It’s 1965, and we’re on New Penzance Island off the cost of New England. The turbulence of the nation is far away, there’s a storm on the horizon and young love is in the air which has the adults in a fit. This island is the latest whimsical destination of Wes Anderson, the pin up director of commercially successful American independent cinema who has built a loyal fan base since the late 1990s with one of the most unique and recognisable styles in mainstream cinema today.
On said island Anderson introduces us to young Khaki scout Sam and intelligent yet isolated Suzy (newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Haywood), two twelve year olds who meet by chance and instantly fall for one another. Hated by his fellow scouts, Sam has no hesitation in stealing several camping supplies, quitting the troop and absconding with Suzy who insists on bringing a record player, a Francoise Hardy LP and her collection of science fiction novels. Suzy’s unhappily married parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) are furious and join in the search party led by sad sack Police Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis) and Scout leader Randy Ward (Edward Norton). Time may not be on their side however as the ominous shadows of a hurricane and ‘Social Services’ (
) bare down upon New Penzance…
From the very opening we clearly are in ‘Wes World’. A gorgeous tracking shot through the elaborate set of Suzy and her family’s home highlights many if not all of Anderson’s directorial flourishes. The very particular framing of the camera and its movement, the positioning of actors and their props, the autumnal colour scheme and frequent overhead shots of hands and key items have defined his style over seven films. I also really admired the incredibly retro titles which even have the traditional serial number beneath the title. His understanding of mise-en-scene (‘what’s in the frame’ for the film buffs) is immediately recognisable and marks him out as one of the few directors working today whom you could instantly recognise from a single frame and Moonrise Kingdom is no exception. His critics accuse him of being to forced in his style and becoming an obstruction to the narrative yet I personally applaud a director who is able to make a film that is clearly their own and can be recognised as a true auteur in the industry.
Anderson is also highly regarded for his skill at marshalling ensemble casts and here he has amassed yet another fine one. Bruce Willis and Edward Norton have a lot of fun subverting their typical ‘dark’ image with fine take on desperate, straight man against the world vibe and it is the former who has the most fun in the role. It could be seen that Willis is deliberately referencing to his back catalogue since he is playing a police officer yet he seems to be playing more to his skills as a comedic actor in the days before Die Hard. The sight of him roaming around the landscape in a beat up station wagon with a bad toupee and Hank Williams crooning away on the soundtrack makes it hard to suppress a chuckle. Previous Anderson stalwarts Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman tackle their material well and prove further to be the perfect foil for the dry, witty humour. I wish the same could be said for the female performers of the story. Frances McDormand is a brilliant actress and always a joy to watch yet here the role of Suzy’s mother she is not given enough material to form a satisfactory character arc; a sub plot involving an extramarital affair is wrapped up with a mere shrug. Also the magnificent Tilda Swinton is introduced a bit too late into the story to create a fully convincing antagonistic force though I couldn’t help but giggle every time she referred to herself in the third person as ‘Social Services’.
Thankfully it is in its key casting that Moonrise Kingdom truly scores. As the young couple, Gilman and Haywood are simply fantastic and carry the entire film effortlessly. At first their actions appear hopelessly naive yet this is undercut with genuine pathos of young love. There is a deliberate attempt on behalf of the writers to juxtapose the simplicity of their courtship against the dour complexity of the adults of the island. The films setting at a time when this part of America had not yet experienced the turbulent times that would reverberate through the nation’s history is offset with quaint and quiet charm that is genuinely beguiling and in the case of the young love story, quite moving. There is a yearning for a way of American life that simply does not exist today and there is a constant air of slight melancholy running throughout. As the social outcasts discover surprising truths about one another, Anderson focuses on the minuet details of their romance that steadily grow on you and pay off very well indeed.
His critics may complain, but Wes Anderson fans will be on cloud nine with this one and with good reason. With his typically assured style and charm and wit to spare, this easily stands amongst his best work. I personally cannot wait to see what he does next and will always be first in line to enter ‘Wes World’…