Moonrise Kingdom

                                                                                                                                                                                              Heaven Bellamy

5/15/17

      

Moonrise Kingdom is a peculiar film that tugs at the imagination of its viewers. The behavior of the characters, and the manner of how it is shot is intentionally strange and very entertaining. The overall hue of the fil in itself is yellow-orange, which gives even the more serious portions of the film a whimsical tone. The dramatic love between the young characters Suzy Bishop and Sam carry the plot and become the heartthrob centerpiece of its drama. The supporting actors around the two young lovers do fantastic and convincing work. Bill Murray, plays Mr. Bishop a mundane father of four children who takes solace in sitting alone in his living room reading the paper. Mrs. Bishop however, is a nervous house wife who sporadically cleans her house called “Summers End”, all while cheating on her husband with Captain Sharp, played by Bruce Lee. He is a smooth, cool headed cop who has fallen deeply for Mrs. Bishop.

The quest that the young characters Suzy and Sam go to be together and explore the extent of their love is exciting to watch and relatable to anyone who has taken an excursion in the woods as a child. Sam dramatically leaves his Boy Scout group in the effort to meet his lover in the woods and he uses all of his knowledge gained in the troop to both impress Suzy, and to make life in the woods of New Penzance more comfortable.

The storm becomes the climax point for each character, and it effects each person in different ways. It is constantly reiterated leading up to the event that it is coming but action to prepare for it is very last minute. Sam and Suzy are finally found and everyone gathers in the church which is a sanction for safety from the storm, but becomes more of a broiling pot for confrontation.

Moonrise Kingdom is a fantastical film in both the story line, and the way that it appears on screen. The setting, characters, and story is all fiction but every aspect is very real. It is most certainly worth the watch, as there is no other film that is as uniquely strange as this one.