Moonrise Kingdom

It isn't really a snobbish statement when you say films by Wes Anderson are an acquired taste. Either you get it or you don't. It's not a holier than thou sentiment, nor is it a threshold for intellectual superiority. It's only a compliment to the filmmaker who has managed to ooze out a starkly original voice in the wake of an era where cinema seems to be an art form exhausted of its novelty and innovation. It's fair to say his films aren't watched the way we are accustomed to approach cinema. That being said, his new film happens to be one of his most accessible works.

Moonrise Kingdom is about Sam and Suzy, two lovers on the lam who would do anything to be together. This may have given the impression of a textbook romance. While this film should be one, it isn't close to one. These social outcasts aren't Bonnie and Clyde but two 12-year olds. I won't be surprised if the film develops a cult following like Harold and Maude (1971). You fumble just a little and the film goes crashing into a secret lair inhabited by a creep.

Midway through the film and its dazzling playfulness, I was reminded of two films - Pierrot Le Fou (1965) and Small Change (1976). Wes Anderson to me is the abandoned love child of Hal Ashby and Francois Truffaut. Jean Luc-Godard and Martin Scorsese being his foster parents. Despite strong stylistic and thematic influences, Anderson starts creating his own world just by developing a certain look. There is an invisible (or maybe it is visible) layer on his films; a sheen of artifice that laminates his frames. This becomes a gateway for believers and an exit for the skeptics. The droll and dry humor and the under-stated drama are one of the few tools that help him carve out jewels one after the other. His use of color makes me salivate (Yellow, for now. Oh my god, that yellow!). This is one of those cases when all these elements and idiosyncrasies combine so beautifully to concoct a cinematic treasure.

Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel and Tilda Swinton - the newcomers, rub shoulders with the staples - Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. But the actors who run away with the best performances are the two kids - Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward.

The film is set in 1960s New England, on the island of New Penzance. Bob Balaban, plays the narrator (my favorite character), who guides us and in one scene intervenes to help out the characters as well. Soon I realized this was indeed a fictional town. Who am I kidding? I didn't realize it till the time I walked out. In between I said (with sheer fascination) "Where on earth is this place and what is that map?!" Now I know what place it was. It is somewhere in Wes Anderson's head and we were just given an opportunity to visit his chocolate factory.

Wes Anderson is one of those few filmmakers with great taste in music. He knows how to take existing music and mesh it with his whimsical storytelling. This time he decorates it with Hank Williams songs. He is in good company with other musically gifted filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, P.T. Anderson and Cameron Crowe. Alexandre Desplat's music fits perfectly in Wes' world. They choose to call the main theme - The Heroic Weather-Conditions of the World (Parts 1-7). This ingeniously mirrors the school stage production of the Noah's Ark fable in the film and the flood myth laden third act of the film.

I can imagine why most viewers are calling it Wes Anderson's best since Rushmore (1998). It feels most similar to Rushmore than any other film in his oeuvre. Personally, The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic (2004) were every bit as good as Rushmore, so was Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). For me, it's his best since his last film. Either way, Moonrise Kingdom does indeed rank amongst the filmmaker's best works and is one of this year's best films.

Side-note: There are hilarious references to The Godfather (1972), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Pulp Fiction (1994) and Titanic (1997), and little treats in the end credits. Look out for them.

Moonrise kingdom has a fairytale flavour to it and it sparkles like a little gem with it many facets of childhood, adolescent love, loss, loneliness and the simplest human need to be wanted and loved.

The movie is shot on a picturesque island preparing for a storm. The storm also breaks loose in the lives of two tweens, a troubled orphan boy with no friends but an expert scout and a girl whom he makes friends or rather falls in love with immediately. They become pen pals and decide to run away and live together on an enchanted part of the island. Of course, they get caught; the boy has to be taken to a juvenile home. The lovers cannot bear to be separated and the storm plays a role in bringing the story to a close. There are stories about the adults woven into this story too, the dysfunctional marriage of the girl's parents, the lonely Sheriff in love with the girl's mother, the enthusiastic Scout Leader. All this just get woven into the main story effortlessly while never taking away attention from the main story.

