protected McCraney as a child, just as Juan protected Chiron. Paula was based on the mothers of both Jenkins and McCraney, who struggled with drug addiction. Both Jenkins and McCraney grew up in Miami’s Liberty Square, a key location in the movie.

Jenkins searched for money to make the movie in 2013. He succeeded after showing the script to executives from Plan B Entertainment at the Telluride Film Festival. Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner from Plan B became producers, and A24 provided funding and handled worldwide distribution, which was their first film.

Different actors played Chiron and Kevin in each part of the movie. Ashton Sanders was cast as the teenage version of Chiron. Alex Hibbert and Jaden Piner were chosen for the roles of young Chiron and young Kevin through an open casting call in Miami. Trevante Rhodes first auditioned for Kevin’s role but later played the adult version of Chiron.

André Holland had acted in McCraney’s plays and read the play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue a decade before the movie was made. He was drawn to the role of adult Kevin after reading the script, calling it “the best thing I’ve ever read.”

Naomie Harris was hesitant to play Paula at first, as she did not want to portray a stereotypical black woman. Jenkins explained that the character was based on his and McCraney’s mothers. After learning more about the story, Harris agreed to the role. She prepared by watching interviews with people who struggled with drug addiction and meeting with women who had similar experiences.

Romanski suggested Mahershala Ali for the role of Juan, as he had worked with her before on a film called Kicks. Jenkins was unsure about casting Ali because of his role in House of Cards, but he was convinced after seeing Ali’s acting skills. Ali saw the role as a chance to portray an African-American mentor and used his own experiences growing up with a similar figure. Janelle Monáe connected with her role as Teresa after reading the script, as she had family members with similar struggles related to drugs and identity.

Filming began on October 14, 2015, in Miami, Florida. Even though Florida did not offer financial benefits for film production, the movie’s team filmed there with help from its financiers. Moving to another state could have saved up to 30% of the budget, but the team chose Miami to keep the story authentic.

Jenkins and Romanski looked for locations in Miami where Jenkins had lived. Liberty Square, a housing project in Liberty City, was chosen as a main location because both Jenkins and McCraney grew up there. The team filmed without interruptions because Jenkins had relatives in the area, though police escorted the cast and crew.

During filming, Jenkins kept the three actors who played Chiron separate until after filming to prevent them from copying each other’s performances. Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Alex Hibbert filmed in different two-week periods. Mahershala Ali traveled to Miami on consecutive weekends to film while working on other projects. Naomie Harris completed all her scenes in three days without rehearsals, and André Holland filmed all his scenes in five days. The movie was shot in 25 days.

Jenkins worked with cinematographer James Laxton, a longtime friend who also shot Medicine for Melancholy. The team avoided a “documentary look” and used a widescreen CinemaScope format on an Arri Alexa digital camera to better capture skin tones. With colorist Alex Bickel, they adjusted the colors to increase contrast and saturation while keeping details clear. Each chapter of the movie was designed to look like different film stocks. The first chapter used Fuji film stock to highlight skin tones, the second used Agfa film stock to add a blue tint, and the third used a modified Kodak film stock.

Post-production began in November 2015 and finished in April 2016. The movie was edited in Los Angeles by Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders, who were former classmates of Jenkins. Sanders edited the first and second chapters, while McMillon edited the third, which included the “diner scene,” a favorite of cinematographer James Laxton.

McMillon and Sanders worked together during editing and gave each other feedback. Because the movie did not need to be ready for a festival or premiere, they had time to refine the film. Jenkins was often present during editing sessions. McMillon said, “At times, Barry and Nat would show me a part of the film and ask, ‘Hey Joi, look at this’—and vice versa. When Barry worked with me, he would ask, ‘Hey Nat, how do you feel about this?’”

Sanders and McMillon made changes to the script, including moving a scene where Chiron visits his mother to a later part of the story.

