Best of 2016:

When I called Carol the best American Wong Kar-Wai film last year, perhaps I spoke too soon. The gorgeous third act of Barry Jenkins’ sophomore feature Moonlight, along with Carol and the Lily Gladstone/Kristen Stewart segment of Certain Women, seems to suggest that diner scenes are the best cinematic settings for romantic longing. Yet Moonlight also has much to say about race, sexuality, family, even Florida. Its ability to successfully span all of this subject matter over three different time periods makes it one of the most skillful cinematic feats of the year.