Moonlight starring Mahershala Ali is now on Netflix

Moonlight starring Mahershala Ali and Janelle Monáe is now on Netflix, and there has never been a better time to revisit the Oscar winner. 

The 2017 Best Picture winner Moonlight was added to Netflix last week. The movie is maybe best known for the winning envelope mixup that resulted in the false announcement of La La Land winning the top prize; however, Moonlight may be one of the most solid best picture winners in the last 20 years.

If you have not seen the film yet, here are some reasons why now is as good a time as ever to revisit this modern masterpiece.

Moonlight chronicles the life of Chiron as he grows up navigating a harsh social and economic neighborhood of Miami. Told in three separate time periods, the film shows how differently Chiron must present himself in the world in order to survive, and how the world changes around him, and how it remains the same.

Director and screenwriter Barry Jenkins was able to pull off a cinematic feat with Moonlight, creating a visual and audio feast on the minuscule budget of only 4 million dollars. Jenkins based the story off of the unpublished play In The Moonlight, Black Boys Look Blue by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, as well as experiences from his own life growing up in southern Florida in the early 1990s.

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The performances are stellar all across the board, and the film takes advantage of quiet and subtle moments to portray Chiron’s struggle to find himself. Actor Mahershala Ali became the first actor of Muslim faith to earn an Oscar for his portrayal of Juan, a street smart drug dealer who serves as a father figure to Chiron during the first act of the film. Actress Naomi Harris gives a haunting performance as Chiron’s drug-addicted mother, and Janelle Monáe brings a light and calm nature to the film with her portrayal of Teresa, who provides Chiron with the mother figure he needs.

Chiron is played by three different actors in each separate portion of the film. Director Barry Jenkins specifically did this to show how differently Chiron presented himself to different communities throughout his life. In fact, none of the actors were allowed to meet before filming, so that each performance was able to feel unique and specific to each time period.

The film explores many themes such as masculinity, sexuality, economic distress in poor neighborhoods, and the black experience. Chiron does not feel as if he fits in inside any community throughout the film, which is why this film is so important. It gives those minority groups a story to see themselves in, and to help them know that they are not alone.

Moonlight is special because it seems so simple and nuanced, while remaining incredibly layered and deep at the same time. It may have been a surprise when it took Best Picture in 2017, but after watching the film recently, it is easy to see why the film is considered a modern masterpiece. Have you watched Moonlight yet or will you be checking it out soon? Let us know in the comments below.

Moonlight is on the list of the 50 best movies on Netflix!