Summary: Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore, and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle.
Video Librarian Reviews
Perhaps because of their dry, whimsical, bittersweet wistfulness, Wes Anderson's eccentric films (including The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox) are often a breath of cinematic fresh air. On an idyllic island off New England's Narragansett Bay in September 1965, two alienated, rebellious 12-year-olds fall in love and decide to run away together. Orphaned outcast Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) is tired of being bullied by Khaki Scout Troop 55 at Camp Ivanhoe, while sullen Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward) peers through binoculars, eager to escape from her younger brothers, morose father Walt (Bill Murray) and harried mother Laura (Frances McDormand), who is having an affair with the local sheriff, Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis). As intrepid, idealistic Sam and Suzy hike through the rolling fields and craggy ravines—following a Native American harvest migration trail, and setting up their sanctuary camp on a deserted beach by a magical cove that they dub Moonrise Kingdom—a violent storm is brewing off-shore. Meanwhile, their alarming absence initiates an exhaustive search by the colorfully caricatured adults: Sharp, Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton), and a woman known only as Social Services (Tilda Swinton). Like Benjamin Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra—often referenced here—Anderson creates distinctive component parts which are then artfully blended into a winning whole. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (S. Granger)Copyright Video Librarian Reviews 2011.
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