Joi McMillon became the first African-American woman to be nominated for an editing Oscar for her work on the film. She is still the only African-American woman to be nominated in that category.

The movie’s score was composed by Nicholas Britell, who used a hip-hop remix technique called “chopped and screwed” in orchestral music to create

Themes

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian mentions that the film explores themes such as love, sex, survival, mothers, and father figures, especially the absence of a caring father. A. O. Scott of The New York Times points out that the character Juan shows how the film challenges common ideas about African-American masculinity. In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge notes that the film shows African-American identity as more complex than seen in earlier movies. For example, Juan protects Little but also contributes to some of the hardships Little faces.

A major theme of Moonlight is the experience of Black men and how their identity connects with their sexual identity. The film uses a structure similar to a triptych to follow a man’s journey from a difficult childhood, through a troubled teenage years, to self-discovery in adulthood.

The story of Chiron’s sexuality is also seen as a story about race in a time after the presidency of Barack Obama. The film combines elements of art films and films that show life in poor neighborhoods. It uses techniques like an orchestral score with music from R&B and hip-hop to highlight the theme of finding identity, especially as a Black person. The characters live in a working-class city in Florida but are shown using styles from art films to create new ways to portray Black people in movies. This mirrors Chiron’s journey to understand who he is, as he struggles to find a clear sense of identity but often fails. The triptych structure shows how Chiron’s personality is broken into parts.

Tarell Alvin McCraney, the film’s co-writer, explains how the film shows Black masculinity. He says that people without power or privilege often try to gain it through other means, such as showing strength. He notes that Black men in such communities may try to act more masculine to gain control in a society that favors men.

Masculinity in the film is shown as strict and aggressive, especially in the behavior of young Black men in Chiron’s group. Being extremely masculine is linked to being accepted by peers and the community. However, being homosexual in the Black community is often linked to being seen as weak or not accepted. Chiron, as a Black gay man, changes how he presents himself to avoid being teased, as homosexuality is seen as conflicting with traditional ideas of Black masculinity. Kevin, another character, hides his sexuality as a child to avoid being singled out like Chiron. As Chiron grows older, he tries to fit into a traditional idea of Black masculinity to avoid abuse and discrimination. As an adult, Chiron chooses to act tough and becomes a drug dealer.

The film shows how Black men feel powerless and how they try to cope by acting overly masculine, which can be harmful. McCraney explains that focusing too much on masculinity can make men avoid being gentle or cared for, which is why a character like Juan might confuse some viewers.

The film focuses on Blackness, masculinity, and vulnerability. In a scene on the beach, Juan, who acts as a father figure to Chiron, talks about the importance of Black identity. He 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.” Juan also recalls a time when a stranger said, “In moonlight, Black boys look blue.” The director, Barry Jenkins, shows many scenes of Chiron in moonlight. Juan connects this image to vulnerability, explaining that he changed his nickname “Blue” to build his own identity. Scenes with Chiron in moonlight often show him being vulnerable, such as his intimate moment with Kevin on the beach. Throughout the film, the contrast between black and blue represents the balance between being tough and being vulnerable. In Chiron’s case, the Black body, which is often seen as weak in American society, must be strong to survive, as shown by Chiron’s final, very masculine and dominant identity.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016. It was also shown at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2016, the New York Film Festival on October 2, 2016, the BFI London Film Festival on October 6, 2016, and the Vancouver International Film Festival on October 7, 2016. The film was first shown in select theaters on October 21, 2016, and then had a wide release on November 18, 2016. The full release in UK cinemas happened on February 17, 2017.

Because of a partnership between A24 and IMAX, the film was shown again in IMAX theaters on February 26, 2025.

The film's poster shows its triptych structure by combining the three actors who play Chiron into one face. The trailer for the film was released on August 11, 2016, to prepare for the festival season. Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times called it "one of the most anticipated films for fall."

