FILM CLUB REVIEW: Moonrise Kingdom by Simon Barton

From the first, immaculately designed and composed frame of Moonrise Kingdom, the viewer is immersed in the stylised, enclosed world of Wes Anderson. It's a world of autumnal hues and retro interiors, of youthful passions and middle-aged regrets.

The story is set in 1965 on the fictional New England island of New Penzance and follows the adventures of two 12-year old runaways. Sam is a rogue Khaki Scout and Suzy is a dreamer, obsessed with childrens' fantasy novels. Both labelled as "problem" children by parents and institutions who don't understand them, the couple run away to follow an old Native American trail and lose themselves in the wilderness, with police, parents, Scouts and Social Services all in pursuit ... three days before a violent storm is due to hit the island.

Moonrise Kingdom is deadpan but warm, sentimental but savage, a film which makes much of the contrast between the naive, romantic children and the world-weary and frustrated adults. The stellar cast includes Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Edward Norton  -  all superb and often hilarious as well-meaning but ineffectual parents and guardians, struggling to find the missing children and to find some meaning in their own, humdrum lives. Willis in particular is excellent as the lonely, not-too-bright small-town cop who is trapped in a hopeless affair with Suzy's mum (McDormand) and sees his chance at redemption through the orphaned Sam. The children's performances are subtle and truthful, Suzy (Kara Hayward) alternating between sweet and seething, and Sam (Jared Gilman) being just the right side of blank in his wide-eyed search for love and freedom.

Visually the film is gorgeous, Anderson leading us through the island's rivers, forests, lighthouses and bays with a painterly eye for detail. Wide-angle shots show the characters almost embedded in the landscapes, covered over by curtains of Autumn leaves or glowing under blood-red sunsets. When the storm hits in the last reel, nature turns against the characters, battering them with floods and winds, trapping them in tents and churches until the young lovers make their final escape...

Moonrise Kingdom is a quirky, funny and wise film, leaving us with the message that love will prevail, regardless of how many lightning bolts or legalities are thrown at us.

Read more from Simon Barton at http://glasswalking-stick.blogspot.co.uk/