And the Oscar goes to… this heartbreaking, hopeful story of a young gay man struggling to understand himself and survive in a rough section of Miami, with only his crack whore of a mom (a standout Naomie Harris) for guidance.His genre-defying story, based on

His genre-defying story, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney‘s semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, is told in three formative chapters, in which he’s portrayed by Alex Hibbart as a schoolboy, Ashton Sanders as an adolescent, and Trevante Rhodes as a young man. Supporting cast includes Mahershala Ali and Janelle Monae.

It’s about poverty and prejudice and overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It’s also about love.

Understated and quietly honest, raw yet universally identifiable, this modest masterpiece from Barry Jenkins (a new director to watch) is about as far from Oscar bait as a film can get, so I’m gratified that the Academy chose, if somewhat stumblingly, to recognize it as Best Picture of 2016. (111 min)