Movie review: Moonrise Kingdom ****

Stars: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton
Director: Wes Anderson
Rated: PG-13
Showing: Neptune Cinema week of Friday, June 29. For more information call 292-7296.
Tickets: Buy tickets online
Runtime: 94 minutes
Comedy/drama

The place is New Penzance Island, a New England isle 16 miles in length. The time is 1965. The world is a creation of esoteric filmmaker Wes Anderson, and the island is a work of fiction you will find on no map.

New Penzance exists only in the mind of Anderson. Fans of his work (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums) will recognize his heightened version of reality, and his all-star ensemble of quirky characters, in his latest work of art that is Moonrise Kingdom.

There is an innocence that can be found in boys building impossible tree houses and children staying in touch with pen pals. It is summer in 1965, which means it’s two years before the “Summer of Love”.

New Penzance is a placid place where people act in a civilized manner, a kind of whimsical throwback to a time and place that seems possible only in the movies. This is Anderson’s intention and his moviemaking gift, immersing us in another world.

It is also a time when kids do what their parents tell them. Until they don’t.

The story is that of a rebellious young lady named Suzy and a boy named Sam who’s escaped from his scout troop. They run away together because their love can no longer be denied. Search parties are formed to find the 12-year-old kids before a historic storm makes landfall.

These would include Suzy’s parents, a pair of lawyers (Bill Murray, Frances McDormand) who seem to be sleepwalking through life, a by-the-book Khaki Scouts of America leader (Edward Norton) who shepherds his troop on a mission to find their young man, and a lonely island policeman (Bruce Willis).

The childhood love story is an affecting one, with an innocent purity to it created by first-time actors Kara Hayward as Suzy, a girl who likes books with magical stories and who occasionally goes berserk, and Jared Gilman as Sam, a boy with a good head and good heart and who has considerable outdoor skills, as well as anger issues.

There is an artistry that is undeniable in watching Anderson’s films, and his work can fall somewhere between genius (The Fantastic Mr. Fox) and pretentious (The Darjeeling Limited). Moonrise Kingdom falls closer to the side of genius this time around.

Next attraction: Brave