Top Stories
1. The swimming scene was realer than we thought
When Juan teaches Little how to swim in the movie, Mahershala Ali (the actor) was actually teaching Alex R. Hibbert (the actor) how to swim. When production started, Hibbert did not know how to swim.
The script originally featured two scenes of Juan attempting to teach Little how to do somethingriding a bike and swimmingbut Jenkins realized the latter was the far more potent of the two. It also fit the developing theme of water and ocean as this place of possibility. They put the camera in the water with the characters, and after realizing that an impending storm was cutting their time short they captured one of the years most beautiful sequences.
2. Now that's true talent
Naomie Harris had to shoot her entire role in three days, in between her promotional tour of Spectre (2015), due to a visa problem (Harris is British). The scenes spanned 15 years in the character's life and were filmed out of sequence.
3. The actors never got to meet the other "them"
In an interview, Barry Jenkins said that the three actors who play Chiron never met during production. He wanted each of them to build their own persona of Chiron during their respective segments, with no influence from the other portrayals. The same technique was used with the actors who play Kevin. Afterward, they all got meet the other "them's".
4. The director and writer drew a lot from their own upbringings
Both director Barry Jenkins and writer Tarell Alvin McCraney's vision was pretty clear and singular. Even though they didn't know each other before the film, both of these men grew up in the same Liberty City neighborhood of Miami with mothers who struggled with drug addiction. Roughly 80% of the film was shot on location here one of the most poverty-stricken areas in the United States. Initially the production was apprehensive about safety issues until the word got out that Jenkins was from the neighborhood - then everything changed for the better. The locals couldn't have been more welcoming and cooperative. Naomie Harris has said that she'd never felt so appreciated and at ease on a film set during the shoot.
5. The movie was based on a play of a similar name
The film is based on the unproduced play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" by MacArthur Fellow Tarell Alvin McCraney.
6. There wasn't enough money for more than one trailer
Budgetary constraints on this production made it so that the cast had to share one trailer for costume, hair and makeup and one rest room stall had to be (Continued)
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one restroom stall had to be shared by cast and crew. "Hurry up, I can't hold it any longer!" was probably a common phrase on set.
7. Jenkins and Jerome decided that Chiron had never kissed anybody before.
The director didnt want to avoid an overt moment of sensuality in the film as it felt like a cop-out. The beach scene between Chiron and Kevin (played by Jharrel Jerome) felt like the moment where this [more overt] side of the character had to come to the surface. Jerome, the actor, asked the director before shooting the scene what it was about, and Jenkins described it as a moment about caring for someone else. Jenkins explained that, He got really, really quiet, and I knew he wanted to ask a question. And hes like, Is this the first time this character has ever kissed another man? And I said no. Is this the first time Chiron kissed another man? I didnt say anything. Jenkins says he prefers arriving at an answer with the actors rather than simply giving them one, and Jerome concluded that Chiron had never kissed anybody, period. And from then he knew what his role was in the scene.
8. Barry Jenkins decided to play Jukebox music on the actual jukebox
The second song that plays in the Diner is "Hello Stranger" by Barbara Lewis. Director Barry Jenkins made the decision to actually play the song on the jukebox in the background while they were filming to make it more authentic.
9. The game the boys play in the field has an interestingly related name
"Throw up tackle" is the name of a game that the boys play in the field. The game involves creating a ball of some sort, throwing it into the air, and then tackling whoever catches it. Interestingly, Jenkins recalls a crew-member saying that where he grew up they called it Smear the Queer. He finds that interesting as he never heard it referred to by that name despite the black community being the one supposedly known for its rampant homophobia.
10. There was an impromptu scene to make you engage with Paula
Director Barry Jenkins' favorite scene in his film was an impromptu sequence of Paula (Naomie Harris) staring straight into the camera overcranked at 48fps. This was a last-minute decision by Jenkins specifically intended to fully engage the audience with Paula's character.