On February 27, 2017, the day after the Academy Awards, Calvin Klein released an underwear advertising campaign that included four male actors from the film. On March 7, 2017, the Chinese streaming service iQiyi announced it had acquired the rights to show the film in China. The film is also available on home media platforms such as iTunes and DVD.

Reception

Moonlight earned $27.9 million in the United States and Canada and $37.5 million in other countries, for a total worldwide earnings of $65.3 million. The film’s production cost was $1.5 million.

The film first showed in four theaters on October 21, 2016, and earned $402,072, averaging $100,519 per theater. The number of theaters showing the film reached 650 on November 18, 2016, and expanded to 1,014 theaters in February. After the Oscars ceremony, A24 announced the film would be shown in 1,564 theaters. In the weekend following its Oscar wins, the film earned $2.5 million, a 260% increase from the previous week. This was the highest-earning weekend of its theatrical run. It also earned more money than the first weekends of the previous two Best Picture winners, Spotlight ($1.8 million) and Birdman ($1.9 million).

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 98% approval rating based on 402 reviews, with an average score of 9/10. The site’s summary states, "Moonlight uses one man’s story to offer a remarkable and brilliantly crafted look at lives too rarely seen in cinema." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 99 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "universal acclaim." It was the highest-scoring film of 2016 on both sites.

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 by James Laxton as "fluid and seductive, deceptively mellow, and shot through with searing compassion." He concluded that the film "will strike plangent chords for anyone who has ever struggled with identity, or to find connections in a lonely world." In a review for Time Out New York, Joshua Rothkopf gave Moonlight five stars out of five and praised Barry Jenkins’s direction.

Brian Formo of Collider gave Moonlight an 'A−' grade, applauding the performances and direction but stating the film "is more personal and important than it is great." Jake Cole of Slant Magazine praised the acting but criticized the screenplay, arguing that "so much of the film feels old-hat." Tasha Robinson of The Verge lamented the plot details omitted between the film’s three acts but wrote that "what does make it to the screen is unforgettable."

Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times described Moonlight as "achingly romantic and uncommonly wise" after its screening at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. He called it an early Oscar contender and 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."

Michael Wood of The London Review of Books described the film as a study of an inherited intergenerational tragedy. 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 "straight, white, middle class" audience. Catherine Shoard noted that critics’ opinions are subjective but expressed dismay over Long’s "struggle to feel for those who aren’t like you." David McAlmont of The Huffington Post called Long’s review "not a review… [but] a waspish response to other reviews."

On Metacritic’s list of the top ten lists of the decade, Moonlight was tied for the second-most number ones and ranked second in overall mentions. It was listed on over 180 critics’ top-ten lists for 2016, including 65 first-place rankings and 33 second-place rankings. IndieWire 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." In 2021, the Writers Guild of America 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. In July 2025, it ranked number 3 on Rolling Stone’s list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century."

At the 74th Golden Globe Awards, Moonlight received six nominations, the second highest of all film nominees. It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama and received additional nominations for Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (for Ali), Best Supporting Actress (for Harris), Best Screenplay (for Jenkins), and Best Original Score (for Britell).

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.

At the 89th Academy Awards, Moonlight received eight nominations, 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. The film won three awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay. At the ceremony, presenter Faye Dunaway mistakenly announced La La Land as the winner of Best Picture. Co-presenter Warren Beatty later admitted he had received the wrong envelope. La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz corrected the mistake, announcing Moonlight as the actual winner. The Best Picture envelope is displayed at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Beatty wrote a congratulatory note to Jenkins, which is also on display at the museum.

During his keynote at the 2018 SXSW Festival, Jenkins read the acceptance speech he had prepared in case Moonlight won Best Picture. He was unable to deliver it at the ceremony due to the confusion over La La Land being mistakenly announced as the winner.

Because the film’s screenplay was based on a play that had not been previously produced or published, different awards classified it as either original or adapted. It was classified as an original screenplay by the Writers Guild of America Awards