Wes Anderson’s newest film Moonrise Kingdom is both a departure from and defense of the hyper-stylized filmmaking for which he has made a name. His last film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, eschewed live-action for stop-motion animation, melding an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic with his own brand of ’60s affected Britishisms, while maintaining his go-to theme of a uniquely talented misanthrope’s search for meaning. While all of his previous films have had a child-like element of wonder, it wasn’t until Moonrise Kingdom that Anderson made a film from the perspective of children.
Non-Anderson fans need not apply here, because Moonrise Kingdom may also be the most Wes Andersony movie to date. His ’60s aesthetics have led him to make a film that actually takes place in the 1960s. Specifically, the film takes place on the fictional New England island of New Penzance, home of the Khaki Scouts of Camp Ivanhoe, a lighthouse, a church and an oncoming storm destined to play a significant role in the story. When Khaki Scout Sam Shakusky runs away with local girl Suzy Bishop (first-timers Gilman and Hayward), the island’s regular goings-on come to a halt in search of the missing camper and girl.
The simple story sets the wheels in motion for the rest of the players, including Anderson first-timers Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand and Edward Norton, as well as familiar faces like Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. But the real stars are the myriad child actors, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward in particular. Sam and Suzy’s young love is what sets Moonrise Kingdom apart from the rest of Anderson’s repertoire. In Andersonian fashion, Sam and Suzy speak in a beyond-their-years, world-weary way, but their jadedness seems feigned where their counterparts’ ran deep. Their love for each other is unencumbered by doubt.
With a tender yet bitingly funny script by Anderson and first-time collaborator Roman Copolla, Moonrise Kingdom is both bittersweet and hopeful, the latter of which taking uncharacteristic precedence. And with Robert Yeoman as his all-time cinematographer, framing those picture perfect doll-house-style shots meticulously filled with vintage wonderment, Wes Anderson has made his most stylized, most heartfelt, and best film to date.