11. Jenkins' own childhood setting inspired Moonlight's
For the setting, Director Barry Jenkins was inspired by his own childhood in Miami, where he was "always surrounded by this very lush green grass and these beautiful golden sunsets." He grew up in "an awesome neighborhood where some very dark things happened." He feels as though his childhood was "a beautiful struggle."
12. Hopefully the forth of many...
With his Oscar nomination, Barry Jenkins has become only the (Continued)
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only the fourth black filmmaker nominated in the Best Director category.
13. Brad Pitt backed the movie financially
An early meeting with Brad Pitt helped director Barry Jenkins get the necessary funds and distribution deal he required.
14. Naomie Harris almost turned down the role of Paula
When first approached, Naomie Harris was very reluctant to play a crack addict since it was so alien to her teetotaling persona. Harris had been insistent from the start on a career plan to only portray women in a positive light. However, when Barry Jenkins confided to her that she'd be portraying a character based on his own crack-addicted mother, she agreed to take on the role. In preparation for the part she spent a month researching the lives of drug addicts by watching several videos of crack addicts on YouTube. Who knew Youtube would become such a good source of inspiration to actors!
15. This was a movie of many firsts
Mahershala Ali is the first Muslim person to win an Academy Award for acting. On top of this, producer Dede Gardner is the first woman to win the Academy Award for 'Best Picture' twice. Her first award was for 12 Years a Slave (2013).
16. Moonlight's budget was the smallest of any 'Best Picture' winner ever
According to cinematographer James Laxton Moonlight (2016) only had a small budget of $1.5 million (Variety). Director Barry Jenkins confirmed at a Q&A at the BFI in London, that this was indeed the budget. This is a lower budget than any other 'Best Picture' winner since Rocky (1976) had, which cost a reported $1.1 million in its day. But if the budgets are adjusted for inflation, then "Moonlight" has to be regarded as the 'Best Picture' winner with the lowest budget ever.
17. Did you notice the license plate?
The adult Chiron drives a car with the license plate number "BLACK305." 'Black' is the (Continued)
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was the nickname Kevin gives to Chiron when they are teenagers, and 305 is the area code for Miami.
18. Something seems not quite right here...
This is the first film since Braveheart (1995) to win the Academy Award for Best Picture without winning awards from the Producers Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, or Directors Guild of America. And they almost didn't even get the Academy Award (by accident). Hmmmm...
19. The music was A++
Moonlight (2016) has a very diverse score, with music ranging from orchestra to "chopped and screwed." And as the film goes on, composer Nicholas Britell decided to "chop and screw" the orchestra. Voila! A unique sound was born.
20. Another movie inspired the narrative structure of Moonlight
The inspiration for the narrative structure of the film came from Taiwanese director Hsiao-Hsien Hou's film Three Times (2005).
21. Remember those light flashes in the movie? They're there for a reason.
The light flashes in the transitions between chapters is actually an out of focus digital timecode from a camera slate. During filming the actors were sprayed with oil so their skin would shine on camera and the crew would hold the running slate against the lens to protect it from the sprays. Barry Jenkins saw the out of focus timecode on his view monitor and decided to add it to the film as the light flashes are literally showing time moving forward. How innovative!
22. We're moving forward in the world
This is the first LGBT film, and the first film featuring an all black cast, to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
23. Okay, I guess it's time to acknowledge the Oscar mixups
Yep, it was one of the biggest blunders in Oscar history. PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm responsible for tabulating the results, preparing awards envelopes and handing them to presenters apologized profusely to the makers of La La Land (2016) and Moonlight (2016), as well as everyone involved, after an envelope mix-up caused the former to be incorrectly announced as Best Picture: "We sincerely apologize to (Continued)
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"We sincerely apologize to Moonlight (2016), La La Land (2016), Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. [sic] We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred. We appreciate the grace with which the nominees, the Academy, ABC, and Jimmy Kimmel handled the situation."
