Oscars 2017: Every Best Picture Nominee - Ranked From Worst To Best
3. Moonlight
Stories about LGBT people of colour aren't told too often on screen, but if Barry Jenkins' Moonlight is anything to go by then they really ought to be.
Jenkins creates a story that invokes, at times, City of God (in its structure and drug dealing themes) and The Wire (specifically Season 4, for the middle chapter of the movie), but also manages to be wholly unique.
Following Chiron in a coming-of-age story, from child to teenager to adult, dealing with his identity, masculinity, and sexuality, it's utterly captivating and incredibly moving.
Naomie Harris and in particular Mahershala Ali are superb in supporting roles, while the trio of actors portraying Chiron - Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes - all do excellent work, helping to connect the three layers of the movie.
Jenkins announces himself with this movie as a director with a distinct voice and style, combining with cinematographer James Laxton to imbue the film with an ethereal quality. It's a hugely important movie, and one that will strike a chord with most who watch it, leaving you with as much aching and longing as the characters themselves. This is the biggest challenger to La La Land's Oscar glory, and it's easy to see why.