History YMMV / Moonlight2016

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Juan. An incredibly charming and warm performance from Creator/MahershalaAli combined with [[spoiler:an offscreen death one third into the movie]] have made him the movie's most memorable character for many moviegoers.

** A few will say that Creator/NaomieHarris deserved to win supporting actress that year, with a common complaint being that winner Creator/ViolaDavis was [[AwardCategoryFraud nominated in the wrong category]].

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: On paper, ''Moonlight'' is about as niche and indie as you can get - a microbudget ($1.5 million) coming-of-age art film about a gay black man growing up in poverty, featuring an all-black cast with no big name actors (at least at the time). But the sheer positive word of mouth the film generated throughout its release propelled it into mainstream success (including a ''Best Picture'' Oscar win).

** Some felt Trevante Rhodes and Ashton Sanders could've been nominated for their work as the adult and teenage Chiron respectively.

** After all the shit Terrel puts Chiron through, [[spoiler: Chiron finally cracking a chair over him]] is a sight to behold. There are reports of audience members cheering at the scene.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Juan. An incredibly charming and warm performance from Creator/MahershalaAli combined with [[spoiler: an offscreen death one third into the movie]] have made him the movie's most memorable character for many moviegoers. This resulted in Ali winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
* EsotericHappyEnding: [[spoiler:Chiron reconciles with his mother and with Kevin, starting a relationship with the latter. Sounds great? Except Chiron is still a drug dealer with a criminal record, and even if he tries to go straight, it's going to be one uphill battle]].
* FandomRivalry: A big one between ''Moonlight'' and ''Film/LaLaLand''
** In the lead-up to the Oscars both films were considered the frontrunners for winning Best Picture, with many feeling the award would go to ''La La Land''. Given their subject matter (Low budget indie about a young gay black man growing up in poverty vs glitzy musical about Hollywood with a predominantly white cast) a [[http://www.salon.com/2017/02/26/moonlight-vs-la-la-land-fighting-for-symbolism-or-more/ narrative]] quickly sprung up presenting the contest as a [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical statement]] on Hollywood's complex relationship with inclusivity and diversity.
** Tensions between fans ''skyrocketed'' when an envelope mix-up at the Oscars resulted in the ''La La Land'' crew almost taking home ''Moonlight'''s Best Picture trophy.[[note]]When the time came for Creator/WarrenBeatty and Faye Dunaway to announce the Best Picture winner, a stagehand accidentally handed Beatty the second copy of the envelope containing the Best Actress recipient's name and movie. After Beatty found Creator/EmmaStone's name in the envelope, the confused speaker (Stone had already collected her Oscar, and the first copy of the Best Actress envelope, earlier that evening) passed it to Dunaway, who proceeded to read "''La La Land''" aloud into the microphone. That movie's crew had already either started or finished delivering their acceptance speeches by the time the envelope listing ''Moonlight'' as the true Best Picture victor reached the podium.[[/note]]

* LGBTFanbase: Unsurprising considering the movie is in some ways ComingOutStory, but ''Moonlight'''s success was viewed by many Black and LGBTQ people as an enormously validating moment, showing that stories about those communities could break into the mainstream and win the film world's highest honor. The fact that it did so after the widespread protests about the Oscars' lack of diversity the previous year makes its victory particularly powerful.

** Invoking Steve Harvey's infamous Miss Universe mixup from last year, where he also announced the wrong winner. (Even Jimmy Kimmel, that year's Oscar host, drew the comparison shortly after TheReveal.)

* AltarnativeCharacterInterpretation: Terrel is a viciously homophobic bully, but the sheer audacity of how he targets Chiron over completely meaningless things (like how his jeans are "too tight") implies he could be potentially closeted homosexual as well. He also seems a little jealous of how close Chiron and Kevin are, and purposefully pressures his OnlyFriend beating him senseless.

* AltarnateCharacterInterpretation: Terrel is a viciously homophobic bully, but the sheer audacity of how he targets Chiron over completely meaningless things (like how his jeans are "too tight") implies he could be potentially closeted homosexual as well. He also seems a little jealous of how close Chiron and Kevin are, and purposefully pressures his OnlyFriend beating him senseless.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments: Chiron as an adult puts Kevin in his place [[spoiler:when the latter has the gall to be shocked and horrified that Chiron was forced into drug dealing, saying he shouldn't be doing that. There weren't many options for a black man with a criminal record]]. They have an argument, as Kevin is forced to face that he ruined Chiron's life. Chiron asks if [[ArmorPiercingQuestion if Kevin just phoned him up to lecture him]].

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: On paper, ''Moonlight'' is about as niche and indie as you can get - a microbudget ($1.5 million) coming-of-age art film about a gay black man growing up in poverty, featuring an all-black cast with no big name actors (at least at the time). But the sheer positive word of mouth the film generated throughout its release propelled it into mainstream success (including a ''Best Picture'' Oscar Win!)

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments: Chiron as an adult puts Kevin in his place [[spoiler:when the latter has the gall to be shocked and horrified that Chiron was forced into drug dealing, saying he shouldn't be doing that. Due to RealityEnsues, there weren't many options for a black man with a criminal record]]. They have an argument, as Kevin is forced to face that he ruined Chiron's life. Chiron asks if [[ArmorPiercingQuestion if Kevin just phoned him up to lecture him]].

** Kevin has the decency to look guilty when he sees Chiron again as an adult and learns that due to RealityEnsues, [[spoiler:had to go into drug dealing to support himself. Not many people in real life have the guts to apologize to ruining someone's life when they were kids. Kevin not only does that but also admits that Chiron deserved better]].

* After all the shit Terrel puts Chiron through, [[spoiler: Chiron finally cracking a chair over him]] is a sight to behold. There are reports of audience members cheering at the scene.
** Kevin has the decency to look guilty when he sees Chiron again as an adult and learns that due to RealityEnsues, [[spoiler:had to go into drug dealing to support himself. Not many people in real life have the guts to apologize to ruining someone's life when they were kids]].

* CatharsisFactor: After all the shit Terrel puts Chiron through, [[spoiler: Chiron finally cracking a chair over him]] is a sight to behold. There are reports of audience members cheering at the scene.

* TheWoobie: Chiron, especially as a child and a teenager.

* CatharsisFactor: After all the shit Terrel puts Chiron through, [[spoiler: Chiron finally cracking a chair over him]] is a sight to behold. There are reports of audience members cheering at the scene. [[spoiler:However, this is arguably subverted to the point of becoming a subtle example of YouBastard when we see what horrible repercussions this has on Chiron's subsequent life. It's still unlikely anyone will feel sorry for Terrel, but some may consider the film's subsequent events to contain an implicit {{Aesop}} [[CycleOfRevenge about violence]].]]