Number 467 on the top 1000 films of all time is Wes Anderson's coming-of-age drama 'Moonrise Kingdom.'
Scout Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) and theatre star Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward) are both social outcasts and pen pals. Upon meeting for the first time, the two quickly fall in love and run away on the New England island of New Penzance. They are pursued by a slieu of adults including policeman Captain Duffy Sharp (Bruce Willis,) Scout Master Randy Ward (Edward Norton,) Suzy's mum and dad, Laura (Frances McDormand) and Walt (Bill Murray) and an unnamed social worker played by Tilda Swinton.
I think it can be all too easy to dismiss Wes Anderson's films as style over substance. He is well-known for emptying distinct colour patterns and symmetrical compositions. Academics Stephanie Williams and Christen Vidanovic said that almost every frame could have been a beautiful photograph. They weren't wrong. Moonrise Kingdom looked gorgeous on-screen with its visual style complimenting the whimsical nature of the film.
Was it style over substance? I'm not so sure. Underpinning the visual flair was a charming and heartwarming love story between Sam and Suzy. Anderson intended to depict a fantasied young love with all its innocence and idealism. That's what he did. Despite being acting novices, leads Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward were both great. They served as emotional anchors in an otherwise zany film.
Nowhere is it zanier than with the adult characters who were all just a little bit peculiar. This is especially true of Suzy's parents and Captain Sharp. While Suzy and Sam's relationship is blossoming, Walt and Laura's marriage is falling apart, least of all, because of Laura's affair with Captain Sharp. This was a nice distorted mirror image of young love even if it could have used a little more screentime.
Overall, I really enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom. Rather than being an example of style over substance, it was style AND substance with its distinct visual style contributing so much to the fantastical, timeless nature of the film.
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