MOONRISE KINGDOM

Yesterday, I saw Mr. Wes Anderson's new film "Moonrise Kingdom."  I have been a fan of Mr. Anderson since medical school when several of my classmates, who had attended prep school with Mr. Anderson, introduced me to his work.

Therefore, when his first film "Bottle Rocket" came out, my friends invited me to the Houston premiere at the old Landmark River Oaks Theatre.  Since that time, Mr. Anderson has made several other films.  The highlights include "Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums," and "The Fantastic Mr. Fox." However, Mr. Anderson's latest film "Moonrise Kingdom" comes as close as humanly possible to perfection.

The movie tells the story of two middle school-age children living in an island off the New England coast. Sam is an orphan and a Khaki scout - think boy scouts with snappier uniforms.  The other protagonist is Suzy, a young girl full of life but also anger.  These kids orbit different worlds, but each child's world is populated by burned out or inept adults.  The contrast between the children's vibrancy and the adults is striking, and it makes Sam and Suzy quite compelling and likable.

The New York Times site features the scene in which Sam and Suzy first meet with commentary by Mr. Anderson. It is easy to forget during this scene and the rest of the film that these actors are children. They each inhabit their characters. Their chemistry and "love at first sight" is palpable, and one cannot help root for them.

More than anything, when I watched "Moonrise Kingdom," I was blown away by the passion that each child had for the other. Despite the fact that they had only met once and that their relationship was exclusively epistolary before they run away together, their connection was obvious.

The film reminded me of the first time I fell in love as a teenager, and it brought back all of those emotions and memories.  I was reminded of what it felt like to let my guard down, to invite someone in, and to risk rejection because not making one's feeling known would have hurt far more.  I will not spoil my adolescent story's ending or the movie's ending. Suffice it to say that they are different.

Far too often as we get older, we settle. We accept what is just all right because we have either lost hope, patience, or the belief that we deserve something better.

Perhaps settling is what it means to grow up, but we seldom realize that this is what our adult lives  have become.

"Moonrise Kingdom" was a reminder of what we all once were. However, "Moonrise Kingdom" is also a reminder of that for which we all may still strive - despite the extra pounds, lost hair, or wrinkles -  love, passion, and an endless sense of possibility despite what the world might throw at us.

I will leave you with the song that ends the film (NOTE: Stay for the entire credits because a treat awaits you!).   Fittingly, this song is sung by a children's choir.



In that final scene, we come to understand the meaning of the film's title. However, we also see a slice of heaven on earth that need not belong to just the young.