screenplay by: Roman Coppola and Wes Anderson
directed by: Wes Anderson
starring: Kara Hayward, Jared Gilman, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Ed Norton, Harvey Keitel, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban

Here are a few ways to describe Moonrise Kingdom: magical; wistful; dreamy; subversive; nostalgic [might be that lens filter]; delightful and contrary.

12-year-olds Suzy [Kara Hayward] and Sam [Jared Gilman] run away together on an island in Maine. A hurricane is en route. The pair manage to elude Suzy’s parents, a troop of scouts, the island Chief of Police and Child Protective Services– at least for a little while. They are so sweet together. It’s a charming concept. He’s a geeky science kid with a head full of facts and information about camping and other fascinating things. She’s a strong-willed girl who prefers fantasy books with female heroines and brings her cat along for the adventure. How cool is that girl? Just when you might think the film veers toward male fantasy. I like all Wes Anderson’s films but this might now top the list above The Royal Tenenbaums.

ps. someone needs to cast Kara Hayward as Emma Watson’s younger sister.