New England, 1965: A pair of twelve-year-old pen pals — one a fledgling bohemian, the other an orphan Boy Scout, both of them precocious in the extreme — declare their love and runs away together on the eve of a hurricane, setting off a potentially life-altering test of fate.
Director Wes Anderson’s signature, meticulous visual style and nostalgia reaches peak whimsical effect (and affect) in this tale of two young misfits struggling to find themselves amid a flash flood, with a frantic search party hot on their trail. Boasting an all-star cast that includes Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, and Harvey Keitel — as well as memorable lead performances from newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward — Moonrise Kingdom reminds us, artfully, that adults can sometimes take a break from teaching children how to live and take a few lessons from them instead.