Sandy Kenyon: There is magic in 'Moonlight'

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Moonlight's title doesn't quite do it justice.

The new film hitting theaters Friday looks at three stages of a kid's journey from boyhood to manhood.

Echoing critic Tony Scott's review on the film, "meeting him is a 'privilege.'"

Moviegoers watch the boy face life's challenges and grow up to be a young man in Miami.

The audience first meets 'Chiron' at school where he's called little and bullied by his classmates. He flees to an abandoned building, where he is discovered by a local drug dealer.

Rising actor Mahershala Ali finds the perfect balance between good and bad in Chiron. Naomi Harris sees the humanity in the young man' mother -- who is also a junkie.

The film is divided into three parts -- each covering a different stage of the title character's life. Therefore, Chiron is played by three different actors. His relationship with his best friend lies at the heart of this emotional film.

In the middle stage, the friendship turns physical in a world that is hostile to that. The finale of the film revolves around coming to terms with their attraction to each other.

The film moves at the pace of real life. This sort of pacing can be slow for some movie watchers, but for those with patience, there is magic in this "Moonlight."