Review of Moonlight (2016) by Stephen N — 04 Mar 2017
The film assembles its character portrait of woe very well and very efficiently, with Jenkins and his cinematographer James Laxton showing a love for moving their camera through busy scenes in a single take.
Yet Chiron's journey becomes slowly overwhelmed by the film's swelling sense of self-importance. We're meant to read great profundity into every pregnant pause and depressing turn, as though the issues of troubled black urban youths are being raised on film for the first time.
It becomes very tedious very quickly. And, frankly, "Moonlight" simply runs out of puff, with too little in the film's final chapter to drive it home to a closure that is dramatically satisfying.
While "La La Land" isn't the pinnacle of originality, obviously, "Moonlight" felt unoriginal and at times pretentious. Not the Best Picture.
This review of Moonlight (2016) was written by Stephen N on 04 Mar 2017.
Moonlight has generally received very positive reviews.
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