There is a sense of impending catastrophe that never leaves you from the start of the movie and makes you hold your breath till the last scene. The movie is sweetly funny at all times and yet the underlying loneliness of the orphaned child who wears his mother's pearl brooch along with his scout badges and the confusion of the girl who seeks refuge in her books is never lost on us. Their romance is naive and sweet and makes us yearn for the innocence of our own childhoods.

A really beautiful movie you must not miss.

“What kind of bird are you?” asks Sam (memorable debut by Jared Gilman) to Suzy (fantastic debut by Kara Hayward). Thus begins their love story filled with adventures, which makes me wish I could turn back time and become a 12 year old again.

Sam and Suzy are two misfits (I use that word in a positive way. I love misfits) who have escaped their dreary lives and there are these bunch (Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Laura Bishop and Frances Mc Dormand) of quirky characters chasing them.

Wes Anderson tells this story in a visual style that makes you feel like you are in a Zen meditation mode. Lovely visuals (Robert D.Yeoman) accompanied by a beautiful music score (Alexandre Desplat) with fantastic characters/ actors will make sure you are sitting in the theatre like a smiling Buddha.

This is the 3^rd film of Wes Anderson that I saw after the Royal Tenenbaums and the Darjeeling Limited and I can safely say this is his best work.

The world that he creates will make you go back to it again and again. This is the magic of cinema working at its best.

Moonrise Kingdom hits a perfect note right in the beginning and never falters after that. It's filled with moments that will keep you laughing and smiling all through the film.

Every single actor in the supporting cast is lovable even with their eccentricities.

This is a film I would love to show my 7 year old nephew when he grows up a little hoping that he loves it as much as I did.

If Barfi made you feel happy last weekend this will make you feel happier.

Word of mouth - That feeling when you are nicely high on good wine & good music with a peaceful smile on your face. That is Moonrise Kingdom for me.

Rating - 4.5 (Great)

Ticket Meter - Run to the theatres now!!!

Wes Anderson has always been one of my favourite directors and I've found much to enjoy even in his lesser works like 'The Darjeeling Limited' or 'The Life Acquatic with Steve Zissou'. His movies are not the most easily accessible but for those who get his work; it's an absolute treat to behold the quirks, the comedy and the subtle drama. 'Moonrise Kingdom' emerges from that same mould and boy did I love it.

Set in 1965 on an idyllic small town on an island, the story starts off with the disappearance of a twelve year old scout, Sam (Jared Gilman) under the care of Scout Master Randy Ward (Edward Norton). On the other side of the island young Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward) with her parents, Walt (Bill Murray) and Laura (Frances McDormand) and her three younger brothers. She's prone to bouts of uncontrollable violence and finds herself to be an outcast in her school and society in general. Sam's an orphan and finds solace in a friendship with Suzy, built over a chain of letters exchanged over a year. The two run away to live in the wilderness, sending a whole lot of people searching for them, including the little town's police chief, Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis) who might be involved in a extramarital relationship with Laura. With a thunderstorm looming in the background, the two youngsters enjoy their getaway expressing their love for each other while the adults bicker and fight amongst themselves while trying to find the kids.

The movie's strength lies in the fin line it walks between a comedy and drama, never fully giving into sentimentality or lampooning. It pulls you in effortlessly with the bewitching narrative, visuals and background score. The relationships and interactions that develop between the various characters are devoid of the usual clich\xe9s and feel utterly fresh and thanks to this manage to reel you in to their tale with great performances all around that only enhance the experience.

The greatness in 'Moonrise Kingdom' lies in the quirky little details that abound this whimsical little masterpiece. I'm surely going to watch it again this weekend, I advise you to do the same.