Moonlight
=== i. Little ===
In Liberty City, Miami, Cuban drug dealer Juan finds Chiron, a withdrawn child who prefers to go by the nickname "Little", hiding from a pack of bullies in an abandoned crackhouse. He allows Chiron to spend the night with him and his girlfriend Teresa before returning him to his emotionally abusive mother Paula the next day.
Chiron continues to spend time with Juan, who teaches him how to swim and advises him to make his own path in life. One night, Juan encounters Paula smoking crack with one of his customers. Juan berates her for her addiction only for Paula to rebuke him for selling crack to her in the first place. She implies that she knows why Chiron gets beaten up by his peers, alluding to "the way he walks", before heading home and taking out her frustrations on Chiron.
The next day, Chiron admits to Juan and Teresa that he hates his mother before asking what "faggot" means. Juan replies by stating that it is okay to be gay and that Chiron should not allow other people to mock him for it. After asking Juan whether he sold drugs to Paula, Chiron leaves as Juan hangs his head in shame.
=== ii. Chiron ===
Now a teenager, Chiron juggles avoiding his classmate Terrel, who frequently bullies him, and spending time with Teresa, who has lived alone since Juan's death. Paula supports her crack addiction with prostitution, frequently coercing Chiron into giving her money that Teresa lends him.
One night, Chiron has a dream in which his friend Kevin has sex with a woman in Teresa's backyard. On another night, Kevin visits Chiron at the beach near his house. While smoking a blunt, the two discuss their ambitions and the nickname, "Black", that Kevin has given Chiron. After a sexually charged moment, they kiss, and Kevin masturbates Chiron.
The next morning, Terrel manipulates Kevin into participating in a hazing ritual. Kevin reluctantly punches Chiron until he is unable to stand before watching as Terrel and several others stomp on him. Chiron later meets with a social worker, who urges him to reveal his attackers' identities. He refuses, believing that reporting them will not solve anything. The following day, Chiron smashes a chair into Terrel's back and is arrested. As the police escort Chiron out of school, he glares at a helpless Kevin.
=== iii. Black ===
Now going by the nickname "Black", an adult Chiron deals drugs in Atlanta. He receives frequent calls from Paula, who asks him to visit her at the drug treatment center where she now lives. One night, he receives a call from Kevin, who apologizes for his behavior in high school and invites Chiron to visit him in Miami. The next day, he wakes up after dreaming about Kevin to find that he has had a wet dream.
Visiting his mother, Chiron admits that he feels remorse for his lack of empathy towards her. Paula apologizes for having been a bad mother and not loving him when he needed it, but assures him that she loves him, even if he doesn't love her. Chiron forgives her. He then travels to Miami and reunites with Kevin, who now waits tables and serves as a chef at a diner. He prepares a "chef's special", but Chiron is reluctant to speak or drink with Kevin.
Kevin tells Chiron that he had a child with an old girlfriend and, although the relationship didn't work out, he is fulfilled by his role as a father. Kevin confesses that he is surprised by Chiron's muscular appearance, occupation, and motivation for seeing him. After dinner, the two drive to Kevin's home. Kevin tells Chiron that, although his life may not have turned out the way he had hoped, he is still happy. Chiron admits he has not been intimate since their encounter on the beach. As Kevin comforts him, the film cuts to a shot of Chiron as a child alone on the beach. The child turns to face the camera before the screen cuts to black.
romantic