The Light of the Moon

Last updated
The Light of the Moon
Light of the moon poster.jpg
Official Poster
Directed by Jessica M. Thompson
Written byJessica M. Thompson
Produced byJessica M. Thompson
Carlo Velayo
Michael Cuomo
Starring Stephanie Beatriz
Michael Stahl-David
CinematographyAutumn Eakin
Edited byJessica M. Thompson
Music by David Torn
Production
companies
Stedfast Productions
Big Vision Creative
Distributed byImagination Worldwide
Release dates
  • March 24, 2017 (2017-03-24)(SXSW)
  • November 1, 2017 (2017-11-01)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Light of the Moon is a 2017 American drama film written, directed, and edited by Jessica M. Thompson. It stars Stephanie Beatriz as Bonnie, a woman who was sexually assaulted in New York City and covers a six-week period following the assault and deals with the resulting impact on her and the changes in her relationships. [1]

Contents

Plot

Bonnie (Stephanie Beatriz) is a successful architect living in Bushwick, Brooklyn with her boyfriend Matt (Michael Stahl-David) who works in advertising. He visits her at work to tell her he can't join her or her coworkers for drinks due to a last minute client meeting. Bonnie and her coworkers go out to a bar where she has many drinks as well as a little bit of cocaine. While dancing, a bar patron attempts to make inappropriate advances toward her. At the end of the night, Bonnie decides to walk home alone and puts on her headphones to listen to music. She is subsequently attacked by a stranger in a hoodie and taken into a back alley where he slams her head against the wall and rapes her. He then takes her driver's license and threatens her before running off. After a moment of shock, she regains enough composure to wipe herself with a tissue and walk home where she puts the tissues and her underwear in a bag and cleans up her head wound. Matt finds her sobbing on the couch and asks her what happened. She says she was mugged and asks to be taken to the hospital.

Bonnie returns to work because she's working on a large client, hoping it will help take her mind off of the incident. Her coworkers, having been told she was only mugged, cheer her up by telling her she's a badass, while her boss pushes back her meetings to give her more time to prepare. However, after some time, her boss feels she hasn't regained enough focus and reassigns her to a smaller client.

When another rape occurs in Bonnie's neighborhood, she is called in to the police station to look at a lineup. However, she is unable to recognize anyone as she never looked at her attacker's face. Outside of the police station, she is approached by the other victim and hugged. Not wanting to feel like a victim, she denies anything happened to her and walks away. Later, speaking with the local prosecutor, she learns that if the DNA from the second victim matches the DNA from her, it will be easy to put the assailant in prison. However, the prosecutor tells her if it doesn't match, it will be harder to get Bonnie's assailant in jail as Bonnie's intoxication could make her testimony less credible and the defense attorney in her district is notorious for getting sexual assailants light sentences.

Bonnie goes out drinking with her coworkers again. At the end of the night, her coworkers insist on walking her home. Bonnie gets defensive, believing that Matt had called and asked them to, which they don't deny, but she lets them walk her home anyway. Feeling the incident has become too much of a burden on both of them, Bonnie decides to move out of their apartment, much to Matt's sadness. She temporarily moves in with her coworker Jack (Conrad Ricamora). While staying in his apartment, she gets a call from the prosecutor that the DNA from her incident doesn't match that from the other victim nor anyone from police records.

After working late one night, Bonnie walks home and spots another girl walking with her headphones on. Bonnie confronts the girl in front of her apartment building and accuses her of being reckless, but the girl brushes her off as crazy. She returns to Jack's and breaks down. While Jack consoles her, her mother calls. She decides to reveal the assault to her mom with Jack present. She later gains the courage to attend group therapy again, and she finally returns home to Matt.

Cast

Release

The Light of The Moon premiered in March 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, where it won the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature Competition [2] and was purchased for distribution by Imagination Worldwide. Amazon has acquired the streaming rights to the film it will be released on the Amazon Video Direct platform in early 2018. [3]

The film had a limited North American theatrical release in November 2017. [4]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critical consensus states, "The Light of the Moon traces one woman's tortured journey beyond sexual assault with powerful empathy, marking writer-director Jessica M. Thompson as a talent to watch." [5] Metacritic gave the film a score of 76 out of 100 based on 9 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [6]

