Moonlight (2016) ****
When I first saw Barry Jenkins' Moonlight (2016) the year it was released to theaters, it ended up topping my Top Films Of 2016 list. I purposely waited a long time to rewatch the film, for numerous reasons—it received universal praise, won Best Picture, and I even awarded it ****1/2—a rarity for me when it comes to new films. So I needed to be distanced from the zeitgeist surrounding it and give it some years before I was ready to revisit. I'm glad I did.
I'm still awarding it **** because I still think it's an important film—one that tells a story from a perspective that I've never experienced. I don't personally think that it's cinema's "job" to do that because often that approach ends up making a film feel like "Oscar bait" or a "message film". I don't necessarily think that was Jenkins' intention and I have yet to see either of his other features. I also don't set out to be a naysayer—I'm just going by what I felt this time around.
While I was really blown away by Moonlight the first time, I do think that I was caught up in the hype to a degree. Now that I've seen it again, it feels really contrived in some spots and the characters feel a bit underdeveloped (particularly the lead). It also really plays with the audience's emotions. I know, I know, lots of films do that, but some are more manipulative about it than others. I do think that there are wonderful performances here and overall strong filmmaking choices, but it also feels a bit slow and by-the-numbers other times.
I'm still awarding it **** because I still think it's an important film—one that tells a story from a perspective that I've never experienced. I don't personally think that it's cinema's "job" to do that because often that approach ends up making a film feel like "Oscar bait" or a "message film". I don't necessarily think that was Jenkins' intention and I have yet to see either of his other features. I also don't set out to be a naysayer—I'm just going by what I felt this time around.
While I was really blown away by Moonlight the first time, I do think that I was caught up in the hype to a degree. Now that I've seen it again, it feels really contrived in some spots and the characters feel a bit underdeveloped (particularly the lead). It also really plays with the audience's emotions. I know, I know, lots of films do that, but some are more manipulative about it than others. I do think that there are wonderful performances here and overall strong filmmaking choices, but it also feels a bit slow and by-the-numbers other times.
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