“Moonlight” maintains dynamic energy throughout an immersive character study

When ten-year-old Chiron first appears in "Moonlight," he's fleeing bullying boys, taking refuge in a derelict apartment. Literally and metaphorically, Chiron runs full tilt physically and emotionally for most of the film told as three chapters in his life: as a boy called Little, as 16-year-old Chiron, and as a young man called Black.

Figuring out and accepting he's gay, Chiron relishes the mentoring of drug dealer Juan and his girlfriend Teresa, endures his mother's mood swings, and wrestles with his crush on schoolmate Kevin, with whom he later, briefly reunites in a heart-breaking scene. Throughout its deeply moving character study, with an all-black cast, "Moonlight" maintains a dynamic energy because of the acting, director Barry Jenkins' focus on eyes revealing depths of vulnerability and strength, and his characters' periodic direct address to the camera.   

Jenkins adapted Tarell McCraney's autobiographical play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue," profiling life in and around Miami's Liberty City housing project, where both Jenkins and McCraney grew up. The setting adds a powerful presence to each scene: homes, schools, abandoned buildings, beaches or, in one of the loveliest scenes, the ocean. In addition, both Jenkins' and McCraney's mothers struggled with drug addiction, real-life experiences again informing the texture captured here. Winner of the 2017 Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Mahershala Ali makes the Cuban Juan a three-dimensional character rather than the stereotypical drug dealer. As the three Chirons, Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes use their faces to reveal emotions they struggle to hide. It makes for a visceral impact, as does Naomie Harris' terrifying and compassionate performance as Chiron's crack addict mother and André Holland as the adult Kevin.

Nicholas Britell's music and sound, as well as concentrated silences, add distinctive commentary. The inclusion of "Hello, Stranger" late in the film expresses Chiron's search for his own identity and his ability to embrace it. Winner of the 2017 Oscars for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, "Moonlight" is streaming on multiple platforms and screening at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema on Tuesday, June 18, at 7:00 p.m.