'Moonrise Kingdom' - Touching, poignant, filled with whimsy...
The newest film from offbeat writer/director Wes Anderson 'Moonrise Kingdom' is a perfect pitch blend of comedy, drama and off beat whimsy. Filled with beautifully shot scenes, near perfect acting and a flawless script; Wes Anderson once again illustrates why independent film must live on.
Set on an island off the coast of New England in 1965, 'Moonrise Kingdom' tells the tale of young love, broken families, courage and the will to carry on. Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward, who I am sure is destined for stardom) are two twelve year olds struggling to fit into their own personally broken lives. Sam is an orphan while Suzy is dealing with anger issues and parents (Bill Murray & Frances Macdormand) who are no longer in love. They discover each other during a church play and make a pact to run away together.
Like Anderson's other films: 'Rushmore', 'The Fantastic Mr Fox', 'The Royal Tenenbaums' as well as others, the themes are similar; a sweet modern day fable filled with eccentric characters that mirror our own lives in one way or the other. Often, Anderson has been criticized for being too 'artsy', with his attention to details and offbeat characters. But here, that loving attention to his art plays very well and we are treated with a wonderfully warm and poignant story that will leave you smiling throughout the brief 93 minute playing time.
Bruce Willis as the police officer Captain Sharp is especially moving, in love with Suzy's mother Mrs Bishop, he must give her up as she tries to mend the broken life she shares with Mr Bishop. He connects to Sam and it is that connection that redeems him. We not only see his pain, but feel it as he pulling away and she sticks her head into the police cruiser "I am sure we will see each other tomorrow.", as if that simple statement will make things right. It's very nice to see Willis playing his age and we are reminded here that he is much more than a 'Die Hard' caricature.
Kara Hayward (Suzy) is a powerful little performer here, delivering more emotion in single glares than most actors twice her age. With haunting eyes, one can be reminded of a younger Liz Taylor; it is easy to imagine that she will have several Academy Awards in her near future. Jared Gillman (Sam) while a bit less powerful is equally up the the task of Anderson's material and performs well. Serious and gallant, Sam is the man child we all wanted to be.
Anderson's eye for details are in every shot. From the record player that Suzy carries to the corn cob pipe that Sam puffs innocently on, to the black eyes of Mr Bishop (seemingly from Mrs Bishop, we are never really told). Each shot is exquisitely framed and shot. As the movie moves forward, the story becomes more far fetched as well as eccentric; but it never wavers from it's core theme of love's need to escape the shackles of life.
By far this is the best work from Anderson thus far and while this 4 star effort is in limited release, it is very much worth the trip to any theater to see. This is a film that movies were meant to be about and it begs to be seen!