Third place:
The Handmaiden (director of photography Chung-hoon Chung) [125 points / 20 votes]
Second place:
Silence (director of photography Rodrigo Prieto) [128 points / 20 votes]
And the Muriel goes to…
Moonlight (director of photography James Laxton) [162 points / 23 votes]
“In the first few minutes of Barry Jenkins’ Oscar front runner Moonlight, James Laxton’s camerawork transports us into its protagonist’s world – the Miami projects in the late ‘80s – with an unbroken shot that swoops around crack dealer Juan (Oscar nominee Mahershala Ali) as he confers with one of his street sellers. The shot gets broken after a group of kids run by, and the film cuts to Alex Hibbert, as the first incarnation of lead character Chiron, being chased by bullies across empty lots until he finds a hiding place in a boarded up abandoned building.
“This introduction to Chiron and the hostile environment in which he lives is immersively illustrated by Laxton’s choice to shoot the film in an anamorphic format, which the cinematographer told MovieMaker Magazine ‘gave the visuals boldness and strength, ideas more congruous with the inner turmoil of our characters’ feelings, and the particularity of their environment, than with the slow-building narrative itself.’
“The filmmakers certainly succeed in their endeavor as Laxton, with the aid of digital intermediate colorist Alex Bickel, make Miami into a lot more than a mere backdrop. The exteriors are sun-drenched, with lush greens, while even the drab tones of the interiors – the blue and beige apartment where Chiron (called ‘Little’ in the first third) lives with his mother (Naomie Harris) pop out of the movie’s rich palette.
“But that’s during the daytime. Befitting its title, the film contains epic beauty in its night imagery which contains immaculately lit skin tones, settings bathed in the orange glow of street lights, and, of course, the infinite beauty of a moonlit ocean.
“As the film follows the character, played at 16 by Ashton Sanders, and at 26 by Trevante Rhodes for the second and third segments, Laxton’s eye captures Chiron’s surroundings in a vivid dreamlike manner. Chiron’s struggles with his masculinity and homosexuality resonate all the more greatly when juxtaposed with a world awash in neon, pastels, and all kinds of vibrant color.
“Moonlight deserves to win many, of not all, of the eight Oscars it’s up for, but as the film has been singled out for its beauty by countless critics, Best Cinematography should really be a lock. It should also really be a boon for Laxton to get more prestigious gigs in the future, and not have to slum it working on Kevin Smith movies (he shot Smith’s Tusk and Yoga Hosers). Whatever the case, I’m betting that the stunning job the man did on Jenkins’ excellent film, which itself deserves to win Best Picture, has a glow that will shine much brighter and last a lot longer than its competitors in the category.” ~ Daniel Cook Johnson
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