Moonrise Kingdom (2012) // dir. Wes Anderson

A unique exploration of young love. With scouts. 

Set on the fictional American isle of New Penzance; boy scout Sam absconds from Camp Ivanhoe with his pen-pal love interest, binocular-wielding, classical music loving Suzy. Following a Shawshank-style discovery of Sam's escape, an island wide search begins...The story, when stripped of Anderson's quirks, is essentially one of forbidden love, which could easily meander down the road of predictability and mediocrity. But in the hands of abstract thinker Anderson, it becomes a wonderfully whimsical and kooky tale of love and friendship, but ultimately, it illustrates the highs and lows of growing up. Like his previous films, Moonrise Kingdom is bursting with Anderson's trademark off-beat, droll humour, delivered in a perfectly deadpan fashion by the ensemble cast. Anderson débutants, Bruce Willis (chief of police) and Edward Norton (scout camp leader), fit in comfortably alongside old favourites, Bill Murray (Suzy's father) and Jason Schwartzmann (a rival camp leader). Frances McDormand as Suzy's megaphone wielding mother, and Tilda Swinton as the terrifically terrifying Social Services feel somewhat underused in the grand scheme of things. However, it is the children which are truly stand out, bringing a sense of endearing naivety and optimism to the film. Visually, Anderson sticks to his quintessential filming style, using wide lens shots to incorporate the meticulous arrangement of the hand-crafted aesthetics which neatly adorn the backdrop. Wes Anderson films typically divide opinion, and Moonrise Kingdom is no exception. Some may find it overly precocious, and a little too twee to be taken seriously. Whilst the rest will revel in the abstract, whimsical ingenuity of it all - finding solace and excitement in his world of vintage unconventionality. For me, I belong to the latter, utterly consumed in the weird yet wonderful world of Wes Anderson. And I'm loving every minute.

In the past, Anderson has been criticised for favouring style over substance, but when the end product is this self assured and charming, who cares?