Simple, elegant ‘Moonlight’ warrants hype as one of year’s best

Have you ever read a bunch of critics breathlessly praise a little movie you never knew existed, taken a chance and bought a ticket only to trudge out of the theater wondering what in the world we were thinking?

There are a couple of reasons for that, neither of which is that we’re all a bunch of idiots.

OK, fine. Some of us are idiots.

For starters, we often get to watch smaller movies weeks or even months ahead of their release, long before the hype machine kicks in, so we’re essentially seeing them blind. If you aren’t expecting to be blown away, it’s hard to be disappointed.

Secondly, saying that we see a lot of movies is like saying Khloe Kardashian has seen a few NBA players. It’s a vast understatement. So when something different — something that breaks the mold in any way — comes along, we get excited.

That’s why so many of us won’t shut up about “Moonlight.”

Opening Friday at Downtown Summerlin and the Suncoast, “Moonlight” follows Chiron, a young African-American growing up in a bad part of Miami, as he struggles with his sexuality and what it means to be a man.

Wait. Where are you going? Seriously, stick around. It’s on the short list of the best movies I’ve seen this year.

Staged in three acts, “Moonlight” first checks in on Chiron at age 10 (played by Alex Hibbert) when he’s known as “Little.” Even then, the other kids can tell Chiron is different, and they chase him home from school, forcing him to hide out in the first available spot: an abandoned apartment being used as a dope hole by a drug dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali, “House of Cards”).

When Juan finds him there, Chiron barely speaks, hardly even looks up and certainly won’t say where he lives. Juan knows he can’t just leave the kid there there, so he feeds Chiron and brings him home to his live-in girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monae).

The three form a surrogate family despite the presence of Chiron’s mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), who shields her son from Juan even as she’s buying his product.

Soon, Juan is mentoring Chiron, teaching him everything from how to swim to why you shouldn’t sit with your back to the door. By the time Chiron musters up the courage to ask him what a “faggot” is, Juan simply explains that “it’s a word people use to make gay people feel bad.” When Chiron follows that up by asking if that’s what he is, Juan lovingly responds that he may be gay — he’ll figure that out for himself one day — but he’s no faggot.

Juan is easily the most compassionate, forward-thinking drug dealer ever captured on film — after all, this is taking place in an era when he’s still being reached by a beeper — and Ali is terrific in the role. A best supporting actor Oscar nomination isn’t out of his reach.

By the second chapter, a 16-year-old Chiron (Ashton Sanders) is still being bullied at school, but he’s now getting it at home, too. His mother’s strung out, kicks him out of the house for the night because she has “company comin’,” then begs and threatens him for money to buy more crack. But Chiron finds another ally in Kevin (Jharrel Jerome), a friend for whom he can’t quite understand his feelings.

Then by the final chapter, a heavily muscled 30-something Chiron (Trevante Rhodes), now known as “Black,” has assumed the characteristics of Juan, down to the crown on his dashboard. Despite the gold fronts on his teeth, Black isn’t so much a thug as he is a man with no idea how he’s supposed to act, so he takes on the most masculine characteristics available to him. It’s like watching Michael C. Hall imitating “normal” people on “Dexter.”

Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight” is simple, elegant and raw. There’s an innate sadness to Chiron throughout the years, and the thought of anyone denying — or simply not knowing — who they are for two decades is heartbreaking.

I’ve been suckered in by rave word of mouth, too. I didn’t see “Bridesmaids” or “The Hangover” until they made their way to TV — I was only reviewing television at the time — and remember thinking, “This is what all the fuss was about?”

And, admittedly, if your favorite movies so far this year have been, say, “Dirty Grandpa” or “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” this is not the film for you.

But if you’re looking for a moving story, artfully told by a filmmaker on the rise, “Moonlight” certainly warrants the hype.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com. On Twitter: @life_onthecouch.