11/19/2016 - Moonlight (2016) – 8+/9-/10

The hype is real. This is a modest but potent masterpiece. It is a shy portrait of an aggrieved soul, hemmed in by every fence in his life, that aches with beauty and torturous sentiment. Quite possibly the best movie of 2016 so far.

One of the most “ felt” films of the year. Not just in terms of tugging emotional strings or interfacing with the characters, but as an ineffable whole. This is a film where each and every element in the construction of a magical movie is present and in near full bloom. Outstanding acting, affecting score, brilliant cinematography, and a hauntingly intimate portrayal of a genuinely difficult existence.

I don’t know if I can remember the last film that I saw where almost every performance was award worthy. Stunning work was done by all here. The acting talent and the direction to highlight those performances was top notch.

It is elegant in its simplicity and vision, bringing uniqueness and naturalism to the characters & situations in a skilled visual manner. Generous with its time, it lingers on the subtlest touches and the more verbose flourishes that form us all. Moving and shaking palette of the sour, accentuated by those fleeting taste of sweet.

Heavy and impassioned, not in a depressive examination but in a lived-in expression of a collective essence. Appreciable import and insight.

This was a tremendous cinematic sojourn; an extremely personal vignette of an (at least, by me) underseen world full of interconnected trials & tribulations, all delivered in the most tight and gorgeous way. An immense film, worthy of your viewing.