Moonrise Kingdom

          This summer I had the pleasure of seeing Moonrise Kingdom, a charmingly quirky independent film about two young (and by "young" I mean preteens) "lovers" (Sam and Suzy) who run away together. It is a witty movie in which Bill Murray has a part. The whole movie is awkward and funny, but what I found fascinating was that in the entire ninety-four minutes, I recall only seeing a few smiles. Besides that, none of the characters smiled in the entire movie, which made it even more strange and seemingly surrealistic. Reminiscent of Stand by Me but adding a love interest in the form of Suzy, an awkward adolescent, this movie captures the purity and uncertainty that a first love brings -- that first kiss, and they even share a tent together on a beach. The two misfits live by themselves, fishing for food and entertaining themselves. On the other side of the plot, search parties go out looking for Sam and Suzy, but none of these characters seem to care if they find them or not -- including some parents and Sam's fellow Khaki Scouts. This is one of my top movies of the year and I would really like to see it win Best Picture at the upcoming Oscars. At least Best Cinematography because the colors looked stunning with great costume design, set design, and natural light to embellish it. I love the use of wide shots, especially the moment when Sam and Suzy meet in the meadow toward the beginning of the movie. This movie is sure to leave you in good spirits reminiscing about the past.