A composed take on race and sexuality, Barry Jenkins' Moonlight is rich in unsaid emotion and devastating in its depiction of a lifetime of tragedy. The splitting of Chiron's life into three chapters and actors helps support its presentation of the relentless pressures that he faces, from abandonment to homophobic violence.

Moonlight's Oscar win is deserved, although Manchester by the Sea had a stronger effect on me. In its technical excellence and themes of longing and the passing of time, Moonlight reminded me of Brokeback Mountain. Although it shows a different world, it also succeeds in highlighting contradictions around sexuality and masculinity in a form able to reach a wide audience.