In my more than two years of working as the film critic for this newspaper, I have reviewed a variety of films, whether it be mainstream cinema or films from the arthouse and festival circuit. While difficulty in deciding what film will be the next one to review does occur, at the very start of this semester, I knew what film was going to be my last review for the East Tennessean: Wes Anderson’s 2012 coming-of-age film “Moonrise Kingdom,” which premiered in competition at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, as the opening film of that year’s festival. Not only is it one of my personal favorite films, but a film that holds a deep importance to me, as it was one of the first films me and my partner watched together. I recently rewatched “Moonrise Kingdom” with my partner, and it is a truly phenomenal film.
Set in 1965 on the fictional island of New Penzance off the coast of New England, “Moonrise Kingdom” follows Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman), a 12-year-old Khaki Scout who is attending a production of the Benjamin Britten opera “Noye’s Fludde.” Sam decides to sneak backstage, where he first meets Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward) and the two soon fall in love. Through a series of letters, the couple plan to run away together. This results in various search parties forming to find the young lovers.
Throughout the film there are appearances from Bob Balaban, who portrays the narrator. Balaban’s character gives insight into the island’s landscape.
As Sam, Jared Gilman delivers a stellar leading performance as this Khaki Scout, with one example of his great performance being during a scene involving a conflict between Suzy and him and the Camp Ivanhoe search party.
In the role of Suzy, Kara Hayward is also fantastic, capturing the quiet sincerity of Suzy’s love for Sam through her portrayal.
There is an excellent late career performance from Bruce Willis as Captain Sharp, the captain of New Penzance’s police department, who is also the head of the search parties for Sam and Suzy. An example of his great performance comes in the form of a scene where he is having dinner with Sam.
Edward Norton delivers a great supporting performance as Scout Master Ward, the leader of Camp Ivanhoe, with several comedic moments in the film involving his character.
Other members of the ensemble cast include Bill Murray and Frances McDormand as Suzy’s parents, Tilda Swinton as Social Services, and Jason Schwartzman as Cousin Ben. Cousin Ben is one of the Khaki Scout leaders at Fort Lebanon on St. Jack Wood Island, which is headed by the gruff Commander Pierce (Harvey Keitel).
At the helm of this film is director Wes Anderson, who captures the perfect coming-of-age film with his direction and symmetrical filmmaking style. Anderson, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Roman Coppola, tackles topics in the film such as being an outcast, with this being represented by Sam’s unpopularity in the Khaki Scouts and Suzy’s turbulent home life, with her mother owning a book called “Coping with the Very Troubled Child” (seemingly referring to her) along with having an affair with Captain Sharp. Anderson also delivers perfect casting choices, with Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward giving great performances, along with other Anderson regulars such as Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman.
One of the strongest aspects of the film is the soundtrack, which contains tracks such as “Le temps de l’amour” by Françoise Hardy, which is featured during the sequence of Sam and Suzy dancing on the sandy coastline of the tidal inlet. Also featured on the soundtrack are several songs by Hank Williams, such as “Kaw-Liga,” which is featured during a scene of Sam rowing a canoe.
Outside of these tracks, the soundtrack primarily consists of a plethora of pieces by the English composer Benjamin Britten, including several pieces from his opera “Noye’s Fludde.” One composition from Britten that is featured is “Old Abram Brown,” a haunting piece from “Friday Afternoons,” which was a series of 12 song settings — with “Old Abram Brown” being a children’s choral piece accompanied by piano. This piece accompanies a wide shot of Sam and Suzy, along with the Camp Ivanhoe troop, canoeing to St. Jack Wood Island at the break of dawn — a beautiful shot captured by cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman.
Cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman shot “Moonrise Kingdom” on Super 16mm film, resulting in him capturing several stunning shots. These include a wide shot of Sam and Suzy standing in a field with both of them standing on opposite ends, along with a tracking shot of the interior of Suzy’s house in the opening sequence of the film with the camera panning throughout the house. With these shots, Yeoman also captures the signature symmetrical style that is associated with Wes Anderson’s films.
With “Moonrise Kingdom,” Wes Anderson perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being young and in love, through the coming-of-age genre. It is a deeply moving film containing stellar performances and gorgeous cinematography, along with dashes of humor throughout the film. It is a phenomenal film containing many of Wes Anderson’s signature motifs and is truly his magnum opus.
A perfect film that captures young romance on an island encompassed by turbulent weather.
“Moonrise Kingdom” is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, and is also available to purchase on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