24. Jaden Piner and Alex Hibbert had only been acting for two weeks before Moonlight
Jaden Piner, who plays little Kevin, is from the same drama program as Hibbert. Theyd only been acting for two weeks when the casting directors found them.
25. The first chapter of the film wasn't about sexuality
The director of the film stated that he doesnt see the first chapter as being about sexuality, saying Its more about this idea of exploration, of really beginning to feel your body to sort of even feel the idea of sexual identity.
26. DVD commentaries are important to Director Barry Jenkins
When he was in film school Jenkins would listen to DVD commentaries for technical advice and detail, so he shares some of his own in his director's commentary. We shot on the Alexa 235 anamorphic, he says, adding that they also used a modified Angenieux zoom lens.
27. Moonlight was featured at a museum
Moonlight was only the second film to be officially screened at the "National Museum of African American History and Culture" and (Continued)
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and it opened to the public in Washington D.C. in 2016 (the 19th and newest museum of the Smithsonian Institution).
28. "No one touched my hair."
Jenkins and Mccraney feel that there has been absolutely no compromise in the production of this film. Quoting Solange at a question and answer session at The Ritzy, Brixton, Jenkins said, No one touched my hair. During filming, Jenkins forgot to call cut on a scene as cast and crew were too involved in what was being organically produced. So, everyone just kept going until he realized! This scene never made it to the final cut as it felt too sweet and did not follow their story.
29. Mahershala Ali was afraid to attend the BAFTA awards because of Trump's travel ban
Mahershala Ali did not attend this years BAFTA awards where he was nominated as Best Supporting Actor because his wife, Amatus Sami-Karim, was expecting their first child and Mahershala did not want to run the risk of not being allowed to re-enter the US under President Trumps recent travel ban.
30. The penis-comparison sequence was from Jenkins' real life
The penis-comparison sequence happened to Jenkins when he was in middle school although he suspects some viewers might have thought it was one of McCraneys memories, as the writer is gay while Jenkins is not. I think theres something very universal about the way boys grow up, he says.
31. They decided not to explain Juan's absence in the second chapter
The script originally featured a more direct dialogue regarding the absence of Juan in the second story, but Jenkins thought it important for viewers to deal with his sudden absence as a character actually would have. The scene where Chiron (now played by Ashton Sanders) and Teresa (Mone) make the bed featured them saying Juan is gone, but the director thought it felt false. Instead of speaking it, he wanted Juans absence to be felt in their expressions and silence.
Kids say the cutest things, don't they?
Their unfiltered observations about life's many mysteries can be downright hilarious and serve as reminders of their pure innocence.
But it's less forgivable when adults make naive comments because, well, shouldn't they know better?
That's not always the case, however.
Curious to hear ridiculous examples of the things grown people say, Redditor Automatic_Hedgehog71 asked:
"What is the silliest statement you have ever heard someone make?"
Some people should really think twice before opening their mouth.
Work Of Art
"'How did they get the paint all the way up the sides?' -Middle-aged woman touring the Meteor Crater in AZ."
“'That’s not paint, those are the actual colors of the rock' -Her husband, giving her a long stare and walking away."
– ghostbungalow
For Trial And Error
"I had a boss say 'oh you don’t want kids, you should just have one to try it out.'"
"Really, and what happens if I find out that I truly don’t want kids? Can we just put it back where it came from?"
– tyintegra
Confused Soldier
"I worked at a place that gave a military discount."
"Family (mom, dad, adult son, adult daughter) walked in. Dad was reading the prices and pointed out to the son that he could get a discount!"
"This kid takes the sign, reads it, and says, as God is my witness:"
"I'm not in the military. I'm in the Army."
– JustMeerkats
To Live Or Let Die
"Someone once told me that paramedics/nurses/doctors are not allowed to do CPR on someone they know because it’s 'a conflict of interest.'”
– corviknight2259
It's a wonder how some people manage to live in the real world.
