95% Moonrise Kingdom

I am not generally a big fan of Wes Anderson's work. I often find his films charming but shallow (like Tim Burton's work). But "Moonrise Kingdom," Anderson's new film, is so charming and so perfectly realized (perfectly cast, acted, directed, photographed, edited, scored -- the art direction, costuming, and set decoration are also sterling), that one can forget that it's rather simple and just revel in its charm, quirkiness, and humanity. Rarely have I felt a film exhibit such love of its broken, struggling characters. Also, every now and again there are moments of real depth. It's not relentlessly shallow. I was particularly moved by hints of sadness and complexity floating through the portrayals of the adult characters by Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, and Edward Norton. Their supporting performances are a joy to behold. Would that they had more screen time. Children occupy most of the film's screen time. First-time actors Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward play 12-year-old misfits who become soul-mates at the very moment they cast eyes on each other. He is an orphan being passed around from foster home to foster home. She comes from a big family led by self-absorbed lawyers (McDormand and Murray) who keep big secrets from each other. The boy and girl write to each other (old-fashioned hand-written letters: priceless) over the course of a year or so, commiserating about their social alienation and endless failed attempts to fit in. They decide to break free from a disappointing culture, run away together, and live in the woods. As a Cub Scout, he has learned enough camping skills for them to survive, he believes. Incidentally, the affectionate parody of the Cub Scouts (here called Khaki Scouts) is brilliant. The film opens with them running away and beginning their adventure in the woods. The girl's parents and the boy's Scoutmasters then embark on a search to find them. Here and there we learn their back story through flashbacks. We also learn bits and pieces about the adults as the search gets under way. Overall, I would describe the film as a celebration of smart, artistically inclined children who never quite fit in (Wes Anderson himself?). There's also a sizable dollop of love directed to orphans of any kind. How difficult must it be to find your way in a scary world when you don't have parents or a home that feels like your own. This at times reduced me to tears. At one point the girl tells the boy that she wishes she were an orphan. Orphans are the best characters in literature, she says. Their lives are so much more interesting. The boy replies, "I love you, but you don't know what you're talking about." The pain of being orphaned travels across his gentle face in a way that has stayed with me for days. Anderson doesn't allow the film to drift too deeply into sadness, however. The film is more comedy than tragedy. But these moments of hurt anchor the film and give it weight. If Anderson can continue to make films this good, he just may turn into a filmmaker of major stature. Now having seen the film, I'm not surprised that Cannes chose it to open the festival this year. A wonderful selection. Final note: the film is co-written by Roman Coppola, son of Francis Ford Coppola. I cannot get over the amount of talent in that family. The Coppolas are the Kennedys of the American arts. They are a national treasure.

June 2, 2012

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