The Light of The Moon was positively reviewed in both The Hollywood Reporter , which stated that "Beatriz and Stahl-David have a combustible energy" [7] and in Variety, which said the film was "harrowingly effective" and "brutally frank without ever lapsing into exploitation. Sensitive without ever being sanctimonious." [8]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipientsResult
Calgary International Film Festival October 1, 2017Best International FeatureThe Light of the MoonNominated
People's Choice Award - Best Narrative FeatureThe Light of the MoonNominated
London Film Festival October 14, 2017Audience Award - Best FeatureThe Light of the MoonNominated
Mill Valley Film Festival October 18, 2017Audience Award - U.S. Cinema IndieThe Light of the MoonNominated
Best Narrative FeatureThe Light of the Moon
SXSW Film Festival March 14, 2017Audience Award - Narrative Feature Jessica M. Thompson Won
SXSW Gamechanger AwardJessica M. ThompsonNominated
SXSW Grand Jury Award - Best Narrative FeatureJessica M. Thompson
Woodstock Film Festival October 14, 2017Ultra Indie AwardThe Light of the MoonNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judith Light</span> American actress (born 1949)

Judith Ellen Light is an American actress. She made her professional stage debut in 1970, before making her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of A Doll's House. Her breakthrough role was in the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live from 1977 to 1983, where she played the role of Karen Wolek; for this role, she won two consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1980 and 1981. In 2024, Light won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Poker Face.

<i>Goin South</i> 1978 film directed by Jack Nicholson

Goin' South is a 1978 American Western comedy film directed by and starring Jack Nicholson, with Mary Steenburgen, Christopher Lloyd, John Belushi, Richard Bradford, Veronica Cartwright, Danny DeVito and Ed Begley Jr.

<i>Close to Home</i> (2005 TV series) American TV series or program

Close to Home is an American crime drama television series co-produced by Warner Bros. Television and Jerry Bruckheimer Television for CBS. While in pre-production the series was known as American Crime. It aired from October 4, 2005, to May 11, 2007, and starred actress Jennifer Finnigan as Annabeth Chase, a Deputy Prosecutor for Marion County, Indiana. Created by Jim Leonard, the series was primarily filmed in Southern California. The score composer was Michael A. Levine.

<i>Small Apartments</i> 2012 American film

Small Apartments is a 2012 American independent comedy film directed by Jonas Åkerlund. It tells the story of Franklin Franklin, played by Matt Lucas, who by mistake kills his landlord, Mr. Olivetti, played by Peter Stormare. The cast co-stars Dolph Lundgren, Johnny Knoxville, James Caan, Billy Crystal, Juno Temple, Rebel Wilson, Saffron Burrows and Amanda Plummer. The screenplay was written by Chris Millis and adapted from his own novella. The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 10, 2012.

<i>Short Term 12</i> 2013 film by Destin Daniel Cretton

Short Term 12 is a 2013 American independent drama film written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. It is adapted from Cretton's short film of the same name, produced in 2009. The film stars Brie Larson as Grace Howard, a young supervisor of a group home for troubled teenagers. The film was the first leading performance of Larson's career.

<i>Well Never Have Paris</i> 2014 American film

We'll Never Have Paris is a 2014 American romantic comedy directed by Simon Helberg and Jocelyn Towne. It stars Helberg, Melanie Lynskey, Zachary Quinto, Maggie Grace, Jason Ritter and Alfred Molina. It is based on the real life engagement of star Simon Helberg to his wife, Jocelyn Towne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Beatriz</span> American actress (born 1981)

Stephanie Beatriz Bischoff Alvizuri is an American actress. She is known for playing Detective Rosa Diaz in the Fox/NBC comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021), Quiet in the Peacock action comedy series Twisted Metal (2023–present), Carla in the musical film In the Heights (2021), and voicing Mirabel Madrigal in the Disney film Encanto (2021) and Vaggie in the adult animated musical series Hazbin Hotel (2024–present).

<i>Before I Disappear</i> 2014 film

Before I Disappear is a 2014 American drama film directed by Shawn Christensen. The film is a feature-length adaptation of his 2012 Oscar-winning short film, Curfew. The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest Film on March 10, 2014. The film was acquired for distribution by IFC Films on August 5, 2014, and released on November 28, 2014.

<i>Elle</i> (film) 2016 film by Paul Verhoeven

Elle is a 2016 psychological thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven from a screenplay by David Birke, based on the novel Oh... by Philippe Djian. Djian's novel was published in 2012 and received the Prix Interallié. The film stars Isabelle Huppert as a businesswoman who is raped in her home by a masked assailant and decides not to report it due to her past experience with police.

<i>Take Care</i> (film) 2014 American film

Take Care is a 2014 comedy-drama film directed by Liz Tuccillo. The plot involves a woman who, after getting hit by a car, realizes who her true friends are who don't want to care for her as she heals. She then forced to enlist the help of her ex-boyfriend, whom she believes owes her since she had taken care of him when he was fighting cancer during their relationship.

<i>Beatriz at Dinner</i> 2017 film

Beatriz at Dinner is a 2017 comedy drama film directed by Miguel Arteta from a screenplay by Mike White. The film stars Salma Hayek, John Lithgow, Connie Britton, Jay Duplass, Amy Landecker, Chloë Sevigny, and David Warshofsky.

<i>Gemini</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film

Gemini is a 2017 American mystery thriller film written, directed and edited by Aaron Katz. It stars Lola Kirke, Zoë Kravitz, Greta Lee, Nelson Franklin, Reeve Carney, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Ricki Lake, and John Cho. The plot follows the assistant of a Hollywood actress who must clear her name after her starlet boss is found murdered in her home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica M. Thompson</span> Film and television writer, director, editor, and producer

Jessica M. Thompson is an Australian film and television writer, director, editor and producer, who resides in Los Angeles.

<i>The Rhythm Section</i> 2020 film directed by Reed Morano

The Rhythm Section is a 2020 action thriller film directed by Reed Morano and with a screenplay by Mark Burnell based on his novel of the same name. Starring Blake Lively, Jude Law and Sterling K. Brown, and follows a grieving woman who seeks revenge after discovering that the plane crash that killed her family was a terrorist attack.

<i>Outside In</i> (film) 2017 film by Lynn Shelton

Outside In is a 2017 American drama film, directed by Lynn Shelton, from a screenplay by Shelton and Jay Duplass. It stars Jay Duplass, Edie Falco, Kaitlyn Dever, and Ben Schwartz.

<i>In the Shadow of the Moon</i> (2019 film) 2019 American science fiction thriller film

In the Shadow of the Moon is a 2019 American science fiction thriller film directed by Jim Mickle and written by Gregory Weidman and Geoff Tock. It stars Boyd Holbrook, Cleopatra Coleman, and Michael C. Hall. It had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 21, 2019, before it was released on Netflix on September 27, 2019.

<i>I See You</i> (2019 film) Film directed by Adam Randall

I See You is a 2019 American crime horror thriller film directed by Adam Randall from a screenplay by Devon Graye. It stars Helen Hunt, Jon Tenney, and Judah Lewis.

<i>Shining Girls</i> 2022 American thriller television series

Shining Girls is an American thriller streaming television series based on the 2013 novel The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. The series stars Elisabeth Moss, Wagner Moura and Jamie Bell. It premiered on Apple TV+ on April 29, 2022. A portion of the series premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2022.

<i>Slumber Party Massacre</i> (2021 film) 2021 film by Danishka Esterhazy

Slumber Party Massacre is a 2021 slasher film directed by Danishka Esterhazy and written by Suzanne Keilly. It is described as a "modern reimagining" of and stand-alone sequel to the original 1982 film The Slumber Party Massacre, and the fourth film released in the overall Massacre franchise. It stars Hannah Gonera, Frances Sholto-Douglas, Alex McGregor, Mila Rayne, Reze-Tiana Wessels with Schelaine Bennett, Rob van Vuuren and Jennifer Steyn. And follows a girls' slumber party which becomes a bloodbath when an escaped mental patient arrives with a power drill.

At First Light is a 2018 Canadian science fiction thriller drama film written and directed by Jason Stone and starring Stefanie Scott and Théodore Pellerin.

References

  1. ↑ Felperin, Leslie (17 March 2017). "'The Light of the Moon': Film Review | SXSW 2017". The Hollywood Reporter.
  2. ↑ Evans, Greg (18 March 2017). "SXSW Audiences Give Top Honors To 'Light Of The Moon', 'Baby Driver', 'Dealt'". Deadline. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  3. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2017-05-10). "Amazon Acquires Rights to 40 Films From SXSW, Paying $1.9 Million-Plus in Cash Bonuses (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  4. ↑ "SXSW Winner 'The Light of the Moon' Picked Up by Imagination Worldwide (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  5. ↑ "The Light of the Moon (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  6. ↑ "The Light of the Moon Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Felperin, Leslie. "'The Light of the Moon': Film Review | SXSW 2017". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  8. ↑ Barker, Andrew (13 March 2017). "SXSW Film Review: 'The Light of the Moon'". Variety . Retrieved 16 May 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.