This year, the main one seems to be Moonlight. A relatively unknown director in the form of Barry Jenkins, and bar Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali, an unknown cast.
With all that in mind, the film must have made an impact to be considered as one of the front-runners in the major awards.
Now that I've seen it, the film is most certainly impactful in both its story and execution. With the story being a difficult one to tell, Jenkins and his team manages to tell it in such a way that makes it raw and visceral.
What I liked about it the most was a lot of the film feeling so real, that it was almost like watching a Richard Linklater film. Speaking of Linklater, seeing Moonlight reminds of Boyhood. This could be a nice companion piece to Linklater's ground-breaking coming-of-age drama.
All the performances were very good. In terms of awards recognition, it is hard to see who deserves to get a nomination in my opinion. Due to the structure of the film, I felt there was not enough screen time for most of the cast. The only one that I felt I could give a nomination to is Naomie Harris, who was very strong and haunting throughout this film.
But I have to give huge props to Alex R. Hibbert, Mahershala Ali, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes, Jharrel Jerome and Andre Holland.
Everything done from the technical side is so so good. It is beautifully shot, the general colour scheme fits the tone really well and the soundtrack is moving and dramatic at the right times.
The only gripes I had with the film, was the pacing. It was a bit too slow for me most of the time, and that was testing my interest. While some slow moments felt necessary, other parts did not feel right.
Despite all it's praise I have given it, I would call this film an 'important film' more than anything else. It is very well made, from the structure to its executions, the performances are great, the emotion is well played, I love how atmospheric the score is and the story is intriguing and topical.
But sadly, I was only appreciating it instead of loving it. While I can't ignore its terrific craftmanship, I cannot see myself watching this again. It's re-watchability I think will be poor, and it could slowly be forgotten over time.
Also, I think the general mainstream audience will struggle to get into this film and truly appreciate it. The pacing is slow, and the topic its covering appeals very little to the casual film-goer.
That being said, important films should always be highly recommended and you should definitely go and see it. It just maybe the only time you watch it.
Rating: 8/10
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