A heart with no name

Rating: 8/10 (29 June 2012)

In true Wes Anderson fashion, Moonrise Kingdom presents us with a style and genre that does not fall neatly in line with most other films. This can be divisive among moviegoers, especially those seeking a comedy (for example) or a heartfelt romp. So perhaps it would be most appropriate to begin by clarifying what this movie is not: This movie is not a romance. A romance story (or at least a good one) fleshes out the twists and turns of a relationship. It explores the depths of intimacy and presents a conflict to lasting love. But Moonrise Kingdom is, ultimately, not about relationships or love. It's about companionship. In the protagonists' struggle against their own identities in a rigid society, they are able to find solace and comfort in one another. We can call it love--a precocious sort of puppy love--but that is not the point. The focus is not on their affection, but on their determination to simply be happy and accepted.
This movie is not a comedy. It is funny, at parts, but there are no jokes. Most of the humor (which warrants smiles, inward chuckles, and looks of incredulity) are due to the almost cartoonish nature of the characters. There are pointedly absurd moments, but nothing that forces us to doubt the reality of it all. Whereas a comedy requires someone to be the butt of a joke, there are no characters who take the blunt force of our laughs. We chuckle not at the characters, but with them in the colorfully ridiculous lengths to which they go for their own goals. I speak not of the protagonists, by the way, but of their family, friends, and pursuers -- all of whom are trying to find their own place in an absurd world.
If anything, this movie is about heart. It's about taking the time to understand those who may deviate from our expectations or own values, and learning to care about them regardless. It's about appreciating that which life presents us and finding opportunity at each turn. It's no coincidence that one of the film's themes is fairy-tales: the movie itself is an odd, but charming, fairy-tale that is romantic (though not a romance), comedic (though not a comedy), and heartfelt (though not sappy).
Moonrise Kingdom will satisfy your hunger for a good story, as long as you don't mind deviating a bit from the expectations of... well, anything.