Moonrise Kingdom
Directed by Wes Anderson
Written by Anderson and Roman Coppola
Starring Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban
Rated 'PG-13' for sexual content and smoking
A Focus Features release
94 Minutes
A Wes Anderson feature often resembles a storybook or pop-up book, perhaps no more than his latest film, Moonrise Kingdom. But the artifice fits this often funny and sometimes poignant coming-of-age tale, which holds deeper layers of meaning beneath its dioramas.
The setting is a small New England island in early September 1965. An earnest Khaki Scout leader (Edward Norton) conducts his efficient and typical morning roll call of his scouts before they meet up with other troops for the big summer-end jamboree, until it hits a big snag with the disappearance of Sam (Jared Gilman). The only hint of the unpopular 12 year-old's whereabouts is his resignation letter from the Khaki Scouts, and the search party begins, with melancoly island policeman Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis) and an overly enthusiatic bunch of weapon-wielding boy scouts.
Meanwhile, across the island at Summer's End, the Bishop family is stirring for another day and mom Laura (Frances McDormand) is literally on her bullhorn, calling the kids for the next family meal. Pre-adolescent Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward) is peering over the island with her binoculars, espying some things she probably should not see, along with searching for her co-conspirator. Armed with luggage, her pet kitten, and her little brother's battery-operated record player, she runs away from home and meets Sam, hiking across the island and exploring both the terrain and their own budding puppy love.
What results is a learning experience for both the young lovers and the adults alike. In one of the film's best scenes, Suzy's worried parents Laura and Walt (Bill Murray) lay in bed on a stormy morning, looking at the ceiling and examining their own relationship and abilities as fit parents. It is an example of the depth of this Anderson production, sometimes in spite of the complex sets and skillfully panning camera work.
Elements such as the continuous tracking shot of a Khaki Scout morning and the narrator (Bob Balaban) directly addressing the camera and audience with key third-person information could have been distractions, but the highly stylized filmmaking serves the story in this case. The cast is uniformly excellent as well, with Murray giving his usual solid Anderson film performance, the child actors being annoying and endearing in the appropriate moments, and Tilda Swinton fitting her role perfectly as the character named Social Services.
As a metaphor for recognizing the loss of childhood and facing a daunting adult world, Moonrise Kingdom is an entertaining yet bittersweet experience. Its laughter and drama are generated from those univeral elements, the promise of idealized love and the coming storm of real life. This is Anderson's best live action work since The Royal Tenenbaums, earning its merit badge as the best arthouse alternative film so far this summer.
My rating: **** out of ****
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