Know Your Audience When Using Big Words
"Sat down to eat with a friend. I said 'I'm famished' she looked at me, laughed and LOUDLY she said to me 'I swear you make up words sometimes.'"
– NotBadSinger514
"Oh man people say this to me all the time! Why did I read books and learn so many words, when no one understands them, and I really didn't think they were so pretentious, words like Famished."
– Person_Letter_629
Not Icarus
"A friend of mine said she got more tanned when riding her bike than she did when walking because on her bike, she was 'closer to the sun.'"
– Five_Star_Amenities
"This just reminded me of a time I was out on a boat with a big group of people and one of them said 'I’m so glad it’s windy, I won’t get sunburned' they thought the wind would push the light away from their skin. I was the only one to say it definitely doesn’t work like that and I could tell they thought I was wrong."
– Thbbbt_Thbbbt
The Symptoms Indicate Otherwise
"Earlier today I offered a cough drop upon my flight’s landing to the lady wet coughing right behind me the whole flight."
'Oh, no thanks, I’m not sick. I just went to Oregon and have felt awful the whole time since.'
"Okay…so…sick"
– ACaparzo
Completely Lost
"A friend once said she couldn't take Southwest Airlines because she was flying east to Florida."
– ProudCatLadyxo
"How do they get the planes back? Do they repaint them as Northeast? Or do they just push them?"
– ch4m3le0n
"They just keep flying south until they come back around."
– frymeyourpoop
A Silly Sports Spectator Said
"I was at a baseball game in Cincinnati and the teenage girl behind turned to her friend and said 'this is so cool, it's almost like we're watching it live.' I think about that a lot."
"EDIT: based on the look of the girls and their other conversations this was no joke, there was no laughing either. Don't remember the exact year but flip phones were the most common cell phone and we had seats in the outfield so she didn't appear to be watching the game thru her phone. This also wasn't the first time that day where I heard them say something and I stopped what I was doing and stared straight into space, just the most memorable. They seemed like nice enough girls, no malicious or rude conversations, it just appeared like they lacked some basic intelligence for some relatively simple concepts."
– Michael_With_An_M
You can't be difficult and clueless at the same time, can you?
Observe exhibits A, B, & C.
Unpalatable Texture
"A woman tried to send back a dish. She didn’t understand the components of it and tried to tell me that she couldn’t eat it because she was allergic to crunchy. Like yeah the texture. Not the ingredient that we had made crunchy."
– BuckleupBirds
"LMAO. Makes me feel better about the guy who asked a friend (server) for ‘Mushroom risotto, but without the rice’."
– Mavises
I'll Have The Pie And Ice Cream With A Side Of Ice Cream
"Had an older family member that back in the day went to a diner and ordered the 'pie a la mode' from the menu. He then proceeded to ask the waitress if they could put a little ice cream on top of that. : )"
– Fluffing_Satan
My husband and I were walking around a gift shop in Solvang, CA, and marveling at some of the various tchotchkes.
One of them was a MOVA globe.
MOVA globes are usually about the size of a softball held up by three small supports, and they rotate without the use of electrical wires or batteries.
Instead, they're powered by the combination of solar cells and torque from the earth's magnetic field. We didn't know this at the time, however.
When a worker nearby saw us being mesmerized by the shelf of spinning globes, he commented, "Cool, right?"
And I replied, "Yeah, how does it work?"
The dude gave a sly smile and said:
"It's an optical delusion."
Or illusion...
We all have various brands and businesses we tend to prefer over others.
Sometimes, we might not patronize these businesses because they have a superior product, but because they might seem more trustworthy than their competitors.
Indeed, some people have had such terrible experiences with companies, even some esteemed corporations, that they went running from them straight into the arms of one of their rivals.
Vowing that they would never, ever spend money on this company ever again.
Redditor SignificantClick8284 was eager to hear which companies people have zero trust in, leading them to ask:
"What company will you never trust again?"
Their Poor Communication Is Kind Of Ironic...
"Comcast."
