# Moonlight (2016 film)

Moonlight is a 2016 film about the life of an African-American man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami. The film won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
    Directed and written by Barry Jenkins, based on the play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by Tarell Alvin McCraney.

## Black

* [to Kevin] You're the only man who ever touched me. [pause] The only one. [pause] I haven't really touched anyone since.

## Kevin

* Hey, these grandma rules, man. You know the deal. Your ass eat, your ass speak.
* I wasn't never worth shit. Never did anything I actually wanted to do, was all I could do to do what other folks thought I should do. I wasn't never myself.

## Paula

* [to Little] You're my only. I'm your only.
* You ain't got to love me, but you gonna know that I love you.

## Dialogue

    Little: [innocently] What's a faggot?
    Juan: A faggot is... a word used to make gay people feel bad.
    Little: Am I a faggot?
    Juan: No. You're not a faggot. You can be gay, but you don't have to let nobody call you a faggot.
    Juan: I've been here a long time. I'm from Cuba. A lot of black folks in Cuba. You wouldn't know from being here now. I was a wild little shortie, man. Just like you. Running around with no shoes on, the moon was out. This one time, I run by this old... this old lady. I was running, hollerin'. Cuttin' a fool, boy. This old lady, she stopped me. She said... [imitates old lady voice] "Running around, catching a lot of light". "In moonlight, black boys look blue". "You're blue". "That's what I'm gonna call you: 'Blue'."
    Little: Is your name 'Blue'?
    Juan: [laughs] Nah. [pause] At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you're going to be. Can't let nobody make that decision for you.
    Juan: I saw your mama last night.
    Little: I hate her.
    Juan: I bet you do. [pause] Hated mine too. [pause] Miss her like hell now. All I'm gonna say about that.
    Teresa: Aright. Water for me, and a little gin for you. [chuckles] Boy please. I know Juan used to give you that gin, but we ain't doing that up in here Chiron. [pause] You don't think my joke was funny? [pause] What's wrong?
    Chiron: Nothing. I'm good.
    Teresa: No. I done seen good, and you ain't it. Stop putting yo' head down in my house! You know my rule. It's all love and all pride in this house! Do you feel me?
    [Chiron nods]
    Teresa: [scoffs] I can't hear you. Do you feel me?
    Chiron: [quietly] Yeah.
    Teresa: Okay.
    Chiron: [firmly] I feel you.
    Teresa: Aright.
    Paula: Where did you go last night?
    Chiron: Why?
    Paula: Well, I'm your mama, ain't I?
    Paula: I need some money.
    Chiron: For what?
    Paula: That's my business! Don't you ask me no shit like that!
    Chiron: [mumbling] I don't have any money.
    Paula: No, no, don't lie to me boy! I'm your mama! That bitch over there ain't no kin yeah? I'm your blood! Remember? [pause] I ain't feeling good. I need something to help me out. [sobbing] Come on baby. Come on baby.
    Kevin: What you cry about?
    Chiron: I should have cried too much. Sometimes I feel like I'm just gonna turn into drops.
    Kevin: But you just roll out into the water, right? Roll out into the water just like all these rambo-fuckers trying to drown their sorrow.
    Kevin: Who is you, man?
    Black: Who, me?
    Kevin: Yeah, nigga. You. Them fronts? That car? Who is you, Chiron?
    Black: I'm me man. Ain't trying to be nothing else.
    Kevin: So you hard now?
    Black: I ain't say that.
    Kevin: Then what? [pause] Look. I'm not trying hem you up. Just... I ain't seen you in like a decade. Not what I expected, none of it. Not good or bad. Just not what I expected.
    Black: Well, what did you expect?
    [pause]
    Kevin: You remember the last time I saw you?
    [pause]
    Black: For a long time, tried not to remember. Tried to forget all those times. The good... the bad. All of it.
    Kevin: Yeah. I know.
    Kevin: So Chiron...
    Black: [chuckles] What... Why are you lookin' me like that for?
    Kevin: What man? Come on, you just drove down here?
    Black: [pause] Yeah.
    Kevin: Like you was just, you was just on one, and you hit the highway?
    Black: [quietly] Yeah.
    Kevin: [pause] So where you gonna stay tonight, man?

## Cast

* Trevante Rhodes - Chiron / "Black"
** Ashton Sanders - Teen Chiron
** Alex Hibbert - Child Chiron / "Little"
* André Holland - Kevin
** Jharrel Jerome - Teen Kevin
** Jaden Piner - Child Kevin
* Janelle Monáe - Teresa
* Naomie Harris - Paula
* Mahershala Ali - Juan
* Patrick Decile - Terrel

## External links

* Moonlight quotes at the Internet Movie Database
* Moonlight at Rotten Tomatoes
* Moonlight at Metacritic
* Moonlight at Mojo
* Official website