Chad’s Grade: B+
In 2018 the Motion Picture Academy announced plans to establish a new Oscar category for Outstanding achievement in “Popular” film. The move was meant to bolster interest in the Academy Awards broadcast, whose ratings steadily declined in recent years. The yearly Oscar broadcast is a significant revenue stream for the Academy, but viewership numbers plummeted. And what better way to goose the ratings by highlighting the biggest blockbuster films. You know, the movies that the masses go and see.
The announcement was met with swift confusion and backlash. What exactly qualifies as a “popular” film? Don’t the MTV movie awards already reward the more hip and big blockbusters? And wouldn’t the new category overshadow the “Best Picture” winner, thus diluting its impact?
If you dig into Oscar history, this isn’t the first time the Academy Awards have pulled this trick. The original ceremony in 1929 honored “Wings” as Outstanding Picture (now known as Best Picture) and “Sunrise” with Best Unique & Artistic picture. The latter category was scrapped the following year, and the decision was to have one sole “Best Picture” winner.
Thankfully, the Academy canceled the “popular” film category in 2019, but I’m sure the idea will be revisited in the future. Especially if movies like “Moonlight” and “The Shape of Water” continue to take home the big prize. Let’s be honest, as great as both films are on an artistic level, neither set the box office on fire. Most people haven’t heard of or never bothered to see 2016’s “Moonlight.” It’s still one of the lowest-grossing Best Picture winners, just behind “Nomadland” and 2009’s “The Hurt Locker.”
This is a damn shame as “Moonlight” is an engrossing and intimate coming-of-age drama. It’s a window into a world we rarely visit, the queer, African American experience. And it’s now the first LGBTQ film to win the Best Picture prize. This may explain the disconnect between the audience’s reaction and the Academy’s praise showered on it back in 2016.
Told in three separate chapters, “Moonlight” tells the story of Chiron, who grapples with both his gay identity and growing up in a crime-ridden neighborhood of Miami. Abandoned by his father and raised by his drug-addicted mother, Chiron must fend for himself as he’s bullied for his quiet and effeminate manner. He gains a temporary father figure in Juan, a mild-mannered drug dealer, but Chron must forge his path alone after his untimely death. Each chapter portrays significant moments in Chiron’s coming of age, with the first section at age ten, the second at 16, and the third in his 20s.
“Moonlight” was director Barry Jenkins’s second feature, and even with his low budget, he made a visually striking film. With its small cast, there’s the intimacy of a play while retaining a cinematic feel. Yet through its “chapter” structure, there’s the sense that you’re reading a novel as we follow Chiron through his mostly solitary life. Only through Chiron’s interaction with his friend Kevin can we sense his growing gay identity.
The movie is sometimes difficult to watch as Jenkins and his cast never glosses over the horrors of Chiron’s poverty-ridden upbringing. His mother, Paula, is obsessed with hooking up and getting her next crack-addicted fix. Chiron is brutally bullied and harassed by his classmates in the first two chapters. The street-level dialogue gives the film a realism like watching a documentary. Chiron only finds peace when Juan teaches him to swim in the ocean and, later, in the gentle arms of Kevin.
The LGBTQ quotient is apparent but very subtle, and the film is masterful in showing Chiron’s growing queer identity. In the different chapters, you see the evidence bubbling up to the surface with Chiron’s friendship with Kevin. In the second chapter, the pair connect carnally in a surprising subtle sex scene. At the same time, the third chapter culminates in Kevin and Chiron reconnecting on an emotional level in the film’s final tender moment.
And I give credit to the film for portraying an underrepresented group in the LGBTQ community: the quiet, introverted teenager. We’ve been littered with so many smart-talking and fierce gay characters that it’s refreshing to see the other side of the coin. Nothing against my fellow extroverts, but it’s nice to see some representation of the introvert set.
The performances, especially from the adult actors, really elevate the films. Mahershala Ali won his first Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar (his second would be for 2018’s Green Book) despite his limited screen time. The award was well deserved, and he easily carries the first chapter as he becomes Chiron’s only father figure. The real surprise is Naomie Harris, mostly known for her turns in “28 Days Later” and the James Bond films. Who knew that Moneypenny had this kind of acting chops? She’s devasting as Chiron’s drug-addicted mother, whose arc of redemption by the third chapter is supremely moving. The film also marks an early appearance by Janelle Monae, who plays Juan’s no-nonsense girlfriend (the pair would also co-star in “Hidden Figures” that same year.)
The only fault I can give the film is that there isn’t much through-line through the three chapters, where each section feels like a separate film. The three actors portraying Chiron and Kevin at different ages are so distinct from each other with little resemblance. It’s hard to believe the gangly teenager from chapter 2 grows into the muscular and sexy Chiron portrayed by Trevante Rhodes. The only connective tissue is through Chiron’s mother, Paula, who goes through her own growth by the third chapter. Apparently, this was a stylistic choice by Barry Jenkins, but it hurts the film’s cohesion.
“Moonlight” was nominated for 8 Oscars and won for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and Best Adapted Screenplay. That’s an impressive haul for this small and intimate film. Which makes it baffling that “Moonlight” is often considered an overlooked Best Picture winner.
THE 2016 BEST PICTURE NOMINEES:
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell, or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
This is a fantastic group of films as this was a strong year for the movies. Apart from “Hacksaw Ridge” (I was not a fan of Mel Gibson’s violently gruesome epic), all these films belong on the list. I adored the sweet true story of “Hidden Figures,” and fans of Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” should check out his scripted neo-western “Hell or High Water.” I found “Arrival,” directed by Denis Villeneuve, to be a visual tour de force while both creepy and emotionally moving (how could Amy Adams not get nominated?). “Lion” was a compelling true story that featured strong performances from Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel.
And then there is the elephant in the room….
DID IT DESERVE TO WIN?
This was the infamous ceremony where Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty (Bonnie & Clyde nostalgia alert) read the wrong Best Picture winner, incorrectly stating that “La La Land” was the winner.
A confession: I’m a massive fan of La La Land as I adore movie musicals. And this was a musical crafted originally for the cinema. It was easily my favorite film of that year. I saw the movie shortly after the disastrous 2016 presidential election, and for a few short hours, I forgot that Donald Trump would be our president. It broke me out of that depressing funk, and I immediately listened to the soundtrack on repeat for the next several months. And as a cheerleader of my hometown Los Angeles, watching this valentine to the City of Angels hit my sweet spot. And don’t even get me started on the performances of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
So yes, my heart broke when it was revealed that “Moonlight” was the eventual winner. So, did “Moonlight” deserve the Best Picture Oscar?
Yes…and no. This is where I wish the Oscars would follow the Golden Globes lead and split the Best Picture winner into Drama and Comedy categories (a similar dilemma faced “Saving Private Ryan” losing to “Shakespeare in Love”). “Moonlight” is like broccoli, the food you need to eat, but you really crave the sweet chocolate chip cookie of “La La Land. “
So yes, “Moonlight” deserved to win. As a drama, it’s devastating to watch and shines a much-needed spotlight on the Black LGBTQ community.
But personally, I wanted “La La Land” to win. City of Stars, indeed.