"Their agents will lie to your face and act like you're in the wrong when called out."- bigdammit
customer service call center GIF
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Not A Place To Spend Or Save Your Money...
"Ashley Furniture."
"Joke of a company."
"Bank of America - also scum."- KrankOverman
Better Question, What Question Will You EVER Trust Again...
"Unfurls paper scroll that stretches to the floor and rolls out the door."
"Ahem."- djb2589
"I see no reason to trust any company."- lycos94
When The Conformation Email Is Moot...
"Booking.com."
"I 'booked' through them just to find out that the hotel had no record of my reservation."
"Then I spent an hour in the lobby trying to get them on the phone, just to find out the price wouldn’t be honored and have them try to sell me another nearby hotel room."
"Nightmare."- DuncanAerilious
"Oh, oh The Well's Fargo Wagon Is A Comin'..."
"Wells Fargo."- clubberlang2005
"Yup."
"I was one of the WF customers who suddenly had 3 mystery WF accounts under my name."
"This was prior to the court case so I went in to my branch to ask WTF."
"The manager said the guy who set up those accounts was the same guy that setup my original 2 accounts - a checking and savings account."
"That a-hole tried to make it sound like he was doing me a favor by setting up all these accounts."
"Making it worse he says I need to login to my account in order for him to remove the other 3 accounts."
"He hands me that password box, I enter my password and he says 'that's an easy one to remember'."
"Is that your favorite band?'"
"After he said that I asked for the branch manager and told him what just happened and that I was closing all of my accounts'."- thescreamingstone
kate mckinnon snl GIF by Saturday Night Live
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"That's All Folks!"
"ACME."
"Every f8cking thing."
"From anvils to bat suits to zoot suits always FAIL."- alien_survivor
Not Equipped For The Digital Age
"HP."
"Thier printers (large and small format) are all complete trash that require constant upkeep."- Bluegrass_Barbarian
Pictures And Fine Print Can Be Misleading...
"Airbnb."- pkovach64
"My wife and I were drinking and got pretty drunk at an Airbnb and without letting us know the hosts sent a bunch of people to the property to refill the propane and other stuff."
"They came into the house while we were drunk and half-naked and were catcalling my wife in front of me."
"This was a pretty big and well-known group operating in Tennesee."
"From what we found out this is extremely common."- Huge-Plantain-8418
Giveaway GIF by AppSumo
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Analog Has Its Benefits...
"EA."- bullet312
"I lost all my sims sh*t because I hadn't logged in for more than 6 months."
"EA told me to reset my password so that they could restore my account."
"They kept saying the link was in my email, but it never came."
"Kept calling to try to get the issue fixed over a few weeks, then I realized they were just d*cking me around."
"F*ck EA."- MotherOfDogs1872
And To Think They're Supposed To Help You...
"Any insurance company."
"Especially health and homeowners."- carolizzy81
FalsE Advertising
"Nabisco."
"They took double stuffed Oreos, reduced the amount of cream to the same as the regular Oreos, and are still selling them as double stuffed, and are charging double stuffed prices!"
"The betrayal is unforgivable."- It_Wasnt_Me79
oreo GIF
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As If Taxes Aren't Annoying Enough...
"Jackson Hewitt!"
"Had our taxes done a while back, and the tax preparer asked if we wanted the $200 cash advance."
"We did not."
"She then proceeded to change our information and use hers to get the temporary card with the advance."
'She then used an ATM to withdraw cash."
"She was arrested, but getting a refund was like pulling teeth from a hen."
'They didn't believe that it happened even though we had the paperwork with the tax preparer's information on it."
"It was a frigging nightmare!"
"Oh, I almost forgot she added me to the return and said I was the sister instead of the mom, so we ended up owing $1500 on top of the bullsh*t from the tax preparer."
"I do our taxes now."- RoguePhoenix259
People like to know when they're spending money that it's going somewhere they can trust.
Especially if their money is going somewhere that is supposed to keep their money safe, to begin with...