Moonrise Kingdom Review

How to begin describing a Wes Anderson film… Hm…

Imagine a colorful, lovingly drawn storybook. Every page is full of detail and life. The story is populated by precocious, troubled children and childish, flawed adults. Then a bow and arrow comes out of nowhere, and you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. You should probably do both.

Moonrise Kingdom is a 2012 Wes Anderson film about two twelve year olds secretly in love during the 1960s running away to start a new life on the coastal island where they live. When it is finally discovered they’re missing, chaos ensues… as does romance, tragedy, redemption, and not a small amount of hilarity.

The story’s runaways are Sam and Suzy, the perfect picture of young outcasts who absolutely know it. I’ve always loved how the film paints their acknowledgment of being different: sometimes they feel it’s noble and romantic, other times they nurse it like an injury that will never go away. Whatever else they have going on, they have each other, and the bewildered and inattentive adults in their life are left scrambling to catch up. To say too much more would be to ruin several good surprises.

One thing I will note about the film is how kindly it depicts young romance. Sam and Suzy are not yet teens, and the adults in their lives may deride their wild plan to live off the land… but the story is sympathetic without being indulgent. Although Sam and Suzy are probably not soul mates, they are young and care deeply about each other, and the film treats their relationship as seriously as they do, without pretending that love is the answer to all the very real problems going on in their lives or that they were destined to either be, or, tragically not be.

The film is the definition of quirky and old-fashioned in some ways that might not fit every audience, but it is also lovely and fun and well worth your time. 4 merit patches out of 5. Available for a paid rental on most streaming sites.