Commentaire de Moonrise Kingdom

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The movie is set on the imaginary island of New Penance, off the coast of New England and was shot in numerous places around Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. The Bishop house was inspired from a house in New York, but was built on set. The fictitious books and maps occupy a central place in the narrative and Wes Anderson wrote a passage of each. These books help drive the narrative through Suzie’s voice. For example, at the exact half of the movie (49’ 34’’) Suzie reads a passage saying that the story’s tone now changes.

As expected, Bill Murray makes and appearance in the movie as Suzie’s dad, thus playing in 6 of the 7th movies directed by Wes Anderson. His character is a depressed, frustrated, sad and drinking father who feels no bond with his daughter, wife or sons. He thus in unable to give her the attention she craves and keeps pushing her away. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bishop (played by Frances McDormant ) is overwhelmed by her children and her husband. This causes her to leave the house to meet with captain Sharp, allowing Suzie to escape. As all of the adults in the movie, captain Sharp is miserable. He lives by himself in a small house and is the island’s only police officer. He regrets to be uneducated and feels surpassed by Sam’s intelligence. The only exception to the rule is Khaki Scout Master Randy Ward. He is happy but stuck in a children’s world as a scout officer and math teacher on the side. All of these adults surrounding Sam and Suzie push them away, causing them to fear growing up.

Moonrise Kingdom serves as a summary for all of Anderson’s previous movies: it depicts the difficulty faced by children who try to assume a place as adults (as Max Fischer in Rushmore, 1998); it show the importance of adventure and experiences in creating bonds and balance among a family (as did Peter, Francis and Jack in the Darjeeling Limited, 2007); seeing Sam and Suzie helps Captain Sharp understand his mistakes (as did Chas, Margot and Richie in the Royal Tenenbaums, 2001).

His ability to change while taking the best of his previous movies demonstrates once again the talent and genie of Wes Anderson, taking a classic love story and transforming it into an Oscar winning film and a base for psychological reflection, thus positioning himself next to Alfred Hitchcock, who is arguably the best and most complex director of all time.

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