Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
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Two outcast teenagers fall in love and run away together on a New England island in 1965.
The story
Set on the fictional island of New Penzance in 1965, the story follows Sam, an orphan boy at a scouting camp, and Suzy, a girl living nearby. Both feel alienated from their guardians and peers. After becoming pen pals and falling in love through letters, they decide to run away together. As Sam escapes his camp and Suzy flees her home, they seek refuge in the wilderness. Meanwhile, the local authorities and a group of scouts launch a search to find the two runaways, leading to a tense pursuit across the island's landscape.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1965, on the New England island of New Penzance, 12-year-old orphan Sam Shakusky and 12-year-old Suzy Bishop become pen pals and fall in love. They make a pact to run away together, which they execute in September. They hide in the wilderness, eventually reaching a spot they call 'Moonrise Kingdom.' A search party of scouts and local authorities, led by Captain Duffy Sharp and Scout Master Ward, looks for them. After a confrontation where the scouts are forced to retreat, Sam and Suzy are eventually found by the adults. Following a series of events, including a failed attempt to escape to a crabbing boat, a violent hurricane and flash flood strike the island. During the storm, Captain Sharp finds the pair in a church and decides to become Sam's legal guardian. The hurricane erases their secret location from the map, while Sam remains with the captain, and Suzy returns home.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Wes Anderson
- Cast and characters
- Bruce Willis · Captain Sharp; Edward Norton · Ward; Bill Murray · none; Frances McDormand · none; Tilda Swinton · none; Jason Schwartzman · Cousin Ben; Bob Balaban · none; Jared Gilman · Sam; Kara Hayward · Suzy
- Genres
- comedy; drama
- Themes
- young love; child sexuality; juvenile mental health; the Genesis flood narrative
- Tone and mood
- whimsical; poignant; magical realism
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; romance; adventure
- Content notes
- sexual awakening
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim and was praised for its visual style, score, and themes. It was included in the BBC's list of greatest films of the twenty-first century.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 93% · scale: percentage · review count: 269; Metacritic · score: 84 · scale: 100 · review count: 43
- Awards and nominations
- Gotham Independent Film Award · Best Feature · won; Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film's costume design was based on 1960s photographs and Boy Scouts uniforms.; The production used a 1.85:1 aspect ratio on Super 16mm film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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