‘Moonlight’ Trailer: Barry Jenkins is Back With a New Coming-of-Age Story

Eight years ago, a young filmmaker burst onto the scene with an exciting indie called Medicine for Melancholy, about a day in the lives of two San Franciscans. Starring Wyatt Cenac, the movie did well on the arthouse circuit and established its director, Barry Jenkins, as an artist to watch. But in the eight years since, Jenkins has remained relatively quiet. He’s worked on some shorts and television, but Medicine for Melancholy never got the full followup it deserved until now.

Moonlight, Jenkins’ first feature in almost a decade, will make its premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film’s trailer is embedded above, and the movie looks absolutely gorgeous. Here’s the official plot synopsis:

Moonlight is the tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

Anchored by astonishing performances and the singular vision of filmmaker Barry Jenkins, Moonlight is a groundbreaking exploration of male masculinity—a sensual, intoxicating piece of cinema that uncovers deep truths about the moments that define us, the people who shape us most, and the ache of love that can last a lifetime.

The cast is terrific (including Naomie Harris, André Holland, and Mahershala Ali) and the combo of Jenkins and a “groundbreaking exploration of masculinity” sounds fantastic. This is easily one of my most anticipated movies of TIFF, and really the entire fall; I just hope this is the first of many Jenkins projects instead of the last one for another eight years. After playing the Toronto and New York Film Festivals, Moonlight opens in theaters on October 21.