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| Moonrise Kingdom - 2012 |
Coming up next is 2012's "Moonrise Kingdom", a story about two 12-year-olds who run away together in order to get married. Their departure couldn't come at a worse time, a huge storm is about to hit the New England island where they reside.
The film's cast includes Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban, and Harvey Keitel.
I want to preface this post by mentioning that this is not a film that I list among my favorites for a myriad of reasons. I do, however, like the director's unique way of filming.
At Camp Ivanhoe on the New England island of Penzance, twelve-year-old orphan Sam Shakusky has run away. He leaves a note for his scout master and makes a break for it.
The scout master sends the rest of the troop out to look for Sam, which they do with some terrifying looking weapons.
However, Sam continues to evade them by using a bunch of different methods to travel to his destination.
He's running away to meet up with his twelve-year-old pen pal, Suzy Bishop. Suzy doesn't feel like she belongs in her own family. Romance blossomed over the course of their letter writing. So, what's to do but run away together?
After meeting up, Sam and Suzy decide on a plan of action and then hike through the woods until they get to a suitable spot to set up camp.
They are discovered by the boy scouts and have to run away to another location, this time on the waterfront.
During their time together, Sam decides to make Suzy a present. This ends up being a pair of earrings fashioned out of fishing hooks and beetles. Suzy loves it.
Eventually Sam and Suzy win the boy scouts to their side. One of the scouts arranges for their cousin Ben, a leader in a neighboring scout camp, to perform a "marriage" ceremony. Ben does this, but tells the couple it isn't legally binding.
Everyone has to quickly seek shelter. A huge storm is headed toward the island and threatening everything in its path.
The local populace seeks shelter at a church, with a startlingly apropos mural of Noah's Ark on display. There, Social Services is waiting to intervene in the matter of the runaway boy, whom no one can seem to locate. It is Social Service's intention to place Sam in a "juvenile refuge" and even throws out the possibility of using electroshock therapy on him.
After the storm is over (and it's a doozy), Sam and Suzy are separated. They are very sad at the possibility of Sam's leaving the island forever.
Not to worry, though. Sam goes to live with a local police captain, who becomes his legal guardian. He is then able to stay on the island and visit Suzy often.
Cast rundown:
Bruce Willis.....................................Captain Sharp
Edward Norton.................................Scout Master Ward
Bill Murray.......................................Mr. Bishop
Frances McDormand.........................Mrs. Bishop
Tilda Swinton...................................Social Services
Jared Gilman...................................Sam Shakusky
Kara Hayward..................................Suzy Bishop
Jason Schwartzman..........................Cousin Ben
Bob Balaban....................................The Narrator
Harvey Keitel...................................Commander Pierce
And that's it for Moonrise Kingdom. The BBC put it on their list of the greatest films of the twentieth century. I definitely don't feel this way. There are some scenes that I feel are a little bit exploitive. I also don't approve of the way the director depicted a particular animal in the film. I know I am not alone in this thinking. There was quite a bit of criticism about both these points. However, the film did well during awards season.
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