Moonrise Kingdom
Dir: Wes Anderson
Starring: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bill Murray,
Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton,
and Tilda Swinton
Wes Anderson is simple a
gifted director; his unique style offers an element of wonderment and whimsy to
his heartfelt explorations of humanity that is infused into every one of his
films. Anderson has this gift of crafting worlds for his blend of peculiar
characters to interact within. These environments are so fascinating because it
seems like they are shaped by the desires and emotions of the characters
motivations; it’s like if one his characters decided to make a right turn
instead of left one the world in the end would look vastly different than it
otherwise would have. Moonrise Kingdom is
the most influenced Wes Anderson film to date; every frame is painted with
calculated strokes of Anderson-esque style. Though this doesn’t always work in
the capacity of the film as a whole, it is nonetheless aspiring filmmaking.
The portrayal of young love
is often clichéd, which in turn makes it seem naïve, and that happens slightly
in this film but at times its suppose to. Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward portray
their characters with suitable emotions and idiosyncratic individualism. Their
love is awkward, as most relationships typically begin, and their quirkiness
keeps scenes interesting when they begin to feel trite. Anderson’s feat with
these young characters concerns the use of fantasy and reality involved in the interpretation
of their love. The ideas of romance aren’t always realistic and these young
characters know that; Anderson does well to undercut scenes of oversaturated
romance with unflinching, uncomfortable reality. Also, in a film populated with
Anderson’s identifying style of fantasy, there is a nice touch during the
scenes of the budding relationship where style is restrained for a more
realistic feel.
In a nice transition, the
film expands from the young couple and adds an appealing cast, of further
unique characters, who are all searching for the evading pair. The supporting
cast is good; some in particular are great, while others seem to struggle a bit
along the way. Bruce Willis is suitable, still not great, as Captain Sharp, a lost
character that seems to be the islands sole figure of law enforcement. Tilda
Swinton, who is always brilliant, does the best she can with the truncated role
only known as Social Services; I would have liked to see more of her. Bill
Murray seems meant to work in the worlds that Anderson creates; he is
captivating as Suzy’s father, as is Frances McDormand as Suzy’s mother. Their
relationship is the best acting in the film, it’s both heartbreaking and
touching to watch their marriage transform.
The story is eccentric and
embodies much of the style Anderson is known for; the rich color palate, imaginative
set designs, deliberate tracking shots are all here. As many of Anderson’s best
films, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Rushmore
being my personal favorites, demonstrate that the purposeful style is meant to
highlight the art Anderson is trying to evoke. There are times where Moonrise Kingdom succeeds at this and
other times where it overwhelms the sincere storytelling. This film is one of
Anderson’s most heartfelt and emotional, it’s not always direct, but the
subtleties that are found amongst the design are pure, for example a bedroom
scene where Walt and Laura’s relationship comes to climax is especially profound.
Monte’s Rating
4.00 out of 5.00
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