Films Moonlight

Subscribe
Advertising Remove ads
Moonlight poster

Film · 2016

Moonlight

Directed by Barry Jenkins · starring Mahershala Ali, André Holland and Shariff Earp

  • 1 h 51 min
  • 15
  • Drama · Thriller · LGTB
  • USA
  • Released in the UK 16 February 2017
  • 8.6 AverageMovieNCo
  • 7.5 Users36 votes
  • 9.7 Critics10 reviews
Watch trailer Where to watch · from £3.49 Rate it

Synopsis

'Moonlight' tells a story of a lifetime...the story of Chiron, in three episodes. He is a Miami teenager discovering his sexuality in a stormy home life. Despite its typical premise, director Barry Jenkins ('Medicine for Melancoly') manages to develop a coherent and complex tale, far from stereotypes. Chiron gets lost on the streets of a city that is based on drug dealing, and will indeed find love in unexpected places, as well as a possibility to redeem.

The film is based on the Tarell McCraney play 'In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue' and it stars Naomie Harris, André Holland, Mahershala Ali and Janelle Monáe (in her first movie after an exquisite career in the music industry), in addition to the three actors who play Chiron on the three stages of the story: Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes and Alex R. Hibbert.

Where to watch Moonlight

All the options

Available now in the UK:

Availability checked on 8 November 2026.

The essentials

Runtime
111 min1 hour and 51 minutes
Budget
$4mA24
Box office
$26.9m6.7 times its budget
Rating
15Suitable only for 15 years and over
How long is Moonlight?
1 hour and 51 minutes (111 minutes).
When was Moonlight released in the UK?
It was released in the UK on 16 February 2017.
Who directed Moonlight?
Barry Jenkins.
Who is in Moonlight?
It stars Mahershala Ali, André Holland, Shariff Earp and Duan Sanderson.
Where can I watch Moonlight?
In the UK it is available to rent on Apple TV.
How much did Moonlight make?
It took $26.9 million in US. It cost $4 million.
Advertising Remove ads

Cast

Full cast (17)
Director
Barry Jenkins
Writers
Barry Jenkins
Producers
Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner

Videos and trailers

All 2 videos
'Moonlight' Trailer 1:5511 August 2016

Photos and posters

All 23 photos

Reviews

All 10 reviews
7.5 36 votes
  • 103 %
  • 928 %
  • 819 %
  • 725 %
  • 611 %
  • ≤514 %

What the critics say average 9.7 from 10 outlets

  • 10 The WrapSam Fragoso Barry Jenkins follows the trace of a tragic childhood in his second and powerful film. Read
  • 10 Time OutJoshua Rothkopf Moonlight takes the pain of growing up and turns it into hardened scars and private caresses. This film is, without a doubt, the reason we go to the movies: to understand, to come closer, to ache… Read
  • 10 Entertainment WeeklyChris Nashawaty Easily one of the most personal and most powerful films of the year. Read

Box office

Weekend by weekend
  • Budget $4m
  • US $26.9m
  • UK £3.9m

Awards

All the awards

Soundtrack

All 29 songs
  1. Every Nigger Is a StarBoris Gardiner, Remix Dennis, quot, DEZO, quot Spotify
  2. It'll All Be OverThe Supreme Jubilees Spotify
  3. Laudate Dominum from Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K. 339Conducted, Nicholas Britell Spotify
  4. One Step AheadAretha Franklin Spotify

Trivia

All 10 facts

  • How to swim

    When Juan teaches Little how to swim, Mahershala Ali is really teaching Alex R. Hibbert how to swim. When production started, Hibbert did not know how to swim.

  • No influence

    In an interview, Barry Jenkins said that the three actors who play Chiron never met during production. He wanted each of them to build their own persona of Chiron during their respective segments, with no influence from the other portrayals. The same technique was used with the actors who play Kevin.

  • Based on the unproduced play

    The film is based on the unproduced play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" by MacArthur Fellow Tarell Alvin McCraney.

  • Naomie Harris

    Naomie Harris shot her entire role in three days in between her promotional tour of Spectre 007 (2015).

  • Mother

    Like Chiron, director Barry Jenkins also had a mother who suffered from addiction.

If you liked Moonlight

Advertising Remove ads