Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Wes Anderson makes good-looking and quirky movies about, well, people who do not walk along the common route of life, or people on a quest for oddballsy reconciliation. Even though I like his style, I appreciate his sense of humor, I like his visual world, and perhaps even more importantly, his cheerful-melancholy take on outsiders with a Mission, I can't really say that any of his movies have really resonated deeply with me, or what it would mean to say that his movies could do that. But they are inventive, touching films nonetheless. Moonrise Kingdom looks good, it sounds good (Hank Williams - all the time!) and this sad story about coming-of-age is as off-beat and subdued as ever. But somehow, when I was watching the film I came to feel that the whole thing is so self-aware, so concerned with how it appears that nothing much is left. It's a sweet story about two kids (who are labeled as problem children) running away from the strange society in which they live, and away from aloof and sad adults, hoping for a life in the woods. Or at least, they hope for a summer away from the normal routines and restrictions. They bring camping gear, a few books, records and a cat. But in the middle of the film the ideas seem to have run out, and the rest of the material, to me, is too detached - the whole thing stops being a magical adventure and actually becomes a tad bit boring as I get lost within quasi-action scenes. Moonrise kingdom is something of a one trick pony, however with a truly marvellous use of artifice. But yeah, it's not a bad film, and there are some scenes which got through to me with a strange and tender interpretation of how humans interact with each other. I called it self-conscious, but then again, I never felt that it is contrived or false. Plus, the wonderful ranger telling us about the history and geography of the islands on which the story is set. And - do I need to point it out? - Bill Murray is Bill Murray.