Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Calling all Wes Anderson fans! Yes, this yellow-toned foray into friendship through the frame of eccentricity made this list — and for good reason. Moonrise Kingdom, directed by Wes Anderson and co-written by Anderson and another famed filmmaker Roman Coppola, tells the twee tale of 12-year-old campers Sam Shakusky and Suzy Bishop who flee New Penzance island in favor of a great adventure — one of their own crafting. As in most Wes Anderson films, Moonrise Kingdom has a healthy dose of idiosyncrasies, oddities and whimsical musings, but what the film also possesses is a deep sense of morality and justice. Without spoiling too much of the film’s underlying mature themes, I’ll leave you with this morsel: Moonrise Kingdom might make you cry, in the best and happiest way possible. Anderson manages to weave a poignancy throughout his young characters, saving them from a danger that might have awaited them in their adulthood. Hopeful and harmonious, this 2012 film is not only a treat for your eyes, it’s one for your heart, too.
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