Moon Beams succeeds much further than just qualifying as a feature. You can immediately see why when you look at the fantastic poster and opening credit sequence. With the 40s crime movie styling and black and white color palette, Adrian’s noir obsession shines from the darkness like the giant “Magic City” sign that gleams in the night throughout. Moon Beams is a book that needs to be judged by its cover, because that is what is going to get you through the underwhelming setup. It comes off as a hard drug Clerks southern style at first, but then this black rose blooms into something much, much more.
Once we hit the ethereal streets of Birmingham, Moon Beams turns into one of the best neo-noirs ever, a brilliant narcotic variation of the outlaw couple on the run. In one sequence, there is a poster hanging of Nicholas Ray’s They Live By Night, which is my all-time favorite movie. Adrian references Ray’s work in genius fashion by transferring the 40s stick up scenario to the modern hard drug maze. What sets it apart from other neo-noirs is how Adrian uses the classic look of the classic noir, with jaw-dropping black and white throughout, with only flashes of mysterious color. There is lots of similar dialogue about how “people like us” are different from “the straight crowd”, with the lingo of the marginalized that sparks in the night like pale fire.
“… one of the best neo-noirs ever …”
There are a lot of lines that bring a tear to your eye here, thanks to the outstanding work by Simmons. Off her portrayal of Maxine alone, Simmons is now an instant indie superstar, just as quick as Jean Seberg after Breathless. Also, there is a drug dealer named Brody Holliday, played with panache by Dylan Gaskey, who is the perfect modern version of the evil Sidney Greenstreet characters in the noir past. It is also so freaking refreshing to have real southern accents onscreen for a change. There is music to the speech that has to be enjoyed in its authentic form.
Mind, this is a poverty row indie, so there is some technical rawness, especially on sound editing. And the ending is not worthy of the middle, as there is a big bag of drugs that is forgotten about, and a silly wrap-up. But the black diamond of genius found at the center of Moon Beams is priceless, despite no money being spent. Watch for free something made for free, which fits my budget these days.
"… a brilliant narcotic variation of the outlaw couple on the run"
