Clutching a Françoise Hardy record, a kitten and a set of binoculars, 12-year-old Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward) finds herself in a field facing fellow ‘problem child’ Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman). With his coonskin cap and corncob pipe, Sam could not clash more with the 60’s glamour of his pen-pal Suzy, but this is exactly the point: Moonrise Kingdom is a movie about individuality.
On the idyllic archipelago of New Penzance, Sam and Suzy panic the island’s adults, running away to a deserted beach where they construct their own world. Mature beyond their years, both children are outsiders in their homes, a boy scout camp and a life-sized dolls house where their parents and acquaintances isolate them for their idiosyncrasies. The beach, which they christen “Moonrise Kingdom”, becomes their own Utopia.
Wes Anderson’s films are marked by their blend of whimsy and antiquity, rejecting modern day norms in favour of a fairy tale escapade through an alien world. Moonrise Kingdom is the ultimate example of this. Anderson blends wit, wisecracks and woe into 94 minutes (With Bruce Willis and Ed Norton thrown in). The strong performances, quirky camera angles and stunning sets have the charm of an antique Polaroid, and like a Polaroid, the longer this film develops, the more outstanding